Agree that she looks pregnant and unfit, but not really neglected or ugly.
As for being a riding pony- give a kid a break! I speak as one who learned to ride on a hackney cross pony. I can post SO FAST!
[QUOTE=Lord Helpus;8664249]
I see an older pony who has no muscles and who, even in the best of condition, has a bit of a sway back. Because of eating so much hay and not being in work, she has a hay belly, but my retirees have a bit of hay bellies and they are fed the best that money can buy.
Her coat is gleaming, her eyes are bright and I doubt that they put in a huge round bale of hay just for the picture.
I think she is very cute; I hope she ends up in a good home.[/QUOTE]
She is not old. She is only 10 (2006). I forwarded this to a friend in FL, and she has inquired about her. I was thinking she was a youngster. With proper nutrition and care, her BMI will increase, muscle will increase and her back will fill out.
[QUOTE=demidq;8664303]
Agree that she looks pregnant and unfit, but not really neglected or ugly.
As for being a riding pony- give a kid a break! I speak as one who learned to ride on a hackney cross pony. I can post SO FAST![/QUOTE]
A body score of a 3 is neglected. Malnourished. Not enough groceries. Hips sticking out, croup pointy, tail head sticking out, spine sticking up, shoulders sharp, atrophied ew neck.
Owner has had her almost a year, said is not pregnant. Well, gestation is almost a year. 
Not registered.
I wish she was closer to me, I would look at her. There is a stall in my barn just her size.
Oh shoot, COL, you should have heard the things said about my first horse. She was much uglier, but she was my unicorn. 
I’m sure Miss Pony doesn’t care what’s said about her if she gets a good home out of it.
Hoping this works out for her…
I don’t think she needs to be rescued. She needs to be wormed and preg checked and given a job. She’s got food and looks perky and shiny. Hardly a neglect situation. shes clearly not a spoiled child’s pony, but she’s also not starving to death. Some of you need to settle down.
double post
[QUOTE=JustTheTicket;8664372]
I don’t think she needs to be rescued. She needs to be wormed and preg checked and given a job. She’s got food and looks perky and shiny. Hardly a neglect situation. shes clearly not a spoiled child’s pony, but she’s also not starving to death. Some of you need to settle down.[/QUOTE]
No one is jumping up and down. That’s interesting that you think she’s in good health, just needs a job and doesn’t need rescuing.
There is a scale called the Henneke Scale, which is used to score a horse’s body condition in terms of overall health…how much fat and muscle. The scale starts at 1 (Poor - skeletal/emaciated) and 9 (Extremely Fat). Healthy horses, (which most people on this board probably have) fall around a 5 (Moderate - more like a jumper) or 6 (Moderate Fleshy - more like a dressage horse).
According to this scale, she falls in the poor category, between a 2 (very thin) and a 3 (thin). Her pencil neck, sharp shoulders, hips and prominent tail head are indicators of poor body condition. This means that she is not receiving adequate nutrition. Here links with pics and thorough description to help explain: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/e0/1c/4a/e01c4a628dac2629c26798354b59e6f0.jpg
Photos of what “poor” (1-3) is: http://twobitsovercoffee.blogspot.com/2012/01/healthy-weighthow-do-you-know.html
See photo of the chestnut horse with body score of 3: https://themustangproject.wordpress.com/2010/01/18/henneke-body-condition-scoring-system-refresher/
[QUOTE=JustTheTicket;8664372]
I don’t think she needs to be rescued. She needs to be wormed and preg checked and given a job. She’s got food and looks perky and shiny. Hardly a neglect situation. shes clearly not a spoiled child’s pony, but she’s also not starving to death. Some of you need to settle down.[/QUOTE]
agreed! that pony is NOT a 3. Sheesh!!
well pictures can lie but I would call her between a three and much closer to a four.
That two bits blog is plain wrong. Ribs are not always an indicator of poor condition and the pictures shown are not horses in less than 3 more like 4.
I get so tired of people calling animals skinny when they are not.
[QUOTE=Color of Light;8664408]
No one is jumping up and down. That’s interesting that you think she’s in good health, just needs a job and doesn’t need rescuing.
There is a scale called the Henneke Scale, which is used to score a horse’s body condition in terms of overall health…how much fat and muscle. The scale starts at 1 (Poor - skeletal/emaciated) and 9 (Extremely Fat). Healthy horses, (which most people on this board probably have) fall around a 5 (Moderate - more like a jumper) or 6 (Moderate Fleshy - more like a dressage horse).
According to this scale, she falls in the poor category, between a 2 (very thin) and a 3 (thin). Her pencil neck, sharp shoulders, hips and prominent tail head are indicators of poor body condition. This means that she is not receiving adequate nutrition. Here links with pics and thorough description to help explain: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/e0/1c/4a/e01c4a628dac2629c26798354b59e6f0.jpg
Photos of what “poor” (1-3) is: http://twobitsovercoffee.blogspot.com/2012/01/healthy-weighthow-do-you-know.html
See photo of the chestnut horse with body score of 3: https://themustangproject.wordpress.com/2010/01/18/henneke-body-condition-scoring-system-refresher/[/QUOTE]
Nowhere in my post did I use the words “good health”. However, she has plenty of food and going by the picture, free access to it. Yes, she needs better hay, probably some kind of grain and/or supps. She needs some wormer. Yeah, she’s thinner than she probably should be. No, she’s not starving and she’s certainly not a rescue case. Get her if you want a pony, but don’t get her so you can start a “save the pony” thread on here and then brag about how you saved a pony. She’s not anywhere near that. She has bright eyes and her coat appears shiny. The other ponies in the picture don’t look very abused either. It just looks like a no frills backyard pony paddock and that might make you freak out when you’re used to fat (nearly obese) show horses, but it doesn’t equal neglect and “we must rescue!!!1!!11!!”
Has she found a home?
Yes, she has.
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1077117335
These two horses need help if anyone is interested or willing. OH located.
The pictures are down now, but I must admit that I saw a shiny pony that was not conditioned, but had a hay belly. She looked a bit awkward to me, but I didn’t see a starving animal at all.
Maybe you guys have more experience, or maybe it was just a really bad camera angle. It would have been much more telling to see her in person, but she has a home now. Hopefully, a good one, and that’s that.
Thanks for the comments.
I don’t find any horse “ugly.”
When I rescued my mare, she was skinny, gawky and covered with scrapes. Two years later, folks at shows were commenting on her great beauty and asking where I got her.
Glad this pony found a home!! Every horse deserves to be loved.
