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

[Fjord]

I feel your pain, but don't panic!

When I got my little mare she was a tank. These are the things I have done over the years to keep the weight off a very food oriented fjord.

Feed plain oat straw chaff. Dead boring, but if she's starving, she'll eat it.
Soaked hay and feeding straw.
Basic track system. Pick the barest bits of the paddock (utilise the bits that got trashed over winter if possible) and use electric fencing to either track round it, or put lines in the middle so she can't just cut across the field. Increase her step count!
Exercise. In hand walking/trotting, as much as you and she can manage. Make her stride out, not just amble along.
Magnesium is meant to be good to help reduce fat pads, I fed supplements in a small amount of speedibeet, with oat straw chaff, my girl thought she was getting a dinner and loved it.

She needs food, so don't cut it out too much, but try and replace it with the lowest sugar stuff you can find.

Good luck!

 

[Malicob23]

Oh my gosh I've ALWAYS loved these little horses

 

[Malicob23]

I am very thankful to hear this is possible. The fear of taking her out and someone pulling up and telling me how obese she is worried me I can't deny as people can be so judgemental and it would sound a right cop out to explain over only had her less than a month and I'm trying my best. Earlier on I must have looked such a sight because she's worn her hoof boots for the first time to ride in today and DID NOT like them at all. She was walking strangely and stopping and puffing and I'm there clucking and pushing to anyone passing it must have looked like I was forcing a very fat pony to be ridden

 

[Fjord]

If someone mentions her weight (which they probably won't, you'd be surprised how many people see fat horses as normal) then definitely tell them you've only just got her! It's a work in progress, it will take time.

Re the hoof boots, can you walk her in hand to get used to them? Check for rubs and make sure they're not slipping too, in case she is finding them uncomfortable.

 

[Malicob23]

Its good advice thank you, I will have to lead her about alot more. She seemed fine to be lead at first, only really strange when riding. In her mind maybe she thinks I'm hand equals going to some lush pasture!
It's important she gets used to them as they will allow some road use to get to nice bridleways

 

[Highmileagecob]

The fit of the hoof boot depends on the brand. Cavallos are known to be a bit roomy, and using a size 1 baby's nappy as a sock provides some padding and takes up the excess. Open the nappy, slip the toe into the fold and tuck the ends around the hoof. Have you tried her without? Most cobs have hard feet and can cope very well barefoot. As for exercising twice a day - how many times a day do you take the dog out? I think it's a great idea to take her to get the post as well as a good walk earlier in the day. Your set up sounds lovely - my old boy is 28 and we are both retired from riding now, but spending time with him is still important.

 

[Malicob23]

You sound so much like I was when my old mare couldn't be ridden any more from her arthritis. I still took her for la passeggiata as she loved people and seeing things and we lived in a village at the time. It's funny you mentioned dog walking because that would have been ideal to bring her with the dogs in the evening but I don't have horse transport and i only really take them to run on the beach at night for their mental health as they're outside all day with me up on the hill, the sea is 2 miles which we can see but not walk directly to. The boots are flex hoof and fit snugly but maybe she finds the gaiters odd that pass around the leg and the cavallo type would have been better. I had them for a loan horse and couldn't believe my luck that her feet were the same size but it's very possible her heels aren't the same angle etc

 

[Malicob23]

I was tempted to keep riding without the boots but when the barefoot trimmer came she mentioned the soles are quite flat and thought until she's a few trims in, the hoof isn't concave enough to cope on stones etc without boots. She did say the hooves at least look perfectly healthy enough to go towards barefoot.

 

[AutumnDays]

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!

Just to say I'm also in Pembrokeshire and we have loads of hay... The yard I'm on cuts their own and also sells it

Edited to add it is last year's hay at minimum, this year's cut is not for sale yet

 

[Malicob23]

Just to say I'm also in Pembrokeshire and we have loads of hay... The yard I'm on cuts their own and also sells it

Oh my lord that's brilliant. Bear with me I don't know to message you to find out your details. It's a nuisance being old and a twit with technology are you anywhere near Goodwick?

 

[AutumnDays]

Oh my lord that's brilliant. Bear with me I don't know to message you to find out your details. It's a nuisance being old and a twit with technology are you anywhere near Goodwick?

Out by Newgale

 

[Malicob23]

Beautiful! I was in Solva yesterday so not far from you. How do I contact your yard please. I don't have a trailer but I'd be happy to roof rack and boot if they didn't mind me buying a few at a time.

 

[AutumnDays]

Beautiful! I was in Solva yesterday so not far from you. How do I contact your yard please. I don't have a trailer but I'd be happy to roof rack and boot if they didn't mind me buying a few at a time.

I'll send you a message

 

[Malicob23]

I'm very grateful. To be honest I've never used a forum and my grown up boys encouraged me as I live alone and it's isolated up here. I've had so many lovely people give advice I should have done it years back

 

[Malicob23]

It's a wonderful thing to have my horse at home it's true, but on the days I feel my 60 years and I'm swinging a post banger it can feel suddenly feel odd by myself and nice to be able to connect for advice. I worked with horses before and took it for granted being able to chat and ask others this and that.

 

[AutumnDays]

Every day is a learning day with horses! It is nice to have this forum to come and ask for advice on, as there are so many people with so many different experiences. I find it less judgemental than asking for advice on the yard too, as I'm the odd one out with my situation and it's a small, older group who don't "get" it (disclaimer, for the most part it's a lovely place to be and they are a good bunch!)

 

[Malicob23]

I've just taken mine out without her new boots and to my horror she's definitely not walking well up on the stoney track. I can only assume she's footsore from her trim. Whereas I thought wearing boots for the first time was the culprit. Once on the grass she was fine again and dare I say, the girth went up another hole. Ordinarily I'd be flapping about laminitis more than ever but it's just too much of a coincidence this happened is since the trim on Saturday. Should I boot her and ride in the fields or rest totally? That would be a shame since the point is to get her fit and leaner. All advice very welcome please!

 

[Highmileagecob]

You may like to watch Cavallo's Barefoot Trim video on line. It gives a step by step visual of a barefoot trim, explaining what should and should not be removed. I would guess your trimmer may have rasped the hoof wall level with the sole, instead of leaving a low collar around the heel, or your mare may have prominent or tender frogs from coming out of shoes. Both can be resolved with time.

 

[Malicob23]

Thank you. I rang the trimmer and she thinks it's definitely the trim causing the soreness . When the trimmer was here she did show me the soles are not concave and the feet will take time to shape properly. I know she was careful about taking any from the frog and soles. Up till now there's been shoes followed by nearly 2 years off with only occasional field trims so it's maybe to be expected. Suggestion was to put her pads in the Flex boots and see how she rides on grass only. Any lameness and the trimmer will come back to look. I've just seen her belting across her bare paddock throwing a little happy buck so I'm reassured she's not feeling too bad at all!

 

[Auslander]

One 14hh cob for you! She is currently (2nd pic) at the top end of what I am happy with weight wise, but still 70kg lighter than when she arrived here!

 

[Malicob23]

Thanks this is brilliant and I can see what to aim for here. Right now mine looks so different to yours but I'm heartened to see yours and the fact you've got her so much lighter

 

[Red-1]

One 14hh cob for you! She is currently (2nd pic) at the top end of what I am happy with weight wise, but still 70kg lighter than when she arrived here!
View attachment 116223
View attachment 116224

Ah, you just beat me to it, I lifted a photo from Rigsby's thread of him when the vet still wanted him to lose a bit more but, to my eyes, he was OK.

I used to weigh tape every week.

 

[Red-1]

This was him at around that time...

This is the day I got him, in September. I think the photo from above was mid October, so he would have been a bit slimmer.

 

[Malicob23]

Mine looks ALOT fatter but my weigh tape arrives this week so I'm going to get a better idea. I know she's feeling OK (or hope so anyway) but she's heading for health problems at the moment. The blue chip lami balancer is also due to be delivered. It's great getting these pics thank you

 

[Malicob23]

Yours is absolutely beautiful by the way!

 

[Gloi]

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

Not wheat. Oat or barley. We used to winter our ponies on undersown barley straw which had a bit of hay in it.

 

[Malicob23]

To all of you who have been so kind, the moment of judgement... The weight tape says she's 574kg.... I've tried to upload pictures but this says the files too large!

 

[Malicob23]

Shes a shade over 14.2 and very thick set but obviously we have a very long way to get to a healthy weight. I'll ask one of my kids to suggest how to upload a photo

 

[Malicob23]

There she blows....
Oh well, this is even more incentive for me to watch my own weight as well so she's not carrying even more extra ballast

 

[Red-1]

She looks lovely!