Re: RC: thin horses

[Tivers@aol.com]

In a message dated 7/25/00 3:48:48 PM Pacific Daylight Time, 
ribbitttreefrog@yahoo.com writes:

<< At my last ride there was an EXTREMELY thin horse who was
 in the top ten and got BC for the 25 mile ride. Wouldn't
 getting BC encourage this same rider to up that distance on
 that horse, potentially putting that horse at risk?
 Especially when you take into acct. what Susan's study
 shows. When I say it was thin, I mean it was gaunt looking.
 I have a slightly thin horse, he could stand to gain 50 -
 100 lbs. but this is different. What are the vets outlooks
 on "skinny" horses? Doesn't it contribute to the vet score
 and overall judging? Curious! >>


Just had a vet tell one of my friends that the horse was too skinny--so the 
horse was fattened in obedient response. The horse, with the extra weight, 
had elevated heartrates during rides and lathered white and frothed at the 
mouth. Hopefully, the weight will be carefully reduced again in time for 
important competitions. 

Don't believe everything you hear. If you have a horse that is delivering 
nice performances and recovering well between races, don't fix what ain't 
broke. 

ti.