condition update

I was reminded by [a different] Kate's recent post over at Grey Brook Eventing that I really needed to do a condition update on Lucy. So, here they are!

kisses from Kenny

she just really wanted us to leave her alone so she could eat grass

I love my girl

being super cute

condition update

I bribed Lucy to stand "nicely" and prick her ears (separately these aren't that difficult to achieve, but together they have continued to prove quite tricky), and Kenny snapped a conformation/condition shot.

Her dark winter coat has started to peek through her burnt summer coat, but so have the dapples!

Progress!

As a refresher, this is what Lucy looked like when she walked off the shipper's trailer on November 8th with a BCS of 2.5 according to the vet who did the PPE for me:

All of her ribs were visible, her hind quarters were sunken in with her tailhead quite prominent, the fleshy part above her eyes were sunken in, she had no extra fat on her whatsoever, and the bone structure of her shoulders was clearly visible.

After five weeks and two days, this is what she looks like:


I would say she's at a 3.5 or 4. She is starting to build up muscle and fat along her withers and barrel, her top line is rising, her hind quarters are filling out and gaining some muscle definition, and her shoulders are starting to bulk up enough that you can no longer clearly see the bone structure.

She still has a lot of weight to gain, but she is looking MUCH better. I am really happy with her response to the feed plan we developed for her. She is on a fairly high fat but low protein diet, with lots of hay. She eats a complete feed and hay stretcher, and also gets corn oil, which is very high in fat.

Lucy got her feet trimmed and shoes re-set today and everything looks fantastic with them. She actually had some decent growth over the past five weeks. She is on a hoof health supplement and I'm sure that has helped a lot.