At 05:18:33 on 11.12.10, handsoffmysaddle wrote:
I know this may sound silly, but I can't find an answer anywhere! I know weight loss is usually a bad effect from something else like illness, lack of nutrition/food or worms, but if the horse is otherwise sound and healthy and gets fed plently of quality feed (NOT poor quality) and only drops weight in the cold months and is otherwise happy, then what is the big deal about a horse being a bit ribby/thin? Would weight loss effect other functions in the horse and possibly cause something worse if the weight loss became too severe? Could it impact the horse's immune system so it could fall ill, or if it was a working horse, its performance? Or if the weather was cold, would a thinner horse just keel over and die of an ammonia or freeze to death? I'm mainly asking this because I've been told to blanket my horse because he doesn't handle the cold well, but if he gets fed enough quality feed and has a shelter from the cold wind and was allowed to actually grow out his winter coat, wouldn't he be fine even if he still did lose a bit of weight? It's not like he's starving to death or uncared for.

At 17:34:14 on 15.02.11, bcj wrote:
i dont really know the answer but once your horse gets a bit ribby its not hard for it to become a lot worse

At 09:09:13 on 22.06.11, M0p0 wrote:
the thinner your horse is the more prone it is to desease, can get sick quite easily and generally, moral drops with weight. Try buying just a sheet that keeps your horse dry and acts as a wind break. get one with out filling:) good luck