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Horses Actual Weight

By Dr.hood | 24-May-2021

Dear irtains,

I always wonder when i about to start  handicaping  races regulated to India,The race card was always have a blank of the horse present actual weight carrying (I mean :- 423kgs,444kgs and 523kgs) which will be filled just few minutes of the race in that also some of the horses weight will missing.So my humble request or appeal to all clubs/stewards through IR is that let punter know the weights of horses in beginig at time of race card announcement.what will happen due to this most of the punters/handicappers can access merit of the horses in this angle also( for example:- horses gained weight coming from setback will have some advantages and vis-versa and so on like this).

IR members can share there experiences and suggestions on this and try to show some light on this article.

May my english bothers many ones but kindly try to understand the basic essence of the subject.

Thanking in advance

Post Your reply

9 Replies

S.paul said ...

29-May-2021

Well said Mr. Prasad.. 

I think if horse weight is greater than previous one.. that means he can able to travel more distance ... 

Thank you.. be safe

Abbas J said ...

27-May-2021

Hello All, 

 

Read and watch the pictures of horses 

Body Condition Score Chart

https://ker.com/wp-content/uploads/body-condition-score-chart.pdf

 

Abbas J said ...

27-May-2021

Hi All,

Some thoughts about Horse weight :

Is your horse too fat or too skinny? There are a few different ways to score a horse’s body condition and weight. For most of us however, there really are three criteria—too fat, to thin and just right. Anything other than ‘just right’ is a cause for concern and a change in the animal’s diet, housing and workload is in order. Weight doesn’t tell the whole story when it comes to a horse’s health, but is one indication of overall condition.
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Too Fat

How do you determine if your horse is too skinny or too fat? There are some key areas to look at. The first area is over the ribs, between the girth area and loins. Here, you should be able to feel the ribs easily under your fingers, but not see them. It may be difficult to feel the ribs on a ‘too fat’ horse. A too fat horse may have a ‘crest’ or fat pad along the top or along the sides of the neck where the mane emerges. This is different than the crest developed by stallions, and may feel very hard. The back may be flat or there may be a pronounced dip along the spine. I’ve seen very fat horses with such a deep crease down their back you’d think it would catch water in the rain.

Very fat horses will develop fat pads on either side of the tail head, and behind the point of the elbow in the girth area. Over all the too fat will look rounded, have little muscle definition, with haunches that are ‘apple cheeked’ over the top. The horse may also have a ‘hay belly’, but skinny horses can have hay bellies too—distended bellies due to the intake of large quantities of fodder.
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Too fat for a horse is not just a condition problem. Along with ‘too fat’ comes the risk of laminitis, EMS, more stress on joints and cardiovascular system and poor fertility. Too fat in mature horses is a health risk, but too fat in young stock is even more of a problem as joints and bones can be seriously and permanently damaged.

Without compromising the nutrition the horse needs, the too fat horse will need to lose weight. This is best done gradually, because just like people, horses can develop health problems if weight is lost too quickly. Horses still need grass or hay, but in smaller quantities at frequent intervals. Leaving a horse with an empty stomach can also lead to equine ulcers. Breeds like Quarter Horses and most ponies that are ‘easy keepers’ can become too fat very easily.


Too Skinny

A too skinny horse will be bony, and muscle definition will be the only contour. On a very skinny horse, even the muscles will waste away, so the horse looks sunken and gaunt. It’s easy to confuse a too skinny horse with a horse in very fit, muscular condition like race horses and long distance horses. These horses do not carry very much body fat, but their muscles are well defined and strong. The too skinny horse may look ewe necked, the withers may appear very pronounced and the spine may be easily felt beneath the skin. The ribs and hip bones may be sharply visible and easily felt and the haunches appear sunken.

Horses become too thin for a number of reasons including lack of food, stress or illness. It’s important to discover why a horse is skinny, in order to provide the right feeds or treatment. If a stressed horse also has ulcers, the environment needs to be changed and the ulcers treated. Mares that are nursing foals can lose weight rapidly, especially when mothering happens when heat and biting insects are at their height. Some breeds like Thoroughbreds and Arabians can be ‘hard keepers’ and may become ‘too skinny’ easily.


Just Right

The horse that is in the perfect has ribs that can be felt, but not visible. Muscle definition is visible, with no pads of soft fat over neck, girth area or haunches. The horse does not look gaunt or rounded, but smooth. The neck looks smooth without being cresty or gaunt.

There are a few systems used by veterinarians to score body condition. The most common method is the Henneke Body Condition Chart. Horses are scored on a scale from one to nine with one being ‘poor’ and nine being ‘extremely fat’. When we first met Trillium, she was about a 1.5. Currently she is about 7.5 and has been put on a diet. The University of Kentucky offers a useful PDF that describes how to use the Henneke Condition Chart and explains the methods of scoring.

Shanky said ...

27-May-2021

Good topic/suggestion

It is very useful if the present Horse Weights been displayed in the Race card next to the Previous Weights we can early  decide wheather to play that horse or to quit that race.  Despite displaying in the last minute have put into hurry burry to a decision.

Henceforth, it is requested the respective authority to display it in the Race card itself so as to feel free to take a decision at the top of the earlier day itself which will be much relief n also easy to take a decision to see other card for selecting the horses to play.

I hope there will be no mess in displaying the same in the Race card itself for the authorities.

Kindly consider our request in the future days of the races

Regards / Shanky

Syed said ...

27-May-2021

I agree what Mr.Sinndaar said in his third para this should be displayed before the 1st race,so that people can judge before they buy their tickets for all the pools.I hope all clubs will ponder over this issue and do the neccessary implementation

S.D.Ullah

Syed said ...

27-May-2021

Dear Mr Sunder sir,

you are wrong in judging their weights,any horse which gains weight is subject to good feeding and prepration.I have noticed 80%horses have won,and horses which are lesser in weights in compare to last run are often loose appxly 80%.this I have personally noticed for the last 4 to 5 years.and I only bet according to this formula with their track work jockey etc.

S.D.Ullah

 

Syed said ...

26-May-2021

well said sir..The same I too was thinking ,and normally i wait till the weight displayed,then i go bet,another thing is HNC is displayed ,i do not know what it is pehaps Horse not come for weight ,it may be,Im I right.please throw some light

I request every one to raise this poit what you said and print their weights as when acceptance declared.

Regards

S.D.Ullah

Sinndaar said ...

25-May-2021

                    The actual weight of a horse, on the race day as compared to the weight of its preivios ruis  indicates the fitness level of the horse  .and its likely performance. A horse which gains more weight +5kG to +10 kG indicates that the horse is less exercised , rested more and is likely to perform badly.  A horse retaining its prevvious run weight or +2 / -2 kg is maintaining its fitness and is likely to perform as its previos run.  A horse which has lost -5kG to -10kg > has exxerciserd more and has improved its fitness level , which will utilimately reflect in its better performance to its previous run. Picking horses becomes easy and is a good pointer to winners / better performers.

              Sometimes the   weight of some particular horses are not shown against thier name because it may be a outstation horse or it may be running after a long period or it may be a maiden running for the first time.

                I also feel that the clubs should announce / display the weights of horses half an hour prior to first race so that it becomes more easy to pick horses for pools .  Presently clubs display it hardly for a minute , on the TV monitor  just 10 minitues prior to the race and many a times it goes unnoticed. I hope the clubs take note of this in a positive way ..

Prasad said ...

25-May-2021

Hai friends,

As we are aware of more than 75%of India races are fixed any difference within 10kgs doesn't matter much.Any horse which has gained more than 20kgs we can skip that horse for saftey.we have seen many horses winning even after gaining 25kgs.it simply confuses the punter. In mysore,ooty, Calcutta & Delhi it makes no difference at all. But definitely it matters in semi classics and classics.its my opinion.

Prasad