An unexpected winter problem.

scruffyponies

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Having watched my herd carefully on the water meadow which they have been on since April, I have been amazed that they have held condition on what for the last month or so, to any inspection, appears to be no grass whatsoever.
I have a smaller field (currently well-covered) they can stay on until summer, by which time they should be leaner (natives), but they mustn't lose too much early in the winter, obvs, so timing is everything.

Decision taken that it was moving day yesterday. Only when I pull them out of the meadow do I realise that little Buster (12.2hh Dartmoor stallion, who I have been looking at side-on from a distance) is not just 'doing well for the time of year' like the others, he's still, well, TUBBY. Actually, viewed from the back, he's downright spherical!
No hay, no hard feed, no grass. What is the little blighter living on?

Needless to say, he's staying where he is until he does the decent thing and tells me where he got the pies, or at least shifts a few of them.


P.S. Herd of native ponies available by arrangement for conservation grazing... guaranteed to eat things a goat wouldn't.
 

Slightlyconfused

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I feel your pain. A few summers ago it was really hot and dry and my fields looked like dust bowls with no sign of green. The horses all did remarkably well on them.


We had the same. And people complaining they were needing to bring in to feed hay....the horses werr very very round and did not loose it.

Just goes to show how 90% of horses in the uk do not need nice rested feilds 🤷‍♀️
 

Polos Mum

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Mine too, I think they eat every blade of grass as it pokes out of the ground. Which is why when you walk the fields you can't see any grass but they look so well.

I've been feeding mine a bit in this snow as it iced over the top and was actually quite difficult to dig through. My ridden horse (who has a high irish clip and no rugs) has put on a tonne of weight in 10 days.

Wish I hadn't fed them ! How has he put weight on in this
 

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PurBee

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Theoretically, the biochemistry of lack of food causes changes in metabolism. It’s calorific needs can drop significantly as metabolic dormancy shift into gear. It slows down and starts to convert external glucose fuel to internal ketone/glucose fuel, converted by the liver using body muscle and fat. All body processes in winter outside are slowed way down to preserve energy, so breakdown of muscle and fat can be a slow process.
They can still look quite well during this process due to water retention, which can also occur due to lack of calories/altered metabolism.
If the animal is well covered/has a lot of fat and muscle, there’s absolutely kg’s of nutrition the metabolism can make use of before there’s overt excess weight loss.
Also while in slowed down winter metabolism, this process can take much longer than a more active young slimmer horse, who we’d see slim down in a mere week!

There will be minimal growth of grass they’re shaving off the field, to obtain some calories/nutrients, even though the body has shifted to baseline metabolism.
In outdoor animals during winter, metabolic ‘semi-dormancy’ is likely the norm for at rest horses, especially.

The feeding of hay/rugging/hard feed/exercise during winter are all procedures that prevent metabolic changes and maintain summer weight/muscle mass and fitness.

If the tubbiness you’re seeing is an aspect of water retention, that would all shift gear and be gone once more calories are introduced, and the body converts back to faster oral-based glucose metabolism.
 

dorsetladette

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Having watched my herd carefully on the water meadow which they have been on since April, I have been amazed that they have held condition on what for the last month or so, to any inspection, appears to be no grass whatsoever.
I have a smaller field (currently well-covered) they can stay on until summer, by which time they should be leaner (natives), but they mustn't lose too much early in the winter, obvs, so timing is everything.

Decision taken that it was moving day yesterday. Only when I pull them out of the meadow do I realise that little Buster (12.2hh Dartmoor stallion, who I have been looking at side-on from a distance) is not just 'doing well for the time of year' like the others, he's still, well, TUBBY. Actually, viewed from the back, he's downright spherical!
No hay, no hard feed, no grass. What is the little blighter living on?

Needless to say, he's staying where he is until he does the decent thing and tells me where he got the pies, or at least shifts a few of them.


P.S. Herd of native ponies available by arrangement for conservation grazing... guaranteed to eat things a goat wouldn't.
I feel your pain. I took rugs of at the weekend for a proper look at them in daylight. I've not checked Ben and Robin properly since before Christmas due to being ill and the weather just being grim. Well if OH would let me they would both be naked now. As you said they are spherical! So they are both in a no fill as OH can't recognise which rugs which from a distance and the summer paddocks are closed off until spring! I'm even tempted to give Robin a bib clip.
 

SEL

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I feel your pain. I had routine vaccinations last week and both mares were fat shamed by the vet. One I had asked for bloods because her crest was worrying me and her insulin was sky high. I can't even blame that on frosty grass because it was taken after 24 hours of nasty rain & slushy stuff. The field has moved between looking like the somme and the arctic tundra. I have been feeding hay, but not excessive amounts - really just enough to ensure my fencing doesn't get demolished because they are so hungry.

Vet asked if I could soak hay on a day when I'd had multiple trips to the yard with containers of hot water so I'm feeling irrationally annoyed by the fat ponies!

I can and will clip the native very soon (her Irish has grown out) but she's been naked throughout the especially chilly bit in the hope she might shiver some off. I don't think she shivered off even a micro-gramme.
 

Meredith

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F was weighed today. He has lost 3kg since the start of winter. I thought as feed adviser thought he was too fat last time that I would get 'told off'. I was surprised as she was quite pleased. Apparently she has been seeing lots of horses and ponies whose weight has increased this winter. I was told to carry on with the same feed but up the work a bit if possible. It has been difficult to maintain regular work recently as Christmas and the snow intervened.
 

Goldenstar

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Mine have been living out until Saturday when I brought them in as it was dangerously icy.
My grass has grown most of the winter.
Although the horses have lost some weight they where getting around two kilos of low energy haylege and have a small bucket feed for their supplements.
One has been living out and hunting on this food he has lost most but was the most difficult one to get to shift weight .
Never let anyone tell you that there’s no calories in winter grass if that was true mine would be dead.
 

Barklands

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We have one that was finally looking decently slim (for her...) and I was quite pleased. However, with the weather she has been stuck in this last week and has piled on the pounds in just one week 🫣 she's a porker that just has to sniff a haynet and her belly expands at a rate of knots...

Anyone else rather worried for the spring grass? She'll promptly be going back to weightwatchers
 

pistolpete

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Yep mine should be in austerity instead he’s luxuriating in masses of hay! Thanks to my idiot yard owner amalgamating fields!
 

Catbird

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Mine piled on the pounds last winter (full clip, soaked hay, unrugged!) but the better weather this winter means he's getting more exercise so I think he's probably breaking even with weight since the autumn.

Trimmer said he was looking good last week (usually says 'he could lose a bit more' and the points out the fat bits!) so I'm pleased with that and will assume it's all great until the next trim when he'll probably have something else to say 🤣
 

Time for Tea

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I’m pleased with my Foresters. Living out, rugged, exercised 4 times a week, plenty of hay and haylage and two feeds a day of a mug of Lucy pellets and chaff and a supplement. You can feel their ribs and just about see them. Bit of weedy, acidic grass to nibble. The tricky bit is the timing of cutting back the hay in the spring.
 
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