Is my Quarter Horse Mare obese?

Hi Cherry
I have a, well, almost 3 year old Quarter Horse mare. Last time I weighed her she was about 800 pounds or so. She is a small girl, about 13 hands. The lady who feeds her I think is feeding her too much (a flake of alfalfa in the morning along with some oat, and some grass and oat at night) Though I think that oat doesn’t matter- for it’s just a filler, Ive been told.
A size 32 cinch is WAY to small on my horse and barely can go around her stomach.
Though she is stalky and so is her family, is she too obese for her size? I am worried about that. Jen

Hi Jen,

I wrote requesting you send me a photo of the mare as that would be helpful in formulating an answer. Without that visual, I’m going to refer you to several articles on my website that will help you get started in evaluating your horse’s weight.

What is the correct weight of a horse?

What should this horse weigh?

How do I put my horse on a diet?

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How Much Should This Saddlebred Horse Weigh?

Horse Weight

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Hi Cherry,

My name is Johanei and I’m from South Africa. The horse I’m leasing is a saddlebred and her weight doesn’t look to good for me!!

She’s 15.3 hands and weighs 385kg.

I really hope you can get back to me because some of the ponies are starting to weigh more than she is. She also has leg problems and the owner says she won’t be able to carry the weight which I don’t agree with. Please please please reply Enjoy you day and thanks for everything you do for horses.

Johanei

Dear Johanei,

Did you read this article on our website? It gives you complete guidelines to evaluate a horse’s condition: Correct Horse Weight

Hi Cherry

Yes I did read the article and I still think her weight isn’t right. She had Colic a while ago and the lady didn’t even let the vet come and she stopped giving her the food she use to get and she only fed her hay.

Even if shes a saddle bred, I asked one of my older friends that knows a lot about horses and she told me she’s too bony.

Please reply. Johanei

Dear Johanei,

For other readers, 385 kg is about 850 pounds. You say the horse is 15-3 hands tall. It would be hard to imagine a horse that tall at that weight, NOT being underweight.

The guidelines in the article indicate that the horse is underweight and your knowledgeable older friend agrees that she is underweight, so my best answer is that from what you are telling me, the horse is underweight. Without seeing the horse in person, I can’t say for sure how MUCH underweight, but I’ve never known a horse at that height and weight to be in healthy flesh.

Since you are leasing the horse, you have certain legal rights as outlined in the lease and one of them might be your right to have a veterinarian look at the horse. In that way you can have an unbiased third party determine if the horse is underweight, how severely, and what should be done about it.

It is good that you are concerned about the horse. You need to get a professional involved and the best bet would be your veterinarian.

Best of luck,

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