Are my mini's too fat?**pics added**

[Taylor Jo]

I got the article downloaded onto my e mail for anyone that would like a copy of it. It talks about feeding mini's and what can happen if you over feed them. Plus the calculation of how to tell their weight. I was thinking last night after getting off the computer about you saying, you felt ribs. That is not a good thing. That's why I said hay belly. I agree w/ some of the others they need some roughage and put on some weight on their ribs and yes they need out of the barn. Anyway, good luck to you. I hope we've been able to help. I give my mini's a cup of roughage in the morning and a cup at night. Along w/ them getting their beets and grain. They do real well w/ that. TJ

 

[rabbitsfizz]

OK...when I said "roughage" I meant "fibre"

ALL horses need a certain percentage of their weight in long stem fibre every day.

You ignore this at your peril, basically.

Ask yourself why so many people come on here with problems with colic, then ask yourself if this is a common problem with, oh, say, people who keep their horses at grass??

In all the years I have been keeping horses I have had four cases of colic and no cases of large bellies/poor nutrition/ "hay belly".

My horses are at grass 24/7.

They eat what they want and yes, at this time of year they are fat.

They are also healthy.

I do understand that some may not have access to the grass I have, but free choice hay would circumnavigate that problem.

If you do not have access to turnout....sorry, I have no answer as I would not keep horses under these circumstances in exactly the same way that I would not keep Dobes if I lived in a third floor apartment.

Rabbit is 29, no sunken anything, no ribs, no big gut, just a happy little furball.

Also with free access to outdoors at all times, although he does have his own stall the door is open.....

PLEASE do not even consider dieting your babies....they are entering old age, the last thing they need, unless they are morbidly obese and they most certainly are not, is a diet!!!!