Exercise question

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WandaMare

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What type of exercise do you think is most effective for getting weight down? I ride my horse 5 or 6 times a week for 45-60 mins usually, mainly schooling with some jumping (only small ones!) and then hacking for 1.5 ish hours at the weekend. Even with this and a restricted diet, it doesn't seem to be shifting her weight.

She is out in the day, with some hay and small strip grazing patch and in overnight with soaked hay. Is there any more i can do?

thanks for any advice
 
You cruel, cruel peeps
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I personally think hacking out is the best way to shift weight, have found this to be the case with 2 horses. Getting them to march on briskly and some hill work is great for getting the heart rate up, a bit like us humans really. Depends what you feed with your restricted diet, I feed Happy Hoof and Speedibeet, high fibre and low calorie. Seems to work for us, my mare is on box rest at the moment and is 16.1, hanov/tb and weighs 496kg on weigh tape. Have to watch her closely as is prone to lami too.

Hope this helps!
 
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as well as leaving her rug off (use fat for warmth) how about a exercise sheet when riding to make her sweat???

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Is that a p1ss take?
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Sweating doesnt make you lose real weight. Short term the horse may weigh a couple of kgs less because of water loss but as soon as it drinks again it will be back to normal.

Active walking and trottting is the best way to burn fat. And only use a LW rain sheet when its wet and windy, otherwise rugs off.
 
TBH you just have to be patient, it took me a good 6 months to get my horse down to a semi-reasonable weight and that was with a similar amount of riding, no feed, limited rugging...Just make sure your making the most of the time your working her, ie go in with an idea of what you want you want to do, and do it, don't spend half the time just plodding, make sure everything is done actively and correctly. Aim to have a sweat up by the end of every session...hope that helps!
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thank you, I just feed her 1 scoop of Happy hoof morning and evening and she is currently turned out in a LW Amigo rug, she has a blanket clip which has pretty much grown back already. I could leave it off her as she does always feel warm though, might have to be cruel to be kind
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, shes such a good doer and is big
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It is hard with good doers - my pony is fatter than I would like - he is fed 1/3 scoop of ride and relax once a day and is out 24/7. However I am going to change his feed to slim and healthy.

He is now blanket clipped as well and in a LW and although I feel very mean it is going to get colder and I think this will help with the weight loss, if he feels cold he may also move around more in the field. I try and do lots of hill work - someone told me they burn off more cals marching up a hill in walk than in trot but I am not sure if that is true or not!

How much soaked hay is she having overnight and how long do you soak it for. Could you give her less hay at night but feed it in a double haynet so it last longer.
 
make sure when you ride she's not just plodding really make her go forward i would leave her with her rug on how would you like it to go out stand in a feild without your jacket on all day in the cold its like going out in shorts and t shirts in winter not very nice, hill work is good for her anything that will get her heart pumping and that she is really moving forward
 
She has half a flap of hay at 6ish with her tea, then another 3 flaps at 9 ish. I usually soak it for about 2 hours but sometimes up to 12. I did try a double haynet but she got really tense and upset so I gave in and put it just in one again! I'm not very good at upsetting her.

I've always had nativey types which have kept condition but i've never had such a good doer as this one. I will definitely try the hillwork, there aren't many near me but i will have to find the extra time and hack her further. thank you for your suggestions
 
How much hay is she having in the field?

If she is having four slices a night and hay in the field as well could you some how cut back on the hay a bit.
 
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make sure when you ride she's not just plodding really make her go forward i would leave her with her rug on how would you like it to go out stand in a feild without your jacket on all day in the cold its like going out in shorts and t shirts in winter not very nice, hill work is good for her anything that will get her heart pumping and that she is really moving forward

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She is a horse, not a human and therefore designed to 'go stand out in a field without a jacket on all day'!
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She doesn't get much in the field, about 1 and a half flaps and a very small grazing strip. It keeps her occupied until middayish and then she just picks at the other areas of the field in the afternoon.

She had 2 foals before i got her and i wonder if this is why its taking awhile for her belly to come back into shape. There is some improvement on her neck and bum, but her belly is still big. She is about 560kg on the weigh tape and shes a 15.2 cobby type.

I've actually considerd selling her because of her weight, to someone who might find it easier to control but this would be a last resort....she d been passed around alot before i bought her. Shes perfect in every other way. thanks for your help x
 
I would weigh how much hay you are giving her, as you may be feeding too much. I have a tb who is a good doer. during the winter she has 20lbs hay overnight in her stable, in the sumer she has 10-12lbs. I put one hayledge net inside another to make it last as long as possible. In the day she is out on fairly poor grazing, she does have a decent hard feed as she events at novice level . If your mare has had foals she will naturally have lost strength in abdominal muscles and schooling her will help to strengthen these. I know it is difficult with good doers , I feel really bad that mine will have finished her hay (in the summer months especially) half way thro the night, but unfortunately the alternatives of an overweight horse and the many problems that brings are not nice either.
 
Just wanted to ask that as she has had 2 foals, are you sure you are not confusing a drop in muscle tone with fat? Can you feel her ribs and does she have any fat deposits on her shoulders, crest, hindquarters?

If you are soaking the hay it doesnt matter how much you give, because the energy (which will put on weight) has been removed from soaking.

Riding most days and light rugging with a controlled diet ar all anyone else can do, so dont sell her. It just takes time!
 
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