Anyone else trying to get weight OFF?! (horse not self!)

[laupip]

Our native cross pony has to go on a diet, vets orders! She has been to the horsepital for nerve blocks, xrays etc and is now having natural balance shoes which were put on at the vets hospital and she is going back there on 8th of jan to be re-shod by which time the vet wants her to have noticably lost weight incase he decides to medicate her joints.

The problem is she seems to be remaining static on the weight tape! She has a middle weight rug on. Does anyone find that it is better just to have a lightweight rug on so it just keeps the wind and rain off?

She is having a grazing muzzle on during the day when she is out. Is anyone else doing this at this time of year? No one round our way seems to be.
She is only having it on during the day time as overnight she is in a small fenced off area (there is short grass to nibble) with a shelter where she has a handful of hi-fi and half a mug of low-cal balancer. This is half the food she was having before (as advised by the vet) she is also having a slice of hay.

Exercise is the obvious answer but she is only allowed to walk for 30-45 mins while she adjusts to the new shoes 'til she is reviewed and we aren't supposed to lunge her!!

She has a chaser clip at the moment which I am planning on going over weather permitting. Would a trace make her feel the cold and burn off a bit more energy or is that just mean?

As you can probably guess any ideas would be apprieciated. A home made mince pie to anyone who has read through this

 

[S_F_S]

If she isn't in work does she need the hard food? If you have enough grass that she needs a grazing muzzle then it sounds as though that would suffice. Our natives and native crosses are all unrugged -I prefer not to where possible as flattening the coat only makes them colder and more often than not they are warmer, drier and happier unrugged. (ditto none of our native types have hard food, only supplemented hay if they are in their stables if below 0 degrees or very wet weather)
Why does she need clipping if she is only allowed to do short walk work? I really am not a fan of the make them cold to lose weight school - it only makes them miserable and has potential health implications, more likely to hang onto body fat to keep them warm.

 

[Showjumper]

Firstly, you're not the only one muzzling. My mare is out around 10 hours a day at the moment muzzled and in overnight with hay. Also being fed Hi Fi Lite and Lo Cal. Luckily she's the right weight and isn't gaining or losing.

You can burn a lot of calories just walking - so long as it's an active walk and not just plodding along. Maybe choose a route that usually takes 45 minutes and see if you can get round in 40, then 35, all without taking a trot stride - just by making the walk more active. Also if you're allowed, hillwork is fab for burning calories.

Is there any way she could be kept in with soaked hay overnight instead of on grass?

Definitely take her down to a lightweight rug - mean as it sounds, she'll burn calories keeping warm.

Good luck!

 

[kturner]

I have the same problem for a different reason.....I think.

Mine is lami prone, had it 7 times. I need to keep the weight off and feed as little as possible just for maintenace without being mean.

He is a guzzler and eats everything in two hours, so I am trying to avoid long hours without food, stabled, and trying to avoid ulcers and colic with an empty tummy for too long.

I am sure he eats everything before 9pm. During the day he has breakfast/dengie and a slice on turnout, but it wont last him all day!!!!

He is in a lightweight rug in the day and none in the stable at night.

I think, as I cannot give him double or triple his food intake per day, which is what he wouuld need, but not good for him,.....therefore I use a lightweight or none to help keep the weight off.....but I do not let him get very wet or very cold as I think that would be cruel. If he is covered with any rug in bad weather, at least he is not totally freezing, but using his weight and food rations up efficiently...so we both win that way.

 

[laupip]

She was clipped in october for the work she was doing before she had her troubles. That was why I had a middleweight rug on her. Someone had suggested re-clipping so I was thinking of doing it and wondered what others thought.
We have plenty of hills around which we are making use of. She has been going out with my TB mare and she walks out really well so Pip keeps up with no dawdling. Our usual rides are around 2 hour hacks up and down hill etc so it is quite a drop in exercise for her.
I will swap her rug to a lightweight one. She has quite a thick coat already.
Thanks for all the advice. It is great to get diffeent points of view.

 

[Joyscarer]

I have a sec d and a dinky little native allsorts.

Both are constantly being m,onitored for weight, it's the babne of my life.

I don't rug, my sec d has a bib clip, both are out unrugged and both are only on hi fi lite and baliley's low cal.

Still they both need to go a bit ribby in readiness for spring.

I don't believe in rugging or hard feed as a matter of course. Neither tend to necessary with our natives on my good grazing.

 

[Hugo10]

I think I've been trying to get H to lose weight since I've had him (about 6 years now! )

I strip graze him when he's out during the day (I did muzzle him at his old yard, where strip grazing wasn't an option) I'll be glad when all the grass has gone and I can give hay in the mornings instead.

he only ever has a rain sheet on, just to keep him clean so I can ride. when he comes in at night he gets 3 flakes of hay which i put in doubled up haynets so it lasts longer, and one handful of hi fi lite with his sups in.

I really want him to lose more before the spring. I weight tape him every Sunday morning. Tape says 490 (he's a 15hh sec D) but he looks more than that to me, and I don't think I've ever been able to feel his ribs

I would try a light weight rug/rain sheet. Perhaps cut out the lo cal and see how you go

 

[kturner]

Hugo10......my fell of 14h was 460 after her foal and then 430, so you are doing well. Well under 500, preferably closer to 420 for a 14-15h is just perfect.

For my 11.3 I was told by vet, farrier and welsh society, 250,300,320......so anything goes really, best be on the lean side with muscle from work would be my philosophy.

 

[Bobby-Boy]

Hi There,

I have a 12.3 welsh cross pony who is 2 and a half and only now i have finally got her to an acceptable weight!

It has taken me a long time but after sheer determination and going against what i would have done normally it has worked. I had her out in a lightweight rug untill a week ago and she was getting a handful of hi-fi lite for dinners when she came in. She lives in at night and is out for about 7 hours a day. Hay nets in her box i have a small sized, small hole net which i fill up and then i double wrap it. She does not get any treats or carrots/apples in her feed. As obviously she is only 2 i have not been able to lunge her but the woman who owns the yard has loose schooled her a couple of times. it took a while but how she is now i am very happy!

Hope this helps

xx

 

[laupip]

Thanks for replies. It is nice to know I am not alone. My other horse is a TB and she seems to stay the same weight dropping off slightly in the winter but easily kept up with extra hay. I suppose I have had it easy! I am amazed by native breeds need to feed. Our pony just has her head down constantly eating grass whilst my TB takes an occasional nibble and chills.
It makes perfect sense to try to keep the weight down to prevent joint strain in later life. It is the same for humans too. I have told Pip that it was the vet that said she must go on a diet. She wants his phone number as she thinks its outrageous and she doesn't believe me! Ha ha!