How accurate can we be?

[horseygal90]

When judging weight from a picture?

As winter rolls in, more and more threads on weight are popping up - Is my horse too fat, too thin, just right? I was just wondering, how can we judge this from a picture and is it ok for horses to carry a little bit more as the weather turns colder (I'm not talking obese here, I'm talking a little bit of belly!) - I know I'd rather see a slightly overweight horse in October than a slightly underweight one.

Do condition scoring charts take breed into account? An American QH will look fat next to a TB, and will have a higher conditon score, surely? And aren't condition scores based on feel - Thus making them pretty pointless to evaluating a photograph? Is a horse ever a perfect 5 (I presume it goes from 1 to 10?)?

Sorry if that comes off a little weird or disjointed, it's not meant to be! I'm just curious about this, it's not something I know a lot about (it's late, I've got a headache! Perfect time for learning!). I love weight threads because you get gorgeous pictures with them Is there any other way of gauging fat? Or a more accurate way from a picture?

Go on, teach me all you know about fat horses!

 

[~*sugarlump*~]

i agree. especially about the condition charts. do they actually take into account breed and confirmation? you wouldnt exactly want to be comparing a TB to a clydesdale.
with alot of horses going into winter, as grass gets all muddy and wet, drop weight, and i think i would rather them go into winter with a little bit extra and come out after winter loking perfect, than going into winter with perfect weight and coming out looking skeletal.

 

[vimto92]

Condition charts don't really need to take into account breeds though, as far as I am aware. They evaluate if the animal is overweight or not by fat areas and coverings on a horse. It is not comparing breeds or anything like that. An underweight TB would look ribby, just as a Clydesdale would - what we have to remember though is that condition scoring isn't totally accurate but is a very close guide and extremely useful.