Advice needed please

[jesterfaerie]

My lad is getting on a bit now and for several reasons has been out of work for going on two years. He is over weight at the moment and is living in the field 24/7 I am hoping to bring him back into work over the next month or so and have him stabled on a night which he will be ok with.

As I am unable to give him restricted grazing I am planning on purchasing a muzzle for him for when he is in the field.
Would it make a difference to his intake if he is turned out on a night or during the day. He is most likley going to be ridden on a night (hacking).

As for the fact I am trying to get weight off him but i will be starting to work him would be ok with just some hay on a night or would it be best to start feeding him a little something when he is stabled (it would be HH and speedibeet).

Also if I keep my hacking to 20 mins each day, just walking for the week or so and slowly increasing to small trots and then aim for longer hacks in a month. Would you suggest riding him every day for short amounts of time and slowly increasing or a few times a week to begin with first?

Also as my fields are still quite muddy I am planning on purchasing some equichaps I am just worried that since he is unclipped he may sweat with them and it may cause problems so if anyone has an unclipped nedlet wearing them i would love to hear how you find them.

Sorry for so many questions just need to be pointed in the right direction thanks

 

[Bounty]

Hi,
Can't help with the feedng issues, but can recommend the Equilibrium close contact chaps. The mare that wears them here isn't clipped out and doesn't have particularly hairy legs either, but I haven't found that she gets at all hot in them. The blurb says they're breathable, and more breathable the more active they are because of increased airflow.
Also, when I bring mine back into work after a break I will work them 5 days a week, starting with 10mins in straight lines on a good surface (mine certainly aren't always sane enough to go straight out on the roads!) and then building up gradually.
Hope all goes well and his return to work goes smoothly. x

 

[jesterfaerie]

Yes i have just bought 2 pairs of those chaps, $18 (sorry pound sign doens't work) for a pair, can't go wrong!

Mine is sane on the roads, it is everywhere else he isn't bless him. But thanks for your advice I will certainly try riding him for 5 days rather than 2 or for the whole week.

Thanks

 

[Tia]

If you are worried about his weight but are planning to turn him out for part of the day, my advice would be to turn him out overnight and keep him in through the day. A couple of reasons; he won't be so bothered by the flies during the night and also the fructans in the grass are far lower overnight than they are during the day. This means that although he will still get a good amount of fibre, he won't have such a high risk of developing laminitis or raised blood-sugar levels.

I would start riding him every other day for a couple of weeks to be honest....and only gentle 20 minute walks to begin with. He's old and it will take him longer to get back into the swing of things. If you only ride every other day then if he aches a tiny bit then at least he will have a day to recover in between rides.

After a month of gentle walking with the odd trot, I'd very gradually up the pace a little. If you start to ride him gently every night and then the next week start to lengthen the rides over a period of the week or so then by the end of the 2nd month I would say you should be good for an hour or so's ride.

I personally wouldn't feed him any hard feed if you are trying to get weight off him. He will get a lot of nourishment from the grass and his hay. You could give him a little scoop of Hifi Lite each evening with a suitable supplement in it, and that should be enough for him. Most horses don't need feeding hard feed if their hay is of a good quality - it's molly-coddly people who think they should because they feel guilty....why is totally beyond me, LOL!!

The main thing is to take it very slowly - don't rush him. Go by what he feels happy doing although beware that sometimes these oldies want to do more than their bodies are capable of, so you do still have to look after him.

I've no idea what equichaps are LOL!! So I can't help you there.

 

[WelshRareBit]

Yes they do say turnout overnight - the grass is less lush then.

 

[jesterfaerie]

That is what I thought but I wasn't 100% sure.