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  Discussion on Chubby Mustang
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Member:
Cowgrl

Posted on Monday, Jul 12, 2004 - 12:51 pm:

Hello,

My little mustang, Dakota, right now is fairly overweight. He would rank a 6-7 on the condition scale. I cannot feel his ribs and he has fat deposits on his tailhead and at the wither. As he is my first mustang I was unaware of what easy keepers they are. I have cut out all concentrates except for a handful with which to mix his supplements. He is on two hours of grazing in the afternoon for his pm meal, and one flake of timothy hay in the morning. The hay weighs in about 5 lbs. I am having the dickens getting weight off him!

I started an exercise regimen as outlined in the article about feeding overweight horses - walk, trot to sweat, walk. However, the first night I trotted him for a good 20 minutes and he never broke a sweat or was breathing heavy. One would think with carrying around the weight he does, he would sweat just thinking about work. I rode him yesterday for a good 3+ hours, both up and down good sized hills, and although he was huffing and puffing a little, he barely broke a sweat. My quarter hose who is in great shape, had a good coat of sweat going.

I'm beginning to wonder if this is something to be concerned about or if I'm worrying needlessly. He has a sweat mark under his saddle but nothing excessive.

Does anyone else have experience with mustangs that have this same non-sweating issue? Am I just being paranoid? Are mustangs so hardy that they sweat very little? He's from the high deserts of Eastern Oregon so that may be the reason.

Thanks.
Member:
Canter

Posted on Monday, Jul 12, 2004 - 1:25 pm:

Hi Holly,
I never owned a mustang, but I think the degree of sweat you get just depends on the horse (barring any medical problems). My TB NEVER broke a sweat (except at the girth), regardless of temperature or workload. My current horse is entirely different. As soon as I lift the saddle over her back, she starts to sweat, even on cold, cold days. Both the TB and my mare have very different coat types and my guess is that is the main difference. The TB had that sleek coat that feels like silk in the summer and crushed velvet in the winter. My mare (a Holsteiner) is quite a bit woolier.
Member:
Cowgrl

Posted on Monday, Jul 12, 2004 - 1:43 pm:

He's got a fairly sleek, short coat and doesn't get particularly furry in winter. My appy mare I used to have sounds like your mare. She would sweat at the DrOp of a hat.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Saturday, Jul 17, 2004 - 6:14 am:

Hello Holly,
We have an article that helps you decide if a horse may have anhiDrOsis at Equine Diseases » Lameness » Weakness, Exhaustion, and Overheating » AnhiDrOsis & Deficient Sweating. However as Fran suggests above different horses differ tremendously in their need to sweat during a given amount of exercise.
DrO
Member:
Cowgrl

Posted on Monday, Jul 19, 2004 - 2:33 pm:

I just read the article and don't think he has anhiDrOsis. I rode him yesterday and it was pretty hot and humid (mid 80's). We did a few hills but not too many steeps. Dakota sweated pretty good on his neck and had a lot of sweat under his saddle to where it had run down his sides. I have a feeling he's in better condition than I thought. He's still on the reducing diet and I'm starting to see results (finally!) All things considered, life is good.

Thanks!
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