done to death but thought id peeve some people off!

[edgedem]

Sounds like you are doing everything right OP. If she has had a foal and is doing little work then she wont loose her belly until her muscles strengthen and lift it. What you need to aim for is to be able to easily feel her ribs along her sides and to have no gutter. Some cobs never loose their crests and the best you can aim for is a soft floppy one.

I feel your pain, we have always had natives/cobs and my new cob is very overweight. I soak my hay for 12 hours at least, i put morning hay in to soak when I drain off the evening hay. Another thing you could perhaps try is to get some oat straw and mix it in with your hay. I replace about 1/4 with it. Some ponies will yum it up, others don't like it, but, in picking around trying to avoid it it slows down the whole eating process.

There is always goodness in grass, granted whilst the growth is slower there will be less of it, whilst a plant is alive and photosynthesis is taking place there will be sugar present, particularly on bright frosty morning. Plus remember too that horses have bacteria in their guts which break down fibre to produce energy. If I had plenty of grass I wouldn't bother with hay at all.

I took my horses of a paddock on Saturday because it was getting bogged up. It looked brown, now a week later is is green again so don't presume nothing is growing. The only other thing I would consider if I were you (and you may do this already) is to provide a mineral and vitamin supplement. You could spend a fortune on pellets and powdes, but the cheapest easiest way is to get a big pink mineralised salt lick and put in her field (this is what WHW do).

If you can't ride her more how about taking her out for a walk in hand, long reining or lunging?

thanks for the info, the thing with their (only) paddock is thats is very wet! i sectioned half off the lesson the effect of poaching but its the mud etc that isnt helping the grass, i agree though it will still grow. unfortunately im not blessed with the best facilities and although she has a field shelter i could put her away at night/to rest field, it would drive her mad.so she will have to trash the field and i will have to repair it, also considered putting her into livery as soon as i find somewhere suitable (yards r naff here)

she is a rescue so her past is a mystery however lots of things point to the fact she has had a foal in past, because of her not so good (*cough* gypsy *cough*) past owners she was obviously not worked or something hence the after belly.

she is being retrained at the mo, started getting hacking problems and its obviously now dark in evening so she only works Sat/Sun and after advice on another thread, shell be hacked for an hour hopefully, if she co-operates! i jsut cant in week due to no facilities and dark! damn winter

lots of hill work this summer to tackle the belly if it never goes i dont mind, shes my forever horse & my first so she can stay looking silly

they do get a salt/mineral lick

thanks to everyone as always for the advice! hopefully fat pony will "survive" the winter!