Can anyone show me what a chunky 14.2 cob's back should look like from above?

[Malicob23]

Weird question but I've got a new cob and I can see she's clearly very overweight which I'm addressing. I need to see what a 14.2 heavy cob ought to look like, as in from above the back so I can see what to aim for! Obviously they're all different but it really help. I had an ardennes until recently so my eye is a little too forgiving of the curves but after I'd brought the little cob home I realised the extent of the obesity! She's on burnt sun dried pasture that's rough and high up with alot of weeds near the coast. However if I'm honest, after a rain I can see new grass shoots coming and I've taken action and closed most of the field off. She's out 24/7 but I'm only giving her access to the main of it first thing in the morning for a couple of hours. She's got a slow haynet of low sugar haylage as there's no hay available here atm. That's lasting her the day and is really only an armful to keep her chewing if she likes. No feed obviously but I'm considering a cup of the balancer that's for laminitics as there's so little for her in the bit she's got access to. We're waiting for the farrier as her feet need trimming before I can ride properly

 

[Flowerofthefen]

No photo I'm afraid!! If she is really obese I wouldn't give her a couple of hours on the 'better' grass. She will just gorge herself. In those 2 hours she could eat what needs to last her all say.

 

[Malicob23]

Thank you. It's hard to get the balance of keeping her busy and trickle fed without having her get the vast calories she's clearly been consuming till now. I've had her 3 weeks and I can see ever so slight improvement but she's angry and pushy about being restricted, and broke into the garden 3 times to claim her grass! It will be better when I can ride regularly
and luckily she likes toys and her salt lick.

 

[Malicob23]

To put it in perspective I've got a treeless saddle as I doubt anything else would fit and she'll change shape in time anyway. The dressage girth that fits her well is an 85cm. I believe I used the same size on my tank of an ardennes, so something definitely needs to give! I'm interested to know what size others use on a chunky gypsy Cob of 14.2. I doubt it's 85 though....

 

[Highmileagecob]

You may improve her temper if you are able to strip graze, as starving weight off a horse is not productive in the long run. You may end up with a mare who breaks fences down, or has a weird digestive upset.
My piebald is 14hh, and was in a 24" girth on his treeless. If it helps, stand back from the horse and take a good look. Mentally lengthen the leg to fit the body so that you can work out a basic proportion - cobs are naturally short legs on big bodies, a bit like a labrador with short legs. Once you can get a fair idea of the body you should be feeding it is easier to work out the degree of obesity. I used to joke that my lad was a 15hh but his legs didn't keep up, but feeding him as a 14hh left him hungry. Good luck, once you can get her moving she will start to drop weight, but take it slowly.

 

[Malicob23]

That is really helpful. I guess once I realised quite how fat she is I went into a panic, checking her short little neck and fat shoulders etc twice a flipping day! She's the shortest I've had in a while and it's easy to get carried away with worry instead of action I can keep up in the long term. Strip grazing is likely to be the best, I see that now. She genuinely is very heavy set, with massive legs and chest width so doubt she'll ever look as svelt as some cobs but there's work to do and laminitis and ems comes to mind. It doesn't help that I've had such trouble finding anyone to do her feet here. Saturday I'm expecting the trimmer and after that it's hoof boots and alot of uphill walks!

 

[Highmileagecob]

Perfect! Once you have got your head round the fact that cobs are a different shape and will never look like a svelte riding horse, it becomes easier to relax and know what you are aiming for. Keep us updated won't you?

 

[Malicob23]

Thanks, I'm grateful for sound advice and it's great when it's from another cob fan

 

[sbloom]

Have you come across condition scoring? I've worked with cobs and natives as a speciality for 14 years and I find people do tend to have blind spots on their cob's weight - for sure, they don't look quite the same as the cuddlier round image we have in our heads, but they're almost always healthier for looking more slender, though of course, they're never going to look like a top level eventer.

How to calculate your horse’s body condition score – is he the right weight?

A body condition score for horses is a way of measuring the fat your horse is carrying and will tell you whether he needs to lose or gain weight

www.horseandhound.co.uk

 

[Malicob23]

I have heard of it but to be honest I wouldn't know how to do it. I'll have read though this article wants me to join and pay as I seem to have read the free quota but I'll Google this, thank you very much

 

[Malicob23]

Right, having looked at the bhs website for body scoring I can truthfully say mine is definitely a 4 verging on 5. She's been with me 3 weeks and I'd say she was a 5 when she arrived. The seller joked how she had mild rain scald along her back channel "as she's a typical curvy cob" and told me her saddle may need adjusting. It was obvious you could have driven a taxi through the gullet under that saddle and if it ever did fit the little mare must have been many kilos lighter. During this hot spell I've hosed her down and saw that channel isn't quite so pronounced but it's there and so are the fat pads. Her neck is naturally curved and short but I was struck by the firmness and within the first week I do believe that ever so slightly reduced. This is the first farrier visit this afternoon so it will be interesting to hear what's made of her hooves. Wish me luck!

 

[Highmileagecob]

Get yourself a weigh tape next time you are in the feed store. They are not 100% accurate, but better than a guesstimate. A 14.2hh chunky monkey will probably need to be around the high 400 to 500kg mark, although it does depend on the build and the breeding.

 

[Malicob23]

Ah! I just ordered one, great minds!! I'll let you know what it says. It will be cathartic

 

[spottypony90]

Could you soak her some hay and put that out for her so she can much on something without putting weight on?

 

[Malicob23]

Thank you, that's what would be best but at the moment there's no hay available here in Pembrokeshire except the latest just cut hay, which I'm told is rich and high in sugars. I've done the next best thing and found some low sugar haylage but been advised not to soak that. I'm giving her a lean armful in a slow net that I've doubled and she's tearing away at that. My farrier came on our first visit and said her feet look good. I'd seen some faint rings or ridges around the hooves which bothered me regards laminitis but the farrier thought it was more from change in seasons and pasture. I established she's never been barefoot to ride when I bought her so in order to be sure she won't get footsore which would spoil the riding to get fit, farrier advised using hoof boots which she's fitted properly for us. A stroke of luck is that the ones I already have are the right size. Temper wise, the farrier thinks a grazing muzzle may be a step too far and make her mood worse which apparently can also trigger laminitis in one so hefty!

 

[spottypony90]

Why can’t you soak the lower quality stuff out of interest? Failing that is buy some of the low sugar wrapped haylage from the feed shop (I think Timothy is the lower quality one) and give her a bit of of that, she will need to eat something to keep her digestive system working properly otherwise you face other problems such as ulcers/colic.

 

[Malicob23]

Yeah she's having low sugar haylage. There's no hay available right now and soaking haylage especially in warm weather causes it to ferment.

 

[Malicob23]

My son's coming up to make her what he calls a maypole! She's into playing and has her traffic cones and a ball to kick and throw about but he's had an idea for the old telegraph pole I've got lying around. He's going to concrete it in and attach rubber mats and brush heads and various bits of course boat rope knots for her to get a good scratch!
The idea of poor fatty-tank dancing around her maypole has cheered me up no end

 

[MuddyMonster]

I feed straw alongside my soaked hay, so my good does always always has something available for him to eat. I'd really recommend that to avoid digestive issues

Do you weigh the haylage? I weigh all my hay before soaking so I know I'm feeding in his daily allowance and then split it out into smaller nets across the day and night. It's not fool proof but it helps increase the time he has hsy for.

Can you increase her exercise, as that is the single biggest thing that helps mine.

Good luck

 

[Malicob23]

The straw is a great idea and I hadn't thought of that at all. I can ask about tomorrow for that. Not wanting to overthink it but should it be barley or wheat? When I lived abroad we had oat straw instead of hay for the draught horses as there was no hay at all

 

[Malicob23]

Work begins properly now she's had her feet done. I'm fortunate to be in the preselis so lots of hill walking

 

[spottypony90]

Yeah she's having low sugar haylage. There's no hay available right now and soaking haylage especially in warm weather causes it to ferment.

Yes I know you can’t soak haylage, no hay anywhere?? Wow! Never heard of that before!

 

[Landcruiser]

Yes I know you can’t soak haylage, no hay anywhere?? Wow! Never heard of that before!

Supplies are low everywhere, remember what a dry summer we had last year? My supplier is running very low here in Wiltshire.

 

[rabatsa]

Barley straw. Wheat straw is not digestible and can/will cause colic.

 

[Malicob23]

Thank you. I think that's an excellent idea to bulk out her net and keep her busy chewing.

 

[spottypony90]

Supplies are low everywhere, remember what a dry summer we had last year? My supplier is running very low here in Wiltshire.

Interesting. We have loads left in Lincs!

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Was gonna suggest straw instead of letting her on good grazing and perhaps start with exercising her twice a day, even an extra 20 minutes brisk walk will help to get the weight off initially.

Maybe feed some magnesium oxide it can help shift weight and is cheap.

 

[Malicob23]

You've read my mind as that was going to be my next question...! Would it be cruel to exercise twice given she's so fat. I had in mind a good slow hack in the morning and wondered about a walk up to fetch my post in the afternoon then chickened out thinking maybe I'm expecting too much?

 

[poiuytrewq]

Interesting. We have loads left in Lincs!

It became pretty scarce in my area too. We make our own but friends who were buying in had a struggle.

 

[Malicob23]

How is it looking this year hay wise, Do you think it's a good year so far? Always good to know in advance. It must be such a relief to make your own I'm envious!