[Rosie12]

Just curious on oppinions. I know the saying that they're the right weight when you can feel their ribs but can't see them, but wanted to know ya'll oppinions. Reason being I'm beginning to see my mare's ribs. Not all the time, but when she walked up to me and was trotting around, I could see the very edges of them, plus her wither and bum are looking slightly...pointed, which they normally aren't. When I felt her down her sides, I could feel her ribs while just rubbing my hands on her...I used to have to press a little to feel them. Was she too fat before, or is she skinny now? Or is she just on her way?

I'm in the middle of planning to move her (the situation where she is does not have enough grass to support equines. They've got costal hay 24/7, but she won't eat enough of it) but I don't know if I should try and get her moved sooner rather then later.

[Dawn]

Depends.

Ideal body condition is considered to be a 5. Now for most horses you'll not be able to see their ribs when they're standing and you'll be able to feel them when you feel with a 'petting' pressure. When they're moving, you'll likely be able to see a faint outline.

But they can be slightly below or slightly above this and not be 'thin' or 'fat'. And one way or the other is preferable in various cases.

(Note, the ideal 5 is for mature, healthy, normal activity horses. Youngsters, extreme athletes, and physical issues can call for lower bcs scores to be 'healthy'/ideal.)

From what you've described, your mare sounds like she's right at a 5. But there might be other issues going on that are making her look thin. She coudl be losing muscle, or her nutrition might not be high enough. Both of those can cause a horse to look thin when they're body fat is sufficient.

[imjustjoking22]

Lots of horses suck up and make their ribs more visible when they are moving around. My horse looks many pounds lighter when I ride him just because his stomach muscles are tensed up. He's still quite fat- so I think you are fine. Just keep an eye on her weight and make sure she's not losing

[EVOO]

Dawn hit the nail on the head. I agree whole heartedly and would only add that, imo, while the ribs are a good "rule of thumb" they are not the end all be all. Some horse's ribs are more "sprung" than others. Seeing a little rib is not always a bad thing. I really think a full evaluation of the horse's condition is important.

[belsenj]

Thought I would help you out with a couple of pictures of my mare who I just recently put some weight on. (Same situation as you are in now in that she wasn't getting fed properly in the old barn.) In the second picture, she is starting to have some winter woolies coming in, but you can also see the change in her whole body as in weight.

No good


Good


If you could post a picture it would be great. But in the meantime, how would you compare yours to my first picture?

[SWRerider]

I think what you need to keep in mind here, is that if her ribs are starting to show where they weren't before - it means she is losing weight and you do not want that trend to continue. So I would move her sooner.

[Cowgirlannie101]

Look at their butt and if their hips are pointed, they are too thin. They should be rounded. As for the ribs, it really depends on the breed. Breeds like thoroughbreds should be slim, but quarter horses should be a little chunkier

[Dawn]

Originally Posted by EVOO

Dawn hit the nail on the head. I agree whole heartedly and would only add that, imo, while the ribs are a good "rule of thumb" they are not the end all be all. Some horse's ribs are more "sprung" than others. Seeing a little rib is not always a bad thing. I really think a full evaluation of the horse's condition is important.

Absolutely! The ribs are just an 'easy' thing for people who aren't familiar with scoring horses to see. They're not the 100% tell though.

[Dawn]

Originally Posted by Cowgirlannie101

Look at their butt and if their hips are pointed, they are too thin. They should be rounded. As for the ribs, it really depends on the breed. Breeds like thoroughbreds should be slim, but quarter horses should be a little chunkier

Should and 'typically are' are two completely different things

[Rosie12]

See, this is the type of answers I needed.

She's a 14 yo QH, of meduim activity. I ride her maybe once a week if that, lunge her most often, and she's a lesson horse for - right now - beginner riders.

belsenj: Right now she's looking more like the first picture. I'll be going out there tomorrow again to see her, so I'll try and get pics of her then.

I guess another reason that I'm asking is that she's my first horse and I love her and so I can get a liiiittle parinoid about certain things. My mom doesn't seem to think she's skinny and keeps telling me that she can afford to lose weight, but my mom is less of a horse person then I, so I don't know if she's right and I'm just being parinoid or what.