Ok so first off I personally believe if you can see a horses ribs, they are to thin and doesn't matter what age the horse is, should not see them but still feel them. Anyways on this forum on fb a girl posted a pic of a skinny horse, you can see his ribs and it is hard to tell cause if the angle but he seems hippy as well. I said something about it and got some backlash saying he is a good weight for his age and seeing ribs in a 3 year old is ok. Clarification please, good or bad?
2013-08-20T17:00:56Z
Link to the picture https://www.facebook.com/groups/juniorrider/permalink/702979386383386/
?2013-08-20T16:59:43Z
Favorite Answer
Good for you for commenting. No that is not good or right. The horse either needs more groceries, needs to be wormed or both. Sad how some peoples perceptions are ok with the lack of knowledge. I have never had "ribby" horse from foal to death and if they were and food and worming did not help, the vet did.
Ahhhh...I must be the last person on earth who does not have face book!
Unfortunately Facebook won't let me look at the picture, it's just the link to the Facebook page.
But it REALLY depends on the horse, for example, my horse founders like crazy, I always keep him a little slim. He has amazing muscle tone, with a huge bum, large shoulders, neck and barrel. But I generally go by his ribs to determine his "good" weight. I obviously know my own horse very well and I'd rather him be a tiny bit slim than foundering and possibly dying.
I'd link a photo of him just to be sure he's not underweight but this isn't about me or my horse.
I think until the horse is at least 7 it should be kept at a "full" weight and shouldn't be under weight at ALL. They are large animals, and they're growing at that age, they need all the weight and nutrients they can get. For a 3 year old horse to be underweight is not looking all that good.
Well done for commenting and sticking up for what you think is right.