Am I being mean?

pottamus

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18 November 2005
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My lad is putting weight on since the snow arrived. He is a 15hh Welsh cob and cannot put weight on...he was a good weight going into winter and has had laminitis in the past so want to keep him trim.
The lack of exercise has not helped as I am straight out on roads that are under 1 foot of compacted ice and snow, so not riding currently...no school etc and field is knee high in snow!
His routine is out during the day on snow covered field and I strip graze him daily and then in at night on weighed hay that is not currently soaked due to the freezing conditions and lack of water etc...but it is year old hay.
I had moved the fence each day more than normal since the snow as he was having to dig for the grass through knee high snow and gave him half a pad of hay that he did not really eat most days. He was un-rugged leading up to the snow and then I put a rain sheet on him to keep him dry for the last 2 weeks.
He needs to loose the weight again before it gets out of hand so I have reduced the amount of strip grazing I do and stopped the hay during the day. I have also taken his rain sheet off again...do you think this will be ok for him? He has a big thick coat and a stable he has free access too. I worry about the balance of him having enough to nibble to keep him happy but not too much that he is gaining weight.
Is there anything else I can do...I dont want to starve him and he needs to be out during the day as he does not cope with long periods in, but is fine overnight.
 

Gentle_Warrior

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what about giving soaked hay section during the dsy , just to give his stomach something to do ? ice does not help though so may nnot be an option !!
 

KitKat_89

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What about getting some nice straw to mix with his hay? It will add to the fibre and keep his digestive system working but not add to the nutritional content.
 

eggs

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3 February 2009
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I put mine out today without rugs on as they have also all put weight on these past few days. They have good, thick coats and access to barns. I think it is more important that I keep the weight off them. They come in for a couple of hours a day and have a handful of hay but they are obviously getting far more grass than I thought.
 
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