Fat pony

[Horsegirl25]

AHH I need a rant.
This happens EVERY single winter, my boy (14.2hh welsh sec D) goes into winter slim/trim looking brilliant.
I take his muzzle off as his wee front teeth are wearing down so I want to try give him a break from it to avoid his teeth wearing down further. He gets around 10kg of hay per day (when he is staying in 24hrs) 5kg in the morning 5kg at night, he also gets very little hard feed just something to keep him happy while the others are fed in the morning.
He is in full work (ridden 5/6 times a week normally one of them jumping), although he has recently had a couple weeks off due to an asthma flare.

Anyway, he is now a porker!!!!! Now he isn't obese but jesus christ he's got a little belly on him now.
So last night the nets were back in the bucket to steep for a few hours to get rid of the sugar, I am conscious about putting the muzzle back on due to the wear on his front teeth (greenguard muzzle).
Does anyone have any muzzle recommendations that will not destroy his teeth and also any tips that have worked for shifting this winter weight!!!!
His new year resolution starts early this year!!!

 

[hollyandivy123]

is he clipped or rugged?

i would clip an low chase and leave the rub off, if he is clipped and rugged then less or no rug for him to use his metabolism to increase body heat.

as for the riding are you doing a lot of cardio?

 

[Nasicus]

Are you looking at him as a whole, or just his belly?
Their tummies alone aren't a particularly good indicator of weight, as the size of it fluctuates depending on how much food/forage is physically there in the gut.

You'd find it useful to learn how to condition score their body as a whole, various places such as the crest, shoulder, back and rump are much better indicators of fat-ness.
Any good (ideally independent) nutritionist should be able to help you with this is you want some initial guidance, as well as usually offering a mobile weighbridge to get an exact weight.

 

[SpeedyPony]

What is he getting for his token hard feed? If he's getting any kind of concentrate I'd replace it with unmollassed chaff. As others have said, clipping and no rug/a lighter weight rug will help to keep his weight down.

 

[Horsegirl25]

is he clipped or rugged?

i would clip an low chase and leave the rub off, if he is clipped and rugged then less or no rug for him to use his metabolism to increase body heat.

as for the riding are you doing a lot of cardio?

He is fully clipped although fair bit grown out now but I do plan to re-clip again tonight!
I try to keep rug weight lower 100 or 200 for very cold temps.

I probably don't do enough cardio with him when we are in the school, I try to do 30 mins of constant work, i.e little walking breaks but i hate hate hate schooling and can never find enough things to do to fill the time!!

 

[poiuytrewq]

Have you tried a flexible fillies muzzle? They are so thin and soft | that they are far easier on the teeth. I have a very old pony who's teeth are damaged (pre- me) the dentist said its classic muzzle wear but said as far as muzzles go the FF ones are far less damaging. Only his opinion i guess but it makes sense to me.

 

[Prancerpoos]

Lots of chopped oat or barley straw and less hay. That worked for my haffie. If I understand correctly from your post , he is in for 24 hours sometimes, that probably doesn't help.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

I bought an obese Draft horse, I got her down to better weight by providing big trugs full of plain oat straw chaff, as well as a measured amount of hay. As our horses are at home we can provide forage 4 times per day, much more easily than DIY livery can., which I think helped, too.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

He is fully clipped although fair bit grown out now but I do plan to re-clip again tonight!
I try to keep rug weight lower 100 or 200 for very cold temps.

I probably don't do enough cardio with him when we are in the school, I try to do 30 mins of constant work, i.e little walking breaks but i hate hate hate schooling and can never find enough things to do to fill the time!!

Learn some dressage tests and do those as part of your schooling that's what I did in winter when I rode in the dark.

 

[Lamehorses]

Ridden 5/ 6 times a week, but only 30 minutes at a time is light work
Assuming you spend quite a while warming up if he is stabled 24/7 & also include a cool down, then you have no time for a decent amount of trot / canter.
Hopefully you can get some long hacking done, upping the work in a school isn't necessarily the best exercise for joints.
I struggle to keep the weight off mine & we hack about 5 times a week, usually about 2 hours with lots of hills & plenty of trot & canter.

 

[SEL]

I'd soak the overnight hay if you can. Mine all lose weight because they live out and keep moving, but I have struggled when they are stabled overnight and found I needed to soak hay.

Make sure it isn't just a hay belly you're looking at though. High fibre can cause that bloated pregnant look but proper fat you can feel (ribs? what ribs?)

 

[dottylottie]

what does he weigh? my 14.2 section d is 480kg, and she’s getting 3.6kg 2x a day at the minute, as 1.5% of her body weight. could you maybe reduce the hay, and give him some straw? mine are both bedded on straw, so i don’t feel guilty about them being on diets

i do 2 trips a day, so all her hay is soaked. harder work if you only visit once a day!

she’s also fully clipped and rugged as little as possible - she’s had a 50g on throughout this cold spell we’ve had. the first night it dropped i didn’t realise, and if i had a probably would’ve put a thicker one on, but when i got there in the morning they were both toasty still so the 50g stayed on. especially if he’s turned out, maybe a lighter rug?

 

[Sprogladite01]

The thinline flexible filly muzzle is good for my little fat welsh section A and doesn't look to be affecting his teeth - I wouldn't expect it to either because it is very soft. He is also trace clipped, no rug unless its below freezing and even then only a 100g rug (he is stabled at night). Every bit of hay that passes his lips is soaked overnight, otherwise he just has honeychop light if he's in (and only because he adamantly won't eat topchop zero). He does get a balancer (Baileys lo cal #14) but it's not mixed with anything.

Until it turned cold he was on a track system, now we are stripping the grass that was in the middle of the track. The weight is (finally) starting to drop off him now the weather has turned. Good luck!

 

[Cortez]

That's a lot of hay for a 14.2, my small horses (14.2 - 15.3) never got more than 8kg when in full work, and NO hard feed at all. They did have straw beds to pick on, and daily grazing.

The obvious solution is to reduce the feed.

 

[saddlesore]

I’d assume 24hr stabling is a major factor as he’s not able to move around and burn any calories that way. Especially if he was muzzled as typically that have to move more.

 

[Widgeon]

Are you looking at him as a whole, or just his belly?

Yes this is a good question, my cob has gone up to his bigger girth now that he's getting hay. He's not fat anywhere else - just a hay belly. I was despairing over his big belly / girth situation when a friend pointed out that it was literally just his belly.....

 

[scats]

Mine are prone to weight gain. They are both 15hh and get 3kg overnight in a greedy feeder and whatever is left over from their 2kg brekkie net. They graze from 8-4.30/5.

Could you reduce hay and replace with chopped straw?

 

[hollyandivy123]

He is fully clipped although fair bit grown out now but I do plan to re-clip again tonight!
I try to keep rug weight lower 100 or 200 for very cold temps.

I probably don't do enough cardio with him when we are in the school, I try to do 30 mins of constant work, i.e little walking breaks but i hate hate hate schooling and can never find enough things to do to fill the time!!

if he is putting on weight this quick he isn't cold and the excess food is going to the fat store, drop the rug to 50?

 

[HollyWoozle]

As others have said, 10kg is a lot of hay for a good doer 14.2hh. I’d be cutting that back, using nets to eke it out and soaking it too. Why is he in 24/7 sometimes?

 

[Horsegirl25]

Hi everyone thanks so much for all your helpful replies.
I have reduced the hay slightly and steeping it also, I do feel a bit rotten when he is in 24/7 as I don’t like the thought of him standing with nothing all day. His nets are already double netted greedy feeder nets.
The turnout situation can’t be helped unfortunately, due to yard rules and shitty Scottish weather but when he can eventually go back into the field his muzzle will be going on although I think I may purchase one of the thin line ones.

If anyone has any recommendations for good greedy feeder haynets 20mm holes ideally please do let me know.

Thank you again everyone

 

[motherof2beasts!]

Nibbleze are brilliant nets

 

[meleeka]

Martsnets are my favourite small holed nets.

 

[Horseysheepy]

Shires greedy feeders are good

 

[Horsegirl25]

Shires greedy feeders are good

I love the shires ones the black and blue ones but the old version they made! The ones I order now are very large and the holes seem bigger too.
I can’t seem to find them like they used to make them