Help - chubby greedy cob needs to lose weight!

[Huggy]

Hi - new member so forgive me if I waffle! I got Hogan (irish cob but looks like Fell) in the summer after he'd been out of work for 2 years. He's just fab, BUT - physio said I should get weight off him before I even try to get a saddle fitted. I've been riding him 4 times a week (bareback), and long reining when I can. He's so chubby, I can't safely even trot him, as I can't get my legs to grip! He has a fistful of molli and a fistful of hi fibre nuts (to make him feel wanted!) and has almost no grass. Unfortunately, when the little grass he does have runs out, he gets so desperate, that he gets into all sorts of pickles trying to find food. Any ideas on weight loss? Many thanks. Oh and lunging is a challenge - 2 speeds - slow and stationary.

 

[carthorse]

Forget what the physio says, get a good saddler out & before they come explain the problem. They may be able to fit a changeable headplate saddle that can be adjusted as he loses weight, or they may have a second hand one that you could sell on if it no longer fits without too much loss. He needs proper exercise to help the weight loss & you can't do that bareback.

If he's a good doer get rid of the nuts & chaff, if you really can't bear to do that then just give a tiny sprinkle of chaff in a small bowl so you think you're giving more. When you walk out bareback insist on a big active walk, no plodding along, but get the saddle situation sorted asap.

 

[Huggy]

Forget what the physio says, get a good saddler out & before they come explain the problem. They may be able to fit a changeable headplate saddle that can be adjusted as he loses weight, or they may have a second hand one that you could sell on if it no longer fits without too much loss. He needs proper exercise to help the weight loss & you can't do that bareback.

If he's a good doer get rid of the nuts & chaff, if you really can't bear to do that then just give a tiny sprinkle of chaff in a small bowl so you think you're giving more. When you walk out bareback insist on a big active walk, no plodding along, but get the saddle situation sorted asap.

Thanks - I think deep down I knew the only way to get him going forward properly

Forget what the physio says, get a good saddler out & before they come explain the problem. They may be able to fit a changeable headplate saddle that can be adjusted as he loses weight, or they may have a second hand one that you could sell on if it no longer fits without too much loss. He needs proper exercise to help the weight loss & you can't do that bareback.

If he's a good doer get rid of the nuts & chaff, if you really can't bear to do that then just give a tiny sprinkle of chaff in a small bowl so you think you're giving more. When you walk out bareback insist on a big active walk, no plodding along, but get the saddle situation sorted asap.

Thanks - I think deep down I knew the only way to get him going forward was if I rode with saddle. His idea of an active walk is not mine - his previous owner was very honest about his laziness. The food issue is difficult - twice I've had to rescue him from behind a solid wall of hawthorne and brambles that you would never have believed a horse could get into. Have fenced off both times, but he found a new route, just in case there might be something to eat there!

 

[Jessey]

Welcome to NR
Don't starve him to loose weight, horses need a certain amount of bulk going through just to maintain a healthy gut and for their mental health.
Put out a little really well soaked hay or straw so theres something for him to pick at, pop it in slow feed nets so what he has lasts longer. And I'd also scratch the bucket feeds, molli is just straw covered in pure sugar and nuts he doesn't need.
Getting the exercise sorted is likely to be key, so you may have to have more than one saddle before you get him to a better weight but these are the things we do for our besties

 

[Frances144]

Also, don’t rug him during winter. Fat is a good fuel to burn to keep warm. If he can be out in all weathers then that would be best.

I had Fat Cob who was so fat his saddle only fitted on his neck! A combination of lots of work plus no rug and a Shetland winter and he lost weight beautifully. It saved his life.

Work means he comes back puffing and sweating.

 

[Huggy]

Welcome to NR
Don't starve him to loose weight, horses need a certain amount of bulk going through just to maintain a healthy gut and for their mental health.
Put out a little really well soaked hay or straw so theres something for him to pick at, pop it in slow feed nets so what he has lasts longer. And I'd also scratch the bucket feeds, molli is just straw covered in pure sugar and nuts he doesn't need.
Getting the exercise sorted is likely to be key, so you may have to have more than one saddle before you get him to a better weight but these are the things we do for our besties

I totally agree about not starving him - he's opinionated at the best of times, but gets really snarky when he's hungry, so thanks for that! As you say, the things we do! I have geriatric toothless NF on huge buckets of mush - I'd better not get mixed up with who gets what! Hopefully i'll get a saddle fitted as a Christmas present.

 

[Huggy]

Also, don’t rug him during winter. Fat is a good fuel to burn to keep warm. If he can be out in all weathers then that would be best.

I had Fat Cob who was so fat his saddle only fitted on his neck! A combination of lots of work plus no rug and a Shetland winter and he lost weight beautifully. It saved his life.

Work means he comes back puffing and sweating.

Yes - had decided not to rug, especially as it's so mild down here in the soft south! He lives out, and will do so all year round. I'll get that xxxxw saddle and await the puffing and sweating! Thanks.

 

[carthorse]

I'm not normally a fan of them - apologies to those who are - but maybe a treeless would be worth looking at as they do tend to fit a wider range of shapes. I think @newforest might be worth asking about this as an idea.

 

[Huggy]

I'm not normally a fan of them - apologies to those who are - but maybe a treeless would be worth looking at as they do tend to fit a wider range of shapes. I think @newforest might be worth asking about this as an idea.

Aha - great minds etc. Actually tried a tree-less one, but he is very short backed and the tree-less one pressed down on his back. The style of them on his back just didn't work - wish it had, as for me, it was very comfy. Poor boy - I make him sound monstrous - fat and short backed - but he's actually very handsome! I have a wide thorowgood atm and it's the closest to a good fit I have tried. Maybe I should look at the adjustable thorowgood, if anyone has used one of those? Hopefully a saddle could help with that. Cheers.

 

[carthorse]

I believe treeless do come in different sizes & shapes so maybe it's still worth looking into. It may be that his shape will always make saddle fit tricky, but there's always a way around it. I have a welsh cob that's very wide & flat backed with a short back too so I feel for you.

 

[Jane&Ziggy]

I keep a good doer and a poor doer together and I know how hard it is! The key to keeping the good doer in shape for me is a track, so that he has to walk to graze. Do you have any chance to adapt your grazing so that your chubster has to move around more?

Oh and welcome to NR! We love pictures.....

 

[Star the Fell]

I too have a chunky cob.........
He has an Irish clip and is out unrugged. He has hay in a small holed net which swigs from a beam, and a second lot of hay in a hayball, I would soak it too, but it’s not practical for me.
I am sure there will be a treeless saddle out there that suits him, but it could be trial and error for you, so I would suggest getting a good saddle fitter out who will do part ex for you when you need to change your saddle.
I agree with the track system too if it’s possible for you.

 

[Huggy]

I believe treeless do come in different sizes & shapes so maybe it's still worth looking into. It may be that his shape will always make saddle fit tricky, but there's always a way around it. I have a welsh cob that's very wide & flat backed with a short back too so I feel for you.

Thanks for the sympathy! Always good knowing others have experienced the problem! I think the saddler is my next step, I see a lot of trial and error ahead! Hopefully a happy horse - eventually!

 

[Huggy]

I keep a good doer and a poor doer together and I know how hard it is! The key to keeping the good doer in shape for me is a track, so that he has to walk to graze. Do you have any chance to adapt your grazing so that your chubster has to move around more?

Oh and welcome to NR! We love pictures.....

Thanks for the welcome! My YO is very obliging generally, but I think losing patience with my fatty's Houdini like behaviour - unfortunately I don't think she'll run with the track idea - good though it is. I shall post "before & after" pics if and when I get him presentably slim!

 

[Huggy]

I too have a chunky cob.........
He has an Irish clip and is out unrugged. He has hay in a small holed net which swigs from a beam, and a second lot of hay in a hayball, I would soak it too, but it’s not practical for me.
I am sure there will be a treeless saddle out there that suits him, but it could be trial and error for you, so I would suggest getting a good saddle fitter out who will do part ex for you when you need to change your saddle.
I agree with the track system too if it’s possible for you.

Good idea with haynet - he's seperate to the others so it would be good for him to work for his hay - I've just been putting it out for him - too easy! I shall try a clip, although I had to pull him off the ceiling when I turned them on to see if he was used to being clipped! The consensus seems to be get a saddle and get him working. No more Mrs nice owner!

 

[Flipo's Mum]

Hiya! I share the good doer problem as well and have had trial and error over the years to get it right.
Like humans, I don’t think you can exercise enough alone to get the weight off. Most of it is down to food intake.
I don’t worry so much that my horse be slim all year round though, I concentrate on a natural increase in weight during summer into autumn and then he shivers it off over winter with no rug and out all weathers.
I’ve had him in with a poorer doer and we cut the field in half, then he also had a pen I used to keep him in a small sparse patch overnight. Much like stabling.
Now he’s on his own, I keep him in a smaller area from April to November. I’ve just spent six weeks gradually giving him access to the penned off grass and he’s blown up a bit in size but the grass has lost its goodness a bit and I know come spring he’ll look good again with only hay twice a day (I don’t do ad-lib).

 

[Huggy]

Hiya! I share the good doer problem as well and have had trial and error over the years to get it right.
Like humans, I don’t think you can exercise enough alone to get the weight off. Most of it is down to food intake.
I don’t worry so much that my horse be slim all year round though, I concentrate on a natural increase in weight during summer into autumn and then he shivers it off over winter with no rug and out all weathers.
I’ve had him in with a poorer doer and we cut the field in half, then he also had a pen I used to keep him in a small sparse patch overnight. Much like stabling.
Now he’s on his own, I keep him in a smaller area from April to November. I’ve just spent six weeks gradually giving him access to the penned off grass and he’s blown up a bit in size but the grass has lost its goodness a bit and I know come spring he’ll look good again with only hay twice a day (I don’t do ad-lib).

Thanks. Yes, now the grass is settling down, and he's on his own, I've been trying to convince the YO to let him have the full field in say, 2 or 3 weeks, but atm she's a bit reluctant (it'll stop the field getting overgrown and weedy too). Like you we give hay twice daily in winter, but seems silly to start hay over the next few weeks if there's perfectly good grass just sitting there! Been giving him little bit more grass every 2 weeks or so, and, like yours he's getting, shall we say, rotund lol. But thank you - good to know I'm on the right track.