Feeding overweight horse for muscle development

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xgemmax

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Bit of background info
- horse been off work for 5 months until January this year due to stifle lameness - now diagnosed as mild arthritis, now medicated and moving well but has a weak hind end due to not using it properly for quite a long time.
- from the pain and steroids he had for this he got very sensitive round his tummy and was treated for ulcers which made no difference, but having him on adlib hay has made the world of difference and he is now not very 'touchy' at all
- Due to being off work and him being a bit of a foodie he is rather on the large side now because of all the hay so from yesterday I have started to soak his hay for an hour (and also due to him having a cough - been checked out by vet but nothing found)

He is currently fed twice a day with a scoop honeychop lite & healthy, equivita minerals, yeasacc, salt, boswellia for his joints and a small scoop micronized linseed in each feed

I am working him everyday doing either schooling with polework, hacking on road or through the woods with hills or long reining over poles. My question is, should he be getting something with more protein to help his muscle development on his hind end? Thing is I don't want anything conditioning due to trying to get him to lose weight or anything that will upset his gut!

Thanks :)
 
For me I would cut all hard feed completely and stick with just soaked hay for weight loss. My good do'er is working adv med/adv competing medium at BD, jumps, does fun rides, working 4/5 days a week is just on hay and is finally starting to look a better weight. She gets a carrot ball at night so she doesn't think she's missing out but that's it.

Really they don't need anything unless they're too thin/ have other issues...
 
Thanks, the only reason he gets the bit of chaff is for his supplements so can't really cut it out completely though I may cut it down slightly :)
 
agree, keep it simple :) He's in light work tbh so his current diet sounds more than adequate..
As above I'd look at ways to extend his eating time from a smaller amount of hay esp if he's turned out part of the time - I'm noticing the grass is coming through well now. Look into something like a tricklenet to stretch out the hay, it makes a big difference to mine.

I have 2 good doers, one in reasonable daily work (45mins-1hr schooling med/adv med) or a steady hack, and the other doing 3 days in the school and the rest hacking. They get a similar level of hard feed to yours and I'm cutting their hay back now they are getting some grazing.

His muscle development will increase gradually with correct work now, you can't rush it :)
 
Serious question, does he really need the supplements? What does the honeychop have in it? If he really needs (as in a discernible difference when fed them), maybe cut everything out but the chop? Micronised linseed is calorific even in small doses...
 
Thankyou both, the honeychop lite & healthy is just chopped oat straw and timothy chop and herbs, no molasses or anything sugary/starchy. He is barefoot so he has the minerals and linseed for his feet and the boswellia I have found really helps his arthritis and yeasacc for his gut as he can get runny poos when grass comes through. The micronized linseed is a really small amount although I could maybe cut this down more, he gets a supplement size scoop in each feed.

He will be out 24/7 soon so getting less hay, I can't cut this down when he's stabled at night as he gets very grumpy and miserable! I did try mixing his hay with oat straw but he won't eat that!

Glad you both think that he doesn't need anything extra for his muscle building, I will stop worrying :)
 
only one thing for it then, you'll have to up the miles he is covering :D

My Sec D was a whale when I got her, it wasn't too long before she was a normal size and that was just quite gentle work out hacking, up hills (lots of hills! got her puffing daily but not too hard on her legs) and bits in the school - i had her muzzled in the field and fed hay with a low nutritional value.
 
milliepops said:
only one thing for it then, you'll have to up the miles he is covering :D
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Agreed! If possible, I would buy hay for next winter now - it will be far less rich as it will be 18 months old by the time you feed it. It works a treat with our Sec D - he gets to eat more hay so he isn't hungry, but it doesn't make him the size of a house. As long as the hay is of reasonable quality and well stored, it should be perfectly safe to feed.
 
The best advice I got from a vet specialising in metabolic disorders was that it is only when they are hitting around the 30 minute mark at trot that they really start to use energy reserves at a level to make a difference to waistlines. She had scrawled all over my mare's existing diet and exercise regime & written large was "WALK IS NOT EXERCISE!" So that told me!!

I am currently soaking the hippo's hay for hours and hours. Its cool enough at the moment that it doesn't get that horrible fermenting smell so her 5kg of soggy hay is purely to fill her tummy and to knock her ulcer-inducing food anxiety on the head. I too give a small hard feed with a lashing of very wet copra to hide the smell of boswellia.
 
SEL said:
The best advice I got from a vet specialising in metabolic disorders was that it is only when they are hitting around the 30 minute mark at trot that they really start to use energy reserves at a level to make a difference to waistlines. She had scrawled all over my mare's existing diet and exercise regime & written large was "WALK IS NOT EXERCISE!" So that told me!!
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I think it's pretty common in the leisure horse sector to over-estimate the degree of work our horses are in. I would say Kira is in harder work than most natives in my area :p and it means I can *almost* feed her ad lib super hay all the time BUT she's still in light work really, schooling 4 x and hacking 2x with a show or lesson each week.
 
SEL said:
The best advice I got from a vet specialising in metabolic disorders was that it is only when they are hitting around the 30 minute mark at trot that they really start to use energy reserves at a level to make a difference to waistlines. She had scrawled all over my mare's existing diet and exercise regime & written large was "WALK IS NOT EXERCISE!" So that told me!!
Click to expand...

I love your vet!
 
Ok looks like he'll be getting a shock then with more exercise! :D We're lucky that we have quite a few hills round where we are so hopefully they will help and it's finally getting light enough to hack out after work so should be able to do a bit more!

Thanks guys!
 
Jealous of your hills, it's been a hard slog with our fatty as our hacking is poo :(.

Interesting about the linseed for feet, my oldie is now bare and is fed linseed, but that was for condition not feet, as it was a barefoot friendly conditioning feed, are there more benefits? :)
 
AlexHyde said:
Jealous of your hills, it's been a hard slog with our fatty as our hacking is poo :(.

Interesting about the linseed for feet, my oldie is now bare and is fed linseed, but that was for condition not feet, as it was a barefoot friendly conditioning feed, are there more benefits? :)
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Yes it's very good for the condition of their feet :) Also quality of their coat and I noticed his tail tangles much less since he's been having it!
 
Ah I see :), yes I knew as it's a high fat feed it's good for their skin and coat so it would make sense their hoof wall would benefit too :).
 
I would be soaking the hay for longer.

I really toughened up on one of mine and the weight has really come off her. I soak the hay for 24 hours and also give her straw to munch on.

Yours will be getting plenty enough protein, unfortunately building muscle takes a lot longer than it does for them to loose it!
 
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