What does hay belly look like on a horse?
The term “hay belly” refers to the physical appearance of a distended abdomen on a horse. The belly area appears pendulous, sticking out at the sides and hanging down low.
Is it normal for a horse’s belly to be big?
They aren’t especially related. Bellies on horses may be large for many reasons, and unless the above mentioned areas match, the belly size has little to do with healthy weight.
What do top lines, big bellies mean in horses?
This blog is for those who might have heard some erroneous information through “old horse tales” or lines of misinformation about what body condition, top lines and big bellies mean in horses. I often say, “You don’t know what you DON’T know.”
How is the weight of a horse measured?
Folks will actually say, “My horse is so fat,” and yet when we see the horse, we see a horse that is actually somewhat thin. You gauge a horse’s weight from the neck, rib coverage and top line (croup and spine). You do not measure weight based on the belly size.
The term “hay belly” refers to the physical appearance of a distended abdomen on a horse. The belly area appears pendulous, sticking out at the sides and hanging down low.
Is it normal for a horse’s belly to fill out?
That doesn’t mean you cannot get the topline to fill in, and until it does, the horse is underweight. This is a horse that is getting close to a good weight but still carries that disproportionate belly. It sometimes starts to look more reasonable as the topline totally fills in, though.
This blog is for those who might have heard some erroneous information through “old horse tales” or lines of misinformation about what body condition, top lines and big bellies mean in horses. I often say, “You don’t know what you DON’T know.”
Folks will actually say, “My horse is so fat,” and yet when we see the horse, we see a horse that is actually somewhat thin. You gauge a horse’s weight from the neck, rib coverage and top line (croup and spine). You do not measure weight based on the belly size.
