My 8 year old is on Senior feed

[Tootsie4U]

For almost 2 months now. Can you see any difference?

THEN
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i25/Tootsie4U/FellaSummer06_20060811_0001.jpg


NOW
http://i68.photobucket.com/albums/i25/Tootsie4U/_20061005_0003.jpg

He was put on it to help him gain weight after all other grain options failed. Apologies he is muddier than mud in the now photo but I wasnt able to take him out of the paddock with baby in tow.

[Greentchr]

The way the shadows fall, it is really hard to make a judgement from the second photo. The first photo was excellent- good lighting, no shadows, it was easy to see the angles and all.

any chance you can take another photo of him standing in the same place as the first photo, about the same time of day?

We have one on senior feed also- where it is easiest to tell the difference is just above and beside the tail- she gets an obvious angle there when she has lost weight.

[galadriel]

Are you sure he needed to gain weight? In the before picture he is gleaming and even shows some dapples. That's an indicator of a healthy horse.

He does look like he has quite a lot of muscle wastage along the spine and particularly at the wither; that doesn't go away when just trying to build weight on (as the "after" picture shows).

[digitalangel]

looks to me that he is lacking topline, not weight.

[The Flying Irishman]

Could just be the angle of the second photo but he looks like he has lost weight and condition.

Why does he need to be on senior feed at 8 he is hardly senior?

Kath x

[Jessey]

It looks to me like he has gained mass on his bum :D but it might have been the way he is stood in the first picture :p
What did a condition score show up compared to last time? have you been able to cut the ammount of his feed by switching onto a senior version?

J x

[Herbie's mummy]

looks better in the 1st pic..................

[Tootsie4U]

Oh, I give up :(

I've stressed about this horses' condition for a year now... Im tired :D

I put him on senior per vet recommendations. He was getting a HUGE amount of grain (sweet feed, beet pulp, rice bran, hay pellets) at the time the first photo was taken. The second photo shows a diet of 8 lbs of Senior per day with a bale (45 lbs) of hay a day.

So no change then?

I know its not the best photo to represent but its what I could manage at the time.

Jessey, my scoring shows he's up one.

Bummer

[KarinUS]

Don't be discouraged. :) People are saying he's looked good before. You've done a good job.My download is so slow ... I am still just looking at the first picture. You know looking at the head, he doesn't really have a QH head - too small of a jowel. Maybe he's got more TB in him than you think?

Don't feel bad. With the last few months off, DJ has lost quite a bit of top line as well...

[Tootsie4U]

LOL, He is not the prettiest of horses, I know. Vet also said he looked appendix and I agree there isnt a strong QH build to him but I have his papers and he isnt.

He's not pretty, but he is worth his weight in gold!

[Jessey]

some QH's seem to have a funny way of gaining though, I have known quite a few who seemed to creap from the back end forwards :)
I know when you took that first picture you said it made him look better covered than he really was, I remember you saying you could still see his ribs in real life, was that right?
Def try and get us another picture when you haven't got the little one in tow, from the same side as the first one and without the shaddows.

J x

[digitalangel]

on a healthy horse if you stand at their shoulders and look towards their bum you should be able to see a shadow of their ribs so dont stress too much, he doesnt look hugely underweight.

if you want to pack on the pounds, 4 feeds a day ab-lib hay beet and barley but i think he lacks topline so i would stick to a conditioning feed and lots of work on the lunge.