Three months on from our first visit to Dancer and Nina, we headed back to see how they had been getting on and discover what steps Dancer has made towards reaching a healthy weight.
Back in January when we first assessed Dancer, she weighed 568KG and when fat scored, she came out as a 5 out of 5 across the board. However, on our second visit, there had been definite steps in the right direction and movement towards a healthy fat score of 2.5-3 out of 5.
When weighed with our weigh tape there had been some great progress. On our first visit Dancer was quite literally off the scale, but we could now comfortably take a measurement, with her weight on the tape coming in at 577KG. When taking to the weigh bridge, we also saw a marked improvement with a fantastic weight loss of 42KG and a new weight record of 526KG.
As we have mentioned before, taking photos can be a great way of monitoring your horse's weight loss, as subtle changes can be hard to spot - especially when we see them every day! The photos below really highlight this and show exactly what this weight loss physically means for Dancer. These photos are also a great example of how horses will lose weight in different areas (shown through the marked circles) which is why it is really important to fat score each section (front, middle and hind) individually.
A key strategy for Nina in achieving this weight loss has been increasing Dancer’s exercise regime; although this hasn’t quite been plain sailing, with Dancer’ health and comfort being top priorities to evaluate. However, where there is a will there is a way! As Nina explains in the video below, she is committed to finding alternative and suitable ways to support Dancer’s weight loss journey while she awaits support from the vet.
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