Worried, too fat?? Help/advice needed

[misty'smom]

I have been doing some reading on minis and being overweight. Misty is now 18 months old and I have been worrying the she may be gaining too much weight. I have had her since she was weaned and continued to feed her what the breeder suggested for a growing foal/filly. We have a Co-Op here that sells a textured gain that was developed by the Kentucky Equine Research Center and it comes highly recommended. She is getting one that has 16% protein and 6% fat that is for foals up to 2 yrs, she gets 2 cups morning 2 cups evening with access to orchard grass hay 24/7. She is out in our pasture from morning until dark with her half sister(Josie is a dwarf that is 1 month older). There is grass out there from spring through summer and now the grass has gone dormant and it is mostly dirt. I put about 3-4 flakes out in the pasture hay bin and about 2 flakes in the stall overnight, most days neither bin is empty by the end of the day or in the morning. That amount of hay is for both girls. They do have separate feed bins and I watch to make sure they only eat their own!! Of course they both are woolly bears right now, but I am still concerned Misty may be too fat....I can feel her hip bone easily but I have to push it bit to feel her ribs. I read that if their backs are not straight and sway a bit they are too fat. She seems to have gotten wide, no fat deposits on her neck shudders etc.... I do not want to cut back too much if needed because winter/cold weather is setting in and I want her to stay warm but at the same time I don't want her over weight and risk her to colic. I am such a worry wart but only want the best for raising my 2 fillies. Josie does not seem to have a changed one bit since I got her and of course she will always have that pot belly but I think she looks good. Sorry this is so long but I wanted to give you all as much info as I could so you could give me your expert advice. I think Jill from Winnie For Me farm may use the same feed so hopefully she will come along with advice on that type of feed. Here are some pictures from February 2012 until 2 weeks ago.....

 

[AnnaC]

Well she looks great to me! You really dont want to be feeling ribs at this time of year! Not sure what you mean by your "if the backs sway a bit, they are too fat"? Where did you read this? A horse's conformation is just that and it's bone structure will not be altered simply by carrying a little extra weight. The spine naturally curves slightly - as can be seen in any picture of a skeleton - and I personally dislike straight/flat backed minis as I think they look 'un-natural', but that is just my opinion1

I think you are doing fabulously with both Misty and Josie and I love hearing about them and seeing the pictures you post!

 

[Danielleee]

Shes definitely not overweight. The sway in her back is just part of her conformation / how shes built.

 

[Jetiki]

You have to put your hands in all that hair and feel them in the winter, if you can feel ribs then you need to add food/protein if you can't feel them at all then maybe the don't need so much. With minis I have found that some not all need a higher protein than others, to keep down the pot belly look. I don't personally mind them being a bit fat going into winter. Your girl appears to be built with her withers lower than her hips ( I have one of these too) add the white markings and it can totally give optical illusions. Beautiful girls

Karen

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Well, tbh I very much doubt she needs more than 16%- although you do need to look at the TDN (Total Digestible Energy) rate if the packaging gives it 6% fat is good too- although, again, find out what sort of oil they are using, if you can, as some oils are digested better than others- some companies put cheap oils in to "up" the % but they can't be digested!! They do this with cat and dog food too, and it is quite legal- that is where the TDN comes in as they cannot lie on that bit!

She looks a really nice little mare to me, and not at all fat- the sway back will probably even out a bit as she grows into herself.

I would check the label on the feed you are using and, if you cannot get the information you need from the label or their website, I would switch to a feed that gives all the info you need- it is sometimes false economy to go for a cheaper option, but sometimes the "own brand" is just as good as the expensive stuff, just needs a bit of homework.

UGH edited for spelling....

 

[misty'smom]

Thanks for all the great replies and advice, I appreciate you all taking the time to help me!!

AnnaC, I had googled feeding and overweight in minis, and read about the sway back on one of the general info sites I was on, don't remember which one. It did say their backs should look straight, having a big belly and being too wide with excess fat on their sides could cause their back to sway pulling on their spine. So I was alarmed a bit thinking Misty did look a bit wide and had the dip in her spine. Happy to hear that is just part of her comformation and may change as she grows!!! I seem to read so much about minis and being overweight which causes everything from colic to laminitis it just worries me.

Jane, I did read about this feed and the 6% is the TDN same with the 16% protein. Now when they turn 2 this spring will I need to go with something lower in protein or fat? This Pace-Maker brand has several levels and types of feed for horses at all stages of their lives. The people at my Co-op are very good at answering questions since the feed is made right there!

Karen, thanks for explaining the "feeling for their ribs" it makes me feel better that they should be a little hard to feel this time of year! They both are sooooo woolly right now!! I call my little Josie "my little bear" she is very fluffy when I give her a hug!!

 

[Miniv]

No she doesn't look overweight - especially going into winter. What Karen mentioned is important. I call it the "touch test". It means getting your fingers into the fur and pressing a bit along the rib cage and back bone. You want to feel a layer of flesh there. If you can't feel any hint of bone, then your horse is too plump.....However, with winter, I don't like puting them on a diet.

From your photos, the curved or sway back is probably her going through a growth spurt. Many minis get "butt high" as yearlings or two year olds because their hind end has grown first and their front needs to catch up! I bet by spring time she'll have evened out.

 

[Tab]

Just to add confusion. If a horse is at a nice healthy, even chubby weight, his coat is usually very dense and shorter. If he is too thin the hair gets long and stringy. To the trained eye you don't have to feel through the fur. But feeling is the best way to determine condition no matter what. (There are always exceptions to the hair coat, but not feeling through the fur.) You should feel a fat layer over the ribs with your finger tips! She does appear to have the short, dense coat of a horse with enough "storage" for winter. Your job is to maintain that throughout the cold weather

Additionally, the cold months are when you should be focusing on keeping adequate weight on her. As she ages you may find you begin to have difficulty maintaining her weight and she will lose weight in the winter. The coats often deceive people into thinking they are fat, so they begin to starve them. They are not fat they are fluffy. Spring and summer you can focus on conditioning, but winter is not the best time for a weightloss regime.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Brilliant about the TDN- I would stick with what you know and so long as she is an OK weight I would not change it in Spring unless of course you have loads of grass, in which case I would not feed at all but just give a feed balancer (you can get grass balancers now) Weight tapes can be unreliable when used to calculate the actual weight of a Mini but they will tell you if and when they put on weight or take it off, which is something to remember!

 

[wingnut]

Just to add confusion. If a horse is at a nice healthy, even chubby weight, his coat is usually very dense and shorter. If he is too thin the hair gets long and stringy.

This is excellent information. When my hard keeper was ill, her coat was long in comparison to everyone else. She didn't have as dense a coat either. This, along with very little body fat meant she need a blanket when the rest did not.