Feed experts- feeding to improve condition without weight gain?

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Laura2408

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Hi everyone.

I might be looking for the impossible here!

I have one overweight show pony. He is currently on restricted grazing and a work programme to shed the pounds.
I currently don't feed him anything however am considering a feed to improve his overall condition without weight gain or fizzing him up if this is possible.
I would like something for coat shine and also something else to improve feet as he has sand cracks and they grow slowly.

I thought about baileys lo cal and happy hoof but is there anything else (reasonably priced!) that I can feed?
Could I use both together?
Or can I add something to either one?

Has anyone any thoughts on feeding seaweed?

Thanks!
 
Seaweed has fallen out of favour with the barefooters and there are now better products on the market. Pro Hoof, Pro Balance or the Forage Plus supplements (all balanced for UK grazing) fed in a small amount of a molasses free chaff would be a good way forward here.
 
any of the mineral balancers Faracat suggested will improve condition. I'd add a small amount of linseed as well. Not enough for weight gain, but enough to add shine and help with hoof growth
 
I just wanted to add that anything that you feed to improve horn quality can only affect the NEW GROWTH, so don't give up too soon. It takes a good few months to grow out a new hoof capsule. Paint on treatments are IMO a waste of time, you need to feed for good horn quality.
 
Agree with faracat, get a good balancer and the ones state about in faracat post are very good and linseed is fab for coat shine and only need to feed a bit. Please do watch the ingredients if you buy a standard balancer from the shops as I think its criminal charging the high prices for cheap by products and little goodness. Personally I use equimins advance complete which is linseed based and better spec than a lot of balancers and without the cheap fillers!!
A lot of ponies aren't fed this time of year but they still need their vits/mins so a decent balancer is an ideal way to give what they need with a little linseed for the coat which is high in omega oils.
Remember as faracat said you won't improve the hoof that's there but your working on what your going to grow so stick with it and in a few months u will watch the good hoof growing down.
 
NO EXTRA FEED if he is overweight then he needs MORE work. Keep his feet trimmed regularly to prevent cracks getting wider. I'm assuming the cracks are from the bottom up these are grass cracks, sand cracks start at the top and work downwards. Generally they are only superficial and result from direct injury to the coronary band.
Below is a link to good information.

http://www.summitforge.co.uk/hoofwallcracks1.html

For shine a half cup of Linseed, freshly ground will put a shine on his coat as will quality grooming.
 
Tnavas said:
NO EXTRA FEED if he is overweight then he needs MORE work. Keep his feet trimmed regularly to prevent cracks getting wider
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Of course don't go shoveling a load of hard feed down a fat ponies neck, but if pony is not getting anything to eat his body may well have gone into starvation mode which in the long run will make getting any weight off him 10 times harder.

Unicorn Bruce has fared a lot better and stayed a consistently low weight, with his feet and coat looking better since having just a handful of higher calorie feed + balancer compared to his previous handful of compressed dust pegasus nuts (and we were really struggling to get his weight down at that point).

He of course looks (and his feet do too) a million times better still for getting out and doing some work.

Pony in questions feet sound like they need more work, a good trim can only do so much if the actual horn quality/structure is rubbish.
 
nikkimariet said:
Of course don't go shoveling a load of hard feed down a fat ponies neck, but if pony is not getting anything to eat his body may well have gone into starvation mode which in the long run will make getting any weight off him 10 times harder.

Unicorn Bruce has fared a lot better and stayed a consistently low weight, with his feet and coat looking better since having just a handful of higher calorie feed + balancer compared to his previous handful of compressed dust pegasus nuts (and we were really struggling to get his weight down at that point).

He of course looks (and his feet do too) a million times better still for getting out and doing some work.

Pony in questions feet sound like they need more work, a good trim can only do so much if the actual horn quality/structure is rubbish.
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Equines don't go into starvation mode like humans do. If he is already overweight he needs more work or less to eat in the first place. As a child/teenager all my ponies worked off grass they looked a million dollars and that was because they were fit. They had free access to suitable grass, very short for the fat ones, longer for those that needed more we weight. The only supplement they were given was salt as they just were not available.
I can remember the judge (a vet) at a show remarking on how fit my pony was.

There are far too many overweight horses and ponies around.
 
Tnavas said:
There are far too many overweight horses and ponies around.
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Agree with you on that point.

Just talking from personal experience.

It was of no benefit to keep our fatty good doer in next to no work, to feed him literally nothing. It worked against us as he seemed to hold onto any calorie that did go down his neck. Bruce faired much better being kept on a v small amount of feed that kept his coat and feet in better condition.
 
Agree with less calories but restricted diets tend to lack essentials for keeping a horse healthy - mins, vits protein. In my limited musings and with my own horses Ive never restricted grass / hay access and none of my good doers have been overweight or needed 'managed' I often wonder if those used to restricted diets try and eat more when they get a chance because they are deficient or because they are so used to going without they make the most of it while they can - those used to having fibre available start self regulating.

This is my current mare (who was overweight with rain scald when when I first got her) its the middle of winter here and she is on adlib hay, a couple of scoops of Alfalfa, a handful of oats and a good supplement and salt. No shining sprays and hasn't been shampooed in the year and a bit I have owned her just hose downs. Health comes from the inside. Hasn't had rain scald since. Covered only when its very cold (she did have cover the night before and had been ridden before the pic).

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Tnavas said:
Equines don't go into starvation mode like humans do.
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Errr - Hyperlipaemia? Particularly dangerous to restrict grazing and work hard for weight loss. If coat and feet are poor quality, that would suggest that a good quality balancer is in order to redress any nutritional imbalance.

Good article here OP - http://www.kohnkesown.com/C12hyperlipaemia.pdf
 
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Is there something being lost in translation/meaning here?

Is the OP just cutting out extra feed and reducing rations whilst upping workload?

Failure to lose weight on sensible work/diet might indicate EMS has already set in, and a whole new set of rules apply that knocks showing to to bottom of the list of urgent things to do!

I agree NO additional feed, especially if this is a native pony, but age and the possibility of some endocrine issues need to be investigated/ruled out. Just feed a vitamin if you must, in a handful of low cal chop. But get tests done, particularly if the pony is in its teens.

You can't suddenly stop feeding, as Auslander rightly points out, but I'd be checking the showing history hasn't already altered the metabolism before making any radical changes apart from upping fibre and lowering calories.
 
Auslander said:
Errr - Hyperlipaemia? Particularly dangerous to restrict grazing and work hard for weight loss. If coat and feet are poor quality, that would suggest that a good quality balancer is in order to redress any nutritional imbalance.

Good article here OP - http://www.kohnkesown.com/C12hyperlipaemia.pdf
Click to expand...

Indeed. Not to mention acid splash/risk of ulcers due to empty stomach. All equids are trickle feeders and need SOMEthing moving through their stomach/gut/digestive tract and bowel to keep those organs healthy. There are plenty of forage- and oil-based feeds that can carry necessary supplements . . . and feeds like linseed are excellent for condition/hooves/joints and overall well being and, if given in judicious amounts, won't make horses and ponies fat as butter.

Honestly, threads like this baffle me . . . not the OP's original question - she is simply looking for guidance . . . but the inevitable outbreak of (best case) daft and (worst case) dangerous recommendations. Feeding horses doesn't have to be so complicated (if you look past the bewildering array of stuff peddled by the feed merchants) . . . forage, forage and more forage . . . fibre, fibre and more fibre . . . oil and appropriate minerals/supplements to support joints and hooves . . . and as little sugar and starch as possible.

I will admit to buying the fancy mixes and supplements when I first bought Kal (because he's a competition horse dontcha know - so must need competition MIX!) . . . but I learned (the hard way) that simple is best - along with appropriate work levels - gradually and sympathetically implemented so as not to overload/stress joints/metabolism, etc. Oh, and as for work - think of it as "cross training" . . . in other words, make the work as varied as possible so that you are developing the horse in a well-rounded way - flatwork, hacking, jumping, long-reining, loose schooling, lunging . . . keeps both the brain and body fresh and "springy."

P
 
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