What is Captain's Ideal Weight??

[NoviceNic]

Since moving Captain onto a new yard he has gone up in weight. When he first arrived in Sept he weighed 456kg. He then weighed 470kg at the end of October and now today he weighs 448kg. So what weight should we be aiming for??

He is a 14 2hh H/W cob.

Here is a picture to get some idea of his bone density...Please bear in mind that in the first picture he has scissoredl feathers but in the last he has his legs clipped.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y40/novicenic/horses/000_0128.jpg
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y40/novicenic/horses/000_0383.jpg

[Herbie's mummy]

He looks fine to me?
I never get to hung up about weight unless you can actully see they are huge or thin.
He looks just right, i may be worng though?
:)
xxx

[LindaAd]

Have you measured his bone? In those pics he looks more like a middleweight than a heavyweight to me ... And if you look at the line of his tummy he looks a bit on the fat side, although not gross - how much fat has he got stored in his neck and his bum?


Here's a heavyweight - can you see how chunky his legs look? He's fairly fit, too
(he's a riding school horse)

Linda


http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m251/LindaAd/Marble1.jpg

[Iron Maiden]

Have you tried condition scoring him? You look at parts of his body & see how lardy they are basically, e.g. can you see the ribs/feel with pressure but not see/are they buried in wadges of flab!! I think there was a thread on this not long ago & someone put the full range of scoring measures up. I've just weightaped P because I'm pretty happy with her condition at the moment & will use this as a reference. That's assuming she doesn't keep growing taller, in which case I'll just keep an eye on her condition score.

[teabiscuit]

i never measure bone, i use my eyes to see if they're fat/thin/chunky/cuddely and have to admit, most of mine are very very cuddley :o

learning about condition scoring is the way to go imo

he looks a tiny bit chunky in the bottom pic, but pics are decieving :)

[Mehitabel]

yep, condition score rather than weight, especially if using a weigh tape as they are not particularly accurate. if you can feel a rib when you poke him in the side, he has no cellulite or fat pads on his shoulder and his neck is not hard and cresty, then he is fine. in the other direction, you should feel ribs but not see them, his quarters shouild look rounded and not angular at the hips, and he shouldn't have a sharp slope fro mribcage to stifle.

[Jessey]

I would agree, condition score, when he is perfect on that measure his weight then you can use that as reference.

J x

[Alfies-slave]

Ditto the views on condition scoring. If you go by weight (like a weigh bridge or tape) it can be deceptive. Muscle weighs more than fat! Also when a horse is fit it builds up muscle which can make a weight tape read like the horse is over weight.

Cobs can look fat even when they are not. For example if someone who is used to looking at blood horses looked at a fit cob with its apple bum they would think it is fat!

Don't worry too much, the horse will drop weight as the weather gets colder so best not to reduce rations now. It will need its fat to keep warm when it gets cold and the value drops from the grass. Also with cobbies, they can give the impression of piling on weight as their winter woolie coat grows. This can trich the eye and the weight tape!

Best not to worry too much but do keep an eye on the fit of the saddle. As horses loose fitness and put on a bit of weight it can have quite drastic effects on the saddle fit. With my horses I aim for consistancy to keep the saddle fitting, a little over or under is nothing to worry about.

[puzzles]

i thunk he's at a perfect weight; make sure he doesn't continue to put on too much weight though, he should lokk about level 3 out of 5 of condition.
monitor his wieght reguarly and he should be fine.
:-)

[NoviceNic]

Thank you everyone I will get some advise on weight scoring and go from there. :)

[puzzles]

oh good, well done for doing such a good job on him!
:-)