Diets and ad lib hay

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Twoblueeyes

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Hi
Similar to previous thread re ad lib hay etc.
Cob mare has just been diagnosed as having high insulin level and told need to lose some weight.
Was out 24/7 but won't stay in bare patch so have had to put muzzle on and bring in at night.
vet said if in and no grass 8kg of hay, slightly less of horsehage blue which is what I have.
Given she's out in the muzzle how much would you give ?
I have just got a bag of happy hoof to try to increase eating time.
It says 2kg happy hoof 4kg hay and 500g beet if grazing in muzzle 4 hrs.
Would you wet the happy hoof 2kg is 4 Stubbs scoops full so quite a lot.
Sorry for long post mare is 24 yrs old tested neg for cushings.
Thanks.
 
I would not give 2kg of HH and only 4kg of hay, that will mean standing far longer with nothing than giving the 8kg of hay the vet recommended, the feeding guides are nearly always over the top as that is the amount required to give the daily vit/ min allowance.
If you want her to lose weight soak the 8kg of hay/ haylage to reduce the sugars and give her her vits/ mins in a supplement rather than in a compound feed, a handful of HH would be safer than 2kg and far better for your pocket. I would also consider replacing some of the hay with a plain straw chop if she is really overweight.
 
Thank you. Think I will go with your and vet recommendation and give 8kg. I want her to be eating while she's in the stable but she defiantly dosnt have an off switch.
I'll have another look for a straw chop, didn't realise the happy hoof was more of a feed than a chop.
She's not massively overweight so hopefully the muzzle will do the job.
Thanks again.
 
I would ditch the Happy Hoof, give as much hay as she is allowed and supplement her intake with plain oat straw chaff. I did this with my mare and got her weight down to a sensible condition score (3 ish). Now I have the opposite problem, as she has developed Cushings and become hard to keep weight on.
I wouldn't leave a horse standing in with nothing to nibble on, that is just asking for ulcers, imho.
 
I manage my good doer with a sugar problem with soaked hay. She stresses without food and with 2 lots of ulcer treatments already in the past 2 years I literally can't afford round 3!

She's on a bald - ish paddock and gets a big net soaked morning and night. To get her supplements a small amount of kwik beet and topchop zero. She seems to like that oat chaff better than other brands, so I use it to bulk out breakfast.

Still can't quite find her ribs.....
 
My cob who had equine metabolic syndrome and laminitis is now totally normal after a strict diet of top spec zero top spec antilam and barley straw. She now gets turnout for about 8 hours a day barley straw top spec zero and top spec light. In winter if she does not go out she has a small amount of hay too.
 
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