Exercise tips for my fat Welshie!

[express_75]

Hi

I have a Welsh Sec D gelding, 14h and a bit, who is a very good doer. He is very talented and we do well at showing. I want to strip some fat off him and need some tips please.

He is stable kept and has one haynet for day and one for night. I turn him out as much as possible; hard at the yard im at to turn him out during the day.

He has a handful of happy hoof twice a day.

We’ve taken a break from shows since the royal welsh.

This is what ive done this week – he was lunged Saturday, hacked out Sunday with plenty of canter work, trot and some gallops, schooled Monday, lunged over jumps Tuesday, day off last night but turned out for over an hour.

I want to hack him out more and take him to the beach as he gets bored with schooling.

Any advice please…..

Thanks very much

 

[snoopyinfrance]

I've had a look online for exercises but can only find advice for diet. :-(
What I do is a lot of trotting but is small bursts so that my mare doesn't get bored or puffed out. They find canter easier than trotting so don't canter too often.
Walking up hills will increase muscle so that should help too.
Have you tried raised trotting poles for working in the school? You could put them in different places around the school to make it interesting.
Can you actually get to a beach where you can swim? If so, swimming is great!
Good luck, have fun!

 

[unbalanced]

WHW has a really useful factsheet on managing weightloss: http://www.worldhorsewelfare.org/information/right_weight_advice.
They suggest slow work, as does my vet - mine had a lot of weight to lose last year (now she is skinny). Walking and trotting is better than cantering for losing weight. We had to do lots of hacking, ideally three hours three times a week (still working on the other days, just not for nearly so long) with a good marching walk interspersed with trotting. If you can find nice hills to walk up then so much the better.
It sounds like you are doing a great job with the feeding .

 

[LaurenBay]

Does he need the happy hoof?

My 14.2 is a bit porka at the moment, unfourtantly injured atm too so can't be ridden. I've stopped the happy hoof straight away. I am taking her for in hand walks (lots of hill work) Long reining, lunging, walking over poles, trotting through poles.