Fatty needs to go on a diet

Spellbound13

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hi everyone
I have an extreamly overweight 4 year old gypsy cob mare.
she doesnt eat feed and hardly eats hay, but this summer she has just pilled on the weight, she is on restricted grazing and is currently being broken in so is lunged for about 30-40 mins about 4 or 5 days a week.

Just wondering if anyone has any tips or advice?

thank you xx
 

AngieandBen

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Well only what your doing now; best way if they are out 24/7 is to make a track system around the perimeter of a paddock and strip graze into it. The idea is they do a lot more walking, expecially if the water is at one end.

As you have a youngster I would still make sure they get a multi vit and mineral supplement though.

Most native types can live on very little this time of year, you shouldn't need to fed hay either if they are out.

If you cant restrict grazing this way try a muzzle, the Shires ones are good )
 

Miss L Toe

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Long rein and/or walk in hand for an hour per day preferably twice a day,and try to get her weight down that way.
If stabled for a few weeks and fed on soaked hay in doubled small mesh hay-nets, plus minerals and a premium chaff ...no sugar no cereal, plus walking, she will almost certainly lose weight.
If you are going to back her say in about 4 weeks, give her plenty to think about now, grid work, new things, tarpaulins, sight-seeing, tractors, cars, wearing tack.
give her a lot of work condensed in to a relatively short period, when she is back in her stable she will have time to think about her lesson.
I don't lunge youngsters as the joints are still developing, also I want them to learn to do transitions up and down rather than whizz off at the end of a rope, as many people do, in order to get rid of excess energy, this teaches them nothing useful.
It has been proved (possibly scientifically) that they learn to eat faster when on restricted grazing, so unless they are having to work very hard for every bite, it will not have the desired effect, as you have found.
 
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alliebaxter

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an hours walking a day will do her the world of good, slow but steady weight loss lasts longer.
good luck & keep weigh taping her then you will feel you are getting somewhere!
 

Spellbound13

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Thanks everyone
ive given up with the restricted grazing in the hope like you say she will walk round more.

i forgot to mention she is also long reighned with and without saddle on, which she loves.

As you may know from my other post, My Older Horse is being Put to sleep on tuesday meaning She will be left on her own for a bit, im sure shell do plenty of running around then when shes alone.

Also forgot to mention she isnt rugged at all, so genrally is quite slim in winter anyway.
When stabled she is fed soaked hay double netted (a small hole haynet inside another one) and a small handful of dengi hi fi light and lo cal to make sure she gets all vits and minerals.

Im hoping to take her out hacking in hand everyday, i hope this will help aswell.

Thanks for all your suggestions. I have tried a muzzel on her and i came down to the field to find her hanging herself on the arena fence! so i dont really want to use that.

Think i just need to up the difficulty of the workload, we already play with trotting poles and cones, will try with jumps and tarpolins.
I deffo need to weight tape her then i can see any changes.

thanks again
 

meesha

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good luck with the weight loss ! I have a fatty so know how hard it is to get it off them even if they are ridden !

Will be thinking of you Tuesday x
 

AngieandBen

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"It has been proved (possibly scientifically) that they learn to eat faster when on restricted grazing, so unless they are having to work very hard for every bite, it will not have the desired effect, as you have found"

They can't eat whats not there! Mt track is completely bare, the electric fencing is moved early am, about four posts are moved into longer grass by around a foot, thats all!

Put them in a paddock with plenty of grass and all they need to do is stand still and eat around them!

Having gone to several laminitic talks, they recon if you can fill a plastic bag full of grass in an hour you have way way too much grass. I couldn't fill one in several hours :) they still poo a lot though!
 

amandap

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If you can't get her off grass (into a yard or similar, not stable) then I'd also set up a narrow 12ft track round the field as well as increasing her exercise as you're doing.
I have a fatty who has been dieting in a large yard with mates for two months up to now and she is loosing weight steadily. She is fed soaked hay, it is a lot of work but worth it. She is moving so much easier now without all that weight to carry.

Good luck.
 
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