fat lame horse- help

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chaps89

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I have a 14.1hh 5yr old cob mare. Bought her in April when she weighed 380kg and looked a bit scrawny. Put her on a fitness plan and reasonable grazing and she muscled up and developed (or started too) nicely and looked spot on at 400-410kg. She was being worked 5 or 6 times a week for between 30 minutes and 2 hours, and quality work not sloping along on a loose rein (I did build up to this slowly) Fast forwards to start of July when she went lame, so she has now been off work for 3 months. She's off to liphook next week and I am mortified at how fat she is- 445kg. She gets recommended dose of top spec lite balancer and salt for breakfast and that's it. I've created a track system around her field which I have slowly strip grazed her around. (she's on grass livery and vet is happy not to box/field rest her at this point in time. However I did borrow a friends box and keep her in with soaked hay in the day for about a month, but there was no difference, it cost me a fortune and I ended up knackered so she's back out!) She is (at vet discretion) getting metformin daily as well. Oh, and she wears a muzzle. I find if she is on the bare grass (ie, I haven't moved her fence down the track) she will get a hard crest, when she has access to more grass the neck is normal. Vet suggested last week reducing the metformin which I tried but had squitty droppings and a hard crest so I put her back to the original dose. I know it is the lack of work that has done it and i cant see what else I can do but I'm dreading her going to the vets as it is without the fear that they will not be impressed by her weight. So please, people with retired fatties how on earth do you keep the weight off them?! And some-one please re-assure me i'm not a bad owner, I'm feeling pretty awful. (sorry for the whinge too)
 
Interesting what you say about her getting a hard crest on short grass, as I've been saying for years that lami-prone horses are better off muzzled on long grass. Short grass is stressed, and trying to grow - therefore the sugar levels are far higher than long stalky grass. I've noticed that all my three, who were fat on the short grass at my last yard, have dropped off to a far more respectable weight since I moved them onto a field that has only been very lightly grazed in the last god knows how many years. There is stacks of grass - far more than they're used to, and I was poised for problems, but they're looking and feeling good.

It's very difficult to keep weight off a good-doer who isn't able to work. My fattest one has been off for a few months, and until we moved, the only way I was able to keep him from getting fatter was to keep him muzzled 24/7 on the oldest, stalkiest grass I could find.
 
Interesting in the different responses by horses to the same type of grazing.

I keep my fatty Clydesdale slim by grazing her in one acre paddock that has been first grazed right down by others, she then goes in and works her fat butt off walking around getting no more than quarter inch lengths of grass. If I put her on longer grass she would expand as you watched.

For mine this has been the only successful way to keep her weight down - she sulked in a muzzle and wouldn't eat, or talk to me.
 
No advice I'm afraid but reassurance that it sounds like you're doing all the right things. She's unlikely to put on any more with Winter on the way. Hope you get good news about the lameness x
 
Tnavas said:
Interesting in the different responses by horses to the same type of grazing.

I keep my fatty Clydesdale slim by grazing her in one acre paddock that has been first grazed right down by others, she then goes in and works her fat butt off walking around getting no more than quarter inch lengths of grass. If I put her on longer grass she would expand as you watched.

For mine this has been the only successful way to keep her weight down - she sulked in a muzzle and wouldn't eat, or talk to me.
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I could have written the above myself about my traddy cob! Exactly the same scenario for us and what Tnavas does is what works for us too :), (he also has a pal in the paddock with him of an evening when he goes out...and comes in during the day at the moment).

When the grass subsides they both move onto the winter field with 4 others in the herd for the duration of the colder weather. The unfertilized field is around 7 acres and undulating with plenty of shelter and made up of moorland types grasses so plenty of fibre and pretty safe for him. It's a perfect winter field & the hills and nooks and crannys in there as well make for good cover to get out of the worst of the weather if needs be (the hills also work him a little too up and down the varying gradients!)
 
I have had the same issue with my good doer but ulcer prone horse. Could you put soaked hay out on to your paddock? She might prefer to eat this than the short grass as its easier for her than plucking up the short shoots.
 
Explain to the vets how you are managing her - they will understand and may have one or two suggestions. I don't think there's a native/cob in the world that can keep the weight off without exercise unfortunately. Remember winter is coming (not meaning to sound too House Stark in Game of Thrones) so for the timebeing I wouldn't panic.
 
Interested the vet put her on metformin. This is a diabetic tablet for humans, I was trialed on it for a similar condition but me and doc have decided it doesn't work and I don't take it now. Is this for keeping the blood sugar levels under control? You could do that with diet?
 
Apercrumbie said:
Explain to the vets how you are managing her - they will understand and may have one or two suggestions. I don't think there's a native/cob in the world that can keep the weight off without exercise unfortunately. Remember winter is coming (not meaning to sound too House Stark in Game of Thrones) so for the timebeing I wouldn't panic.
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This. My vet knew my old boy quite well as our yard is next door to his and was very surprised to see how much weight he'd put on when he was retired - not because he was doing nothing but because he was 26 at the time! It was one of the reasons (along with him getting depressed!) he was semi un-retired. It's an age old issue and they'll be used to ponies out of working gaining a bit of weight. The fact you're so worried about it will show them you're not an iresponsible owner leaving her in a field full of grass to get fat. My vet recommended walking in hand if he wasn't up to being ridden (he had arthirits in his knees)He said even 15 minutes at a brisk walk was enough. don't know if you can do this with yours, but might be worth a try if you can.
 
Auslander said:
Short grass is stressed, and trying to grow - therefore the sugar levels are far higher than long stalky grass.
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I've seen this statement on the forum before and I wonder where people got this idea from?

ScreenShot2014-09-30at214003_zps1871c790.png


NSC = nonstructural carbohydrates, i.e sugar, starch and fructan

http://www.safergrass.org/pdf/VCNApreprint.pdf

I've noticed that all my three, who were fat on the short grass at my last yard, have dropped off to a far more respectable weight since I moved them onto a field that has only been very lightly grazed in the last god knows how many years. There is stacks of grass - far more than they're used to, and I was poised for problems, but they're looking and feeling good.
Click to expand...
This is more likely related to differences in grass varieties than short vs tall grass.
 
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