Weight Loss over Winter

[eeyore]

my gelding lost a lot of weight over the winter, and once i noticed, we upped his hay and got him started on Speedi-beat too.
he gained a bit of weight, but still looks ribby.. (where as he was quite podgey when i got him!)

now some of the annoying folk on the yard who've finally noticed have immediately notified me like it's life threatening and he's going to drop down dead at any second :p, but i'm sure i've read somewhere that it's natural to lose weight over winter because they gain it back when the summer grass comes through.
that true orrr was it some kind of freaky dream about grass?

p.s his temperament is fine and he's scoffing everything as normal :D
so i'm sure it's only this seasonal thingy

[Yann]

Mine certainly does, and yes it's perfectly normal. Grazing is generally poorer and they use more energy keeping warm. Now you've had him one winter you know what to expect so you can feed up him more next time round.

Unless he's a toastrack I wouldn't worry too much. The perception of the other owners may be coloured by the breeding of their horses and whether they are actually overweight;)

[Pickles]

I would expect him to gain weight as the spring grass gets going, but in the mean time a little extra hay won't do him any harm.

Don't worry about getting weight on him quickly as any extra feed is likely to just fizz him up.

Just make sure there are no other reasons, ie worm burden.

[eeyore]

thanks for your replies ^_^

yeah most of the other horses on the yard (as my instructor has also said!) are under worked and overfed!
i don't overfeed ben, but he is only in light work (couple of times a week) as he has underrun heels, but in a month or two we shall jump :D