Fat Horse

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Thezoosmum

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Advice needed please. I have a very overweight horse having moved yards a few months ago. He was turned out on mud through the winter but at the new yard is now in a lush summer field 24/7 and has ballooned. He is now quite lame and I think the weight is causing stifle problems.

I need to get him off the grass to try and lose some weight but the livery yard will not allow strip grazing and there are no other options but this field. I am considering stabling during the night but the stable is quite small so will not allow much movement and I am concerned about his stifle. Muzzling isn't an option as he would be left unwatched for 12 hours and I wouldn't want to risk it plus its a long time with no food.

Exercise wise, he is 20+ and retired so only exercise is roaming the field. I cannot even consider lungeing due to the lameness.

Any suggestions other than moving yards which isn't an option?
 
I am not keen on muzzling but if the yard will not allow you to have a way of restricting him other than stabling which will not really solve the weight problem and may well make the stifle worse then I would muzzle using a field safe one, if he gets caught up it should give way and he will be able to eat some grass just far less than he can now, it is the least risky option otherwise he may well get laminitis as well as the stifle issue.
I would also look at moving to a yard better suited to a retired good doer as this one does not sound ideal with such limited options for turn out.
 
Move yards or PTS before ill health forces your hand.

I don’t see why you don’t stables seven am to seven pm and muzzle at night when turned out .
Letting you horse get fat just makes life really hard work .
I do think you need to look for a yard that meets his needs better though but you have to do something now as in today so that I would stable and muzzle when turnout .
 
That's quite a pickle. You should get a well fitting muzzle (they are designed to be left on in the field) so he can trickle graze through the little hole in the end. Keep him in for half the time with hay and out for half the time with the muzzle and he will lose weight. The other alternatives are to move or watch as he eats himself to death.
 
I'm not sure what you're thinking anyone can suggest really. You can't strip graze, muzzle, move or stable - what other options could there be?
 
I understand your pain as mine just has to look at grass to put on weight.

As others have said, doing nothing is not an option as it will pretty much result in guarenteed lami.

Some suggestions - ask your vet to speak to YO about strip grazing or restricted grazing (ideally a track system). If a no go I think you have no choice but to move to a more accommodating yard.

Also lots of in hand walks.

I would also stable during the day and T/O at night. I would also try a muzzle. If you don't try you won't know and in this case it's the lesser of the evils.
 
Mine wears a muzzle overnight for 14-16 hours, buy the next size up and pad out any potential bits that could rub. I initially brought the size he normally is and it rubbed after just 4 hours, but since buying the bigger size no issues no rubbing and he moves around so much more too. I use the shires deluxe if that helps.

He can still eat but no where near as much a he can without a muzzle.
I made the hole a little bigger so he got the hang of it and he’s quite happy to wear it, I’ve always been anti muzzles before but am converted as are a few others at my yard seeing the difference it’s made. One horse wears hers 22/7 just coming in for a few hours a day again no issues and she’s happier out and this means she can be.
 
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Um...…. if horse is fat, on grass and lame then I would take it off grass completely and have a vet look at it. Take it off the grass straight away - not tomorrow or in a day or two but NOW. Feed soaked hay at 2% of ideal weight with a low cal vit and min supplement see http://www.thelaminitissite.org for more info . If they have laminitis they do not always rock back, have elevated pulses, hot feet etc. Not sure from your post if the lameness is ongoing but it does sound as if it has got worse from what you have said.


If it isn't lami at least you are on the way to getting the weight off and the vet will be pleased about that. Don't kid yourself about how serious this can be - I have been there and it is not pleasant. I had a mini Shetland that was given to me (yes I know, now). Was lame in one foot one January - diagnosed as a field injury. No raised pulses, hoof testers, heart rate etc. she wasn't even fat. Well it was lami and she never fully recovered and it broke my heart. She had undiagnosed PPID and EMS.
 
antigone said:
Um...…. if horse is fat, on grass and lame then I would take it off grass completely and have a vet look at it. Take it off the grass straight away - not tomorrow or in a day or two but NOW. Feed soaked hay at 2% of ideal weight with a low cal vit and min supplement see http://www.thelaminitissite.org for more info . If they have laminitis they do not always rock back, have elevated pulses, hot feet etc. Not sure from your post if the lameness is ongoing but it does sound as if it has got worse from what you have said.


If it isn't lami at least you are on the way to getting the weight off and the vet will be pleased about that. Don't kid yourself about how serious this can be - I have been there and it is not pleasant. I had a mini Shetland that was given to me (yes I know, now). Was lame in one foot one January - diagnosed as a field injury. No raised pulses, hoof testers, heart rate etc. she wasn't even fat. Well it was lami and she never fully recovered and it broke my heart. She had undiagnosed PPID and EMS.
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Fully agree with this. I’ve seen several cases of laminitis over the last few years that have not shown Classic symptoms and have even been missed by vets and misdiagnosed as other things, unfortunately it has generally not ended well.

If anything at this time of year goes lame (and it’s not blatantly obviously something else) I assume laminitis first and foremost.

If the yard is not suitable for your horse, move him. Failing that, try a muzzle overnight and in during the day with soaked hay.
 
Thanks all. I brought him in overnight last night and he was very stiff with his first few steps out of the stable. I am almost certain it is stifle and not lami. My circumstances mean I cannot move yards and YO very strict/fussy and will 100% not allow stripping a patch as it would "ruin the field".

I think I need to consider a grazing muzzle and turn him out during the day wearing it and in at night. Any recommendations for muzzles? Looking online they all look uncomfortable and bulky bar the greenguard which is sadly not affordable.

I haven't mentioned horse no 2 which is also the size of a hippo but not lame so can at least be lunged..so I am looking at buying 2 muzzles
 
Muzzles aren't glamorous but they work. Yes they are bulky but they could potentially save your Horses life. I have used the Shires bucket type before.
 
I muzzle mine for longer than 12hrs, it's totally fine and my vet and dentist have said it causes no long term issues. I use the Shires comfort deluxe with the sheepskin.

Mine has PSSM so if she wasn't muzzled overnight she would be dead. Better that she moved around with her friends and gets restricted grazing. She comes in during the day to have hay.
 
Stabling during the day and then turned out at night with a muzzle migth work well for both your horses, if it is possible for you to try that.
Whatever you decide to do, I hope it works out well for you and your horses!
 
the Shires ones are a good starting point and more restrictive than the softer Dinky muzzles-although the latter make good training muzzles. mine are muzzled during the day and in at night but I always make sure they have some time during the 24h period where they can mutually groom-so either when they are in a barn together overnight or on the hardstanding patch.
 
Thezoosmum said:
I think I need to consider a grazing muzzle and turn him out during the day wearing it and in at night. Any recommendations for muzzles? Looking online they all look uncomfortable and bulky bar the greenguard which is sadly not affordable.
..so I am looking at buying 2 muzzles
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The price of two decent muzzles, and possibly some padding to wrap on the pressure points will be a lot cheaper than the vet call and treatment for laminitis!

Look on facebook groups / ebay / preloved for second hand muzzles.

Green guard / Easy breath / Dinky pony (do horses) / shires deluxe muzzles are all decent makes and fits.
 
Shires deluxe £20 on amazon, then electrical tape £2 to wrap round anything that may rub (top tip I picked up on another site) the tape is the same size as the gaps between so easy to add in, I also had to add some padding to the headpiece as the velcro is quite hard so that did rub before I padded but no issues and as I said before I’ve used for up to 16 hours his neighbour wears it near constantly without issues now. Make sure you get the size up, they need the extra space I brought his usual size which rubbed but changed to next size up and much better!

Make the hole bigger initially not to much this helps them adapt and honestly mine never fussed he’s just head down trying to find something to eat, it also means he’s constantly moving and far happier than standing in a bald patch.

I also searched the threads on here for inspiration on how best to pad out muzzles. I wish I’d used one sooner as it’s made such a difference :) good luck!
 
My horses are in during the day and out at night. One of mine is a good do-er so is muzzled at night. I would much rather do that than leave him in his stable or watch him get laminitis. He is a greedy horse and had worked out how to eat with the muzzle (Shires deluxe) within about 5 minutes. I read that a good muzzle will cut grass intake by about 80%
 
antigone said:
Um...…. if horse is fat, on grass and lame then I would take it off grass completely and have a vet look at it. Take it off the grass straight away - not tomorrow or in a day or two but NOW. Feed soaked hay at 2% of ideal weight with a low cal vit and min supplement see http://www.thelaminitissite.org for more info . If they have laminitis they do not always rock back, have elevated pulses, hot feet etc. Not sure from your post if the lameness is ongoing but it does sound as if it has got worse from what you have said.


If it isn't lami at least you are on the way to getting the weight off and the vet will be pleased about that. Don't kid yourself about how serious this can be - I have been there and it is not pleasant. I had a mini Shetland that was given to me (yes I know, now). Was lame in one foot one January - diagnosed as a field injury. No raised pulses, hoof testers, heart rate etc. she wasn't even fat. Well it was lami and she never fully recovered and it broke my heart. She had undiagnosed PPID and EMS.
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Definitely would suspect laminitis. And as Antigone said, it needs off the grass now, and a vet visit pronto.
 
antigone said:
Um...…. if horse is fat, on grass and lame then I would take it off grass completely and have a vet look at it. Take it off the grass straight away - not tomorrow or in a day or two but NOW. Feed soaked hay at 2% of ideal weight with a low cal vit and min supplement see http://www.thelaminitissite.org for more info . If they have laminitis they do not always rock back, have elevated pulses, hot feet etc. Not sure from your post if the lameness is ongoing but it does sound as if it has got worse from what you have said.


If it isn't lami at least you are on the way to getting the weight off and the vet will be pleased about that. Don't kid yourself about how serious this can be - I have been there and it is not pleasant. I had a mini Shetland that was given to me (yes I know, now). Was lame in one foot one January - diagnosed as a field injury. No raised pulses, hoof testers, heart rate etc. she wasn't even fat. Well it was lami and she never fully recovered and it broke my heart. She had undiagnosed PPID and EMS.
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This 100%, if your yard owner won’t let you get him off the grass they shouldn’t be running a yard, they either know nothing about laminitis or don’t care about the welfare of their clients horses. If your horse is already lame, is overweight it is far more likely to have lami. Remember, lami can be in all or any four feet. Please get your horse off the grass! I have been there and as soon as you realise there is a problem you are already looking at a laminitic horse sadly.
 
Unless you have had a vet out I would never swear it couldn’t be laminitis, I have seen fit horses get mild cases from sugary grass coming through. Even if you are sure it is stifle then perhaps actually get a vet to investigate and give pain relief?!

If the horse is very overweight it must have a muzzle on and be stabled for atleast a portion of the day. Muzzling during the day in hot weather I found they sometimes sweat and then the muzzle rubs. If the horse is very obese I would consider stabling full time with a few hours turnout a day.

It is as cruel to have an overweight horse as it is to have an underweight one, as both restrict quality of life and reduce life expectancy.
 
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