Feeding Fat Horse on box/small paddock rest

[josephinebutter2]

Does anyone have any advice on how to make my boy loose some weight?

Currently on rest due to injury - in v. small paddock during day which has no grass (3x stable size) and stabled at night.

Currently fed:
2 sections hay at night (soaked 12 hrs)
3 sections hay day (unsoaked) - cannot reduce this as needs it to keep him quiet!
handfull hi-fi light twice/day
cup baileys low-cal twice/day
calmer

I suggested to vet replacing 1/2 his hay with oat straw, but he said he would be likely to get colic as he is not moving around.

HELP! Is there anything else I can do? He is getting fatter and fatter!

 

[AmyMay]

[ QUOTE ]
suggested to vet replacing 1/2 his hay with oat straw, but he said he would be likely to get colic as he is not moving around.

[/ QUOTE ]
Really - that's what I was going to suggest to you.

How about substituting some of the hay ration with something like a tup of Hi Fi Lite or Good doer.

Is he at home or on livery????

 

[TGM]

If you can't reduce the daytime hay, can you not at least soak it to reduce the nutrient levels?

 

[fairhill]

Have you got the miser haynets for him (or put one haynet in another) to slow down his eating through the day, so he can have a page less hay?
I would also consider cutting out the low-cal balancer and using a general vit-min supplement instead.

 

[threeponies]

You could replace his hay wieght for weight with Hi Fi Lite or Good Doer, it takes the same length of time to eat but has less calories. High Fibre cubes are good too, you could put them in a feed ball to make it a bit more interesting.

 

[brightmount]

Or if you continue with the balancer, maybe put it in a snack-a-ball to slow him down a bit. Poor lad, he's not exactly on a calorie laden diet is he? You might have to live with him getting a bit portly on box rest. Mine came off 6 months box rest looking like she was expecting triplets, but they do shape up again once they get active.

(Beware of the spring grass if he's in until it comes through as he may gorge himself silly).

 

[sojeph]

soak the daytime hay too.. and no feed whatsoever. Give him toys to keep him occupied instead like a tyre hung up with a few carrots in.

 

[josephinebutter2]

Thanks for the advice guys - think I just wanted to moan really!

I will try soaking his daytime hay too and see if that helps. Cant use haynets in small paddock as it is electric fencing - which is why I have to give him so much to keep him busy - not that 3 small bales of hay a week is that much to feed a 16.1hh horse with no access to grass!

Don't really want to take him off the balancer as he needs some protein to repair his ligaments - but may have to think about it if this doesn't help.

 

[filly190]

I would tend not to worry about the horse loosing weight until you can ride it off. Standing about in this weather he wont be creating an awful lot of natural body heat and the fat is helping.

 

[AmyMay]

[ QUOTE ]
I would tend not to worry about the horse loosing weight until you can ride it off

[/ QUOTE ]
I don't agree - I let Amy get far too fat when she was on 3months box rest, and it took so much longer to get her fit and fully recovered when allowed out. So often horses are on box rest because of limb problems - and allowing the weight to pile on can just cause further problems.

Your siggy picture by the way is gross

 

[filly190]

Glad to hear you dont like my siggy picture!

 

[amandaco2]

i would feed half hay(soaked) and half straw.i fed my mare clean barley straw(she was also on box/paddock rest)
i introduced it really slowly and she was fine.
it did help her loose weight, but quite slowly as her matabolism was down due to inactivity so it was really hard to get anywhere without exercising her!
she was given a tiny weeney handful of hifilite and she had a powder suppliment as the pelleted ones put weight on!