Hi Cindy,
Glad to hear that Reuban is feeling better although I know that feeling of "But not so much".

Feed 2% of ideal bodyweight per horse per day in hay/BP. Less than that and the body goes into a conservation mode and will not lose weight. Here's a link to how to figure out actual body condition:

> http://www.shady-acres.com/susan/conditionscore.shtml

First, **How on earth do I determine IDEAL body weight for these guys??

That is the eternal question we all face. Generally, a body condition score of 5 on the Henneke scale is appropriate.

I put a weight tape on both horses. Just barely had enough tape!

I hear you on that one. All of us with drafts/draf crosses deal with this issue. Those tapes really should be made longer.

If the standard is now firmly 2% of IDEAL, how do I determine that?

2% of ideal is for maintainenece at that weight. If you have a horse who needs to lose weight, figure out 2% of ideal; 1.5% of current and then feed whichever is the larger amount.

Second, what is an acceptable interval between meals for severely IR
horses?

The three times per day feedings that you describe would be the better situation as the horses don't go longer than 6 hours without eating. This maintains their blood glucose and insulin levels at a more even amount throughout the day.

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ECHistory5/files/Cindy%20M%2C%20CV%2C%20CA/

If you could get and post pics of both horses - left and right sides, rears and fronts we can give you a hand with determining whether they are heavy/light or just right.

Lavinia, Dante, George Too and Peanut
Jan 05, RI
EC Support Team