I can get a side conformation shot this afternoon. Never bred, to my knowledge. She apparently was in a rescue situation when younger before becoming a polo pony, and I don’t have any details of the environment she was rescued from.
One of my mares really dislikes touch on her belly though she is very friendly and loves to interact. She prefers a nice warm bath to actual grooming. The other one loves snuggles and touch. My mare as a kid loved scratches, would bliss out with grooming. They are all different. All these examples super healthy horses with shiny coats, no ailments, no scurf or itch.
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Yes, totally agree that they are all different, and I may have to redefine what my idea of “healthy and happy” would actually look like for her, as an individual. She is interested in me and others when treats are involved, of course. Very food motivated, but I also need to be careful of not overfeeding/treating given her stocky stature. She’s just less “relational” than I would say a lot of other horses are. I can see this even in her relationship with my Thoroughbred, not just me. While they are close and dependent on one another as a small “herd,” she does not groom him, she does not seek out much touch, if any, from him, and does not tolerate much touch from him when he seeks her out. She likes to push us both away. 
Or, I guess you could say, maintain her “bubble.”
I find that older horses can be more cautious about interactions with other horses.
My non touchy feely mare is very food motivated, and teaching her clicker tricks has been a great way for her to interact with people in a way that makes everyone happy.
The consensus seems to be that I either have a non-touch/feely slightly overweight older mare, maybe with some chewing issues, or potentially Cushing’s. I will bring up these conversations with my vet next week!
When the back lets down, the belly lets down too. The abs and back muscles are interconnected. Conversely, developing good topline involves developing an muscles.
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Thank you all for contributing, as I know I’m probably coming off as a worried mama. Just want to be sensitive to her as an older horse and make sure she’s comfortable and in good health for her age.
We had a horse like this and it was all on his terms and that was fine. Otherwise he was a great horse. She just looks to be a bit overweight/ out of shape/ getting on in years/ sagging topline. If she has had foals that can also lead to loss of muscle tone in her belly as she ages.
I am not familiar with Cushings or what the possible symptoms are .
She is nice and shiny so she is getting plenty of nutrients out of what she is eating. I might even put her on a diet of sorts by dropping her mid day hay or muzzle her while on grass? If she starts to drop too much you can adjust how long she wears it or add her hay back ( in part). I suggest the Green Guard. It is somewhat well tolerated by most.
Easy keepers can really get fat on next to nothing sometimes but you don’t want her to end up metabolic and it is better to get on it before the neck gets lumpy and she gets fat deposits. Kind of no going back after that happens.
Better than the alternative! We have all had those moments where we overthink the little things. I think it’s a natural part of being a good steward of our horse’s care. Add in a newish, older rescue horse, and we worry extra hard 
Good on ya for trying to do right by her!
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Another vote for pulling ACTH test and how about soaking her balancer first so she has an easy time with it?
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Thanks for your input! I was making her a mush before the freezing Midwest temps rolled in, but need to start doing that again.
I’ve gone to a mush for both my horses. Just seems healthier ya know? Help prevent choke and it isn’t natural for them to be eating dry food let alone pellets etc.
My 28 yo tested + for Cushings some 5 yrs ago and getting him on Prascend has really helped w his grouchiness (aka pain). And since Cushings predisposes them to laminitis seems to me every owner w horses over the age of 10? would want to test. Along with insulin.
Own two IR and one Cushings and would never want the horror of laminitis. And probably most of us have dealt w it just not realizing it was happening in a mild way.
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It’s good to hear from other horse owners with this kind of experience. I agree with you and the other posters here that it would be a good idea to test her for both Cushing’s and IR. I appreciate it because there is just a sense for me that something is NQR. Of course, I could be wrong–that’s where veterinary science comes in!
Where does your Cushing’s horse experience pain?
Is that her pasture? If so, I’d say a muzzle is probably a good idea.
Most horses with Cushings struggle with bouts of laminitis. Even if they don’t appear foot sore they may be, because soreness in all 4 feet isn’t as easy to spot. But I had a friend who had an adrenal gland tumor and essentially “psuedo-Cushings.” She is an advocate for this condition now because it’s not always obvious but is really debilitating over time - abnormal weight gain, muscle loss, brittle bones, lack of energy, body aches, insomnia, etc. Even several years after surgery she still has side effects. We have talked about her experience and how it probably is similar for horses but we can’t ask them for those details. Treatment is critical.
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I do limit her grazing, so she’s only been out in the mornings for ~2 hours. I have also started doing some more groundwork with her to get her moving/working while my TB finishes his grain every evening. I will bring this up to the vet and see if they would muzzle. Just recently (gradually) switched her over to the lowest “idle/maintenance” serving of Gro-N-Win.
Thank you!
At this point ( looking at her) even 2 hours grazing is probably too much without a muzzle. Right now my mare wears hers the whole time she is out because the grass is shorter but too lush. Once it matures( around late june/ july and beyond) even a horse that needs a muzzle can graze a while without one. As long as they don’t have other issues.
I wouldn’t wait to ask your vet. If you muzzle her she can be out all day which would be good for her. My mare gets a surprising amount of grass with a muzzle on all day since it is shorter( like yours). They do a lot of walking as well.
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Thanks for the input! Just ordered a grazing muzzle for little miss pot-belly.
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Pain is chronic soft tissue issues in his legs. He’s had two suspensory issues and also has what would be carpal tunnel in humans.
I also muzzle both of mine - one in Best Friend and the other will not tolerate that small of a hole so she’s in a Tough One Deluxe.
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The Cushings causes a type of muscle wasting and the pot belly is the abdominal muscles getting thin, and not strong enough to hold the guts up anymore.
Just had the vet here yesterday. Took bloodwork for a metabolic panel and to evaluate for Cushing’s. I’ll keep you guys posted once we get lab results from Cornell. Thank you all!
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