*cringes* think my pony is on verge of laminitis

[scotsmare]

Pony has suddenly got very cresty (well, it seems sudden - its probably been creeping up for a few weeks

)

Crest is solid and pony is verging on fat.

Have brought her in off the grass tonight - pulses are normal and she's not lame but obviously we need weight loss boot camp asap.

Now, dilemma is this - she's turned out with my yearling who is quite lean and needs all the help she can get

Pony flatly refuses to wear a muzzle.

So, what's my best course of action for the next month or so? Fence a paddock for pony and put hay out for yearling as she will invariably stand beside her buddy or limit turnout to mornings and stable for the rest of the time?

(Pony can't be ridden / worked due to old injury)

Suggestions

 

[BSJAlove]

in my experiance of lami, bring the pony in during the day for a few hours if poss and turn out at night. sun wont be on the grass so should be fine.

make sure you cut all hard feed and give a small haynet. over the next few days, the neck should relax and you should deffo notice a weight difference.

make sure you catch it quicky!! good luck!!

 

[3Beasties]

Can you electric fence a small patch in the field, Put both the yearling and the pony in there so they eat it right down, then put the yearling back out in normal field and leave the pony in the small paddock with not much grass. That way yearling will be happy as she will be able to see the pony and hopefully the pony will start to loose weight.

 

[Slinkyunicorn]

We used to make a small paddock in the middle of the field for the shetlands to go in - that way they get to stay out with their buddies but have nothing to eat!! Well they obviously have a tiny bit of grass but we used to supplement with soaked hay to make sure they enough to keep things moving! Would that be possible for you to do?

 

[*hic*]

Ho hum - yup I have a cresty pony too. Mine's a Section A and even when you can see her ribs - I really do get her that thin - she STILL has a crest. She is not on the verge of laminitis, I'm pretty paranoid about it and keep checking with the farrier. She has had it once - when some git thought she wasn't being fed enough and let her into the hayfield overnight.

So, given that her companion is much older and needs to keep some weight on, I section a pen off within the "rough" paddock and she goes in there whilst the other chap carries on eating outside it. She has constant access to grass but it's poor and she has to keep on the move to get it. There are also sheep in there to keep it pretty well down. I have to say that the "rough" paddock is just that, it's entirely volunteer grass so if she did get out there would be no immediate risk of lami.

Provided the well-meaning idiots don't wander up the 200 yards of track to let her out or to feed her bread and cakes (I kid you not

) she stays as slim as possible and at little or no risk of laminitis. She used to wear a grazing muzzle but it was taken off every night by the idiots until I fixed it so that it couldn't be easily undone - at which point they cut it off.

 

[Honeypots]

Can you make a track round the outside of your paddock and put the yearling in the middle and the fattie on the outside so he/she has a) less grass and b) has to keep walking to get it.
A bit like my set up...if you get the jist

(although all mine are on the outside during the day and inside at night atm:

 

[ace123]

SNAP.
Got the same problem. Pony seemed cresty all of a sudden and yearling needs grass.
Pony also refuses to keep muzzle on. Won't stay in paddock. so she is being stabled with well soaked hay and allowed 2 hrs turnout a day and walks.
Yearling only allowed out few hours a day as injured his knee so he's not getting the grass he needs.
Bloody horses

Good luck

 

[pottamus]

That track idea looks good...my lad has been on just under 1 acre that was grazed right down over the winter and has stayed on this since March so he is having to wander about to nibble at the grass as bits grow. He has 2 year old hay to munch on too if he needs it. He is currently loosing weight at a gradual rate so I am happy he is not getting too much goodness from anything...although he is ridden 6 days a week so that helps.
You could do with getting your horse off the grass really and onto something pretty bald to nip it in the bud before the footyness starts...feed soaked or old hay to keep everything moving.

 

[checkmate1]

That track is a fab idea!!

 

[MistletoeMegan]

Honeypots, you win the 'Actual Genius' award!

 

[Honeypots]

[ QUOTE ]
Honeypots, you win the 'Actual Genius' award!

[/ QUOTE ]

Oh cool

...I never win anything

 

[lilym]

put fat pony in 'U' shaped paddock/alleyway constructed around the edges of main paddock, put well soaked hay at one end and water bucket at other end, fat pony will be able to spend all day toddling around from hay to water and back again, yearling can have main paddock and still be able to spend time grazing by his buddy!!

 

[Puppy]

[ QUOTE ]
Honeypots, you win the 'Actual Genius' award!

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree

that is a fab idea I may well have to use for my fatty!

 

[Fransurrey]

Looks a but like the Paddock Paradise system there, is that what it is, Honeypots?

When Henry needed to lose weight (and oldie desperately needed to put it on!), I had to separate them. They didn't seem to mind and it was the only way!

Lilym's idea looks a good one, too.

 

[Honeypots]

[ QUOTE ]
Looks a but like the Paddock Paradise system there, is that what it is, Honeypots?

When Henry needed to lose weight (and oldie desperately needed to put it on!), I had to separate them. They didn't seem to mind and it was the only way!

Lilym's idea looks a good one, too.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes..I got the idea from Paddock Paradise although it is a very simple version. In front of the shelter is a yard which is open both sides and is part of the track but it has been invaluable in helping my fatties lose weight especially the pony I was given a few months back that came to me with raging laminitis.
Also as Lilym has said...if you put the water at one end of the track it keeps them moving. I put small piles of hay around the track too instead of just one pile so they have to move around.