Forever fat cob

motherof2beasts! said:
Well we did intervals today , only managed 4 rounds of it but that’s still a lot more canter than he’s used too and he let me know with some bunny hops!
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Brilliant well done!

And 4 rounds of 5,3,1 is still nearly 40 mins of focused effort certainly not to be sniffed at.

Now it's just a case of gradual build up. You'll feel when it's time to increase as he finds it easier 😊
A good rule of thumb is to increase the minutes of fast work, or the reps but not both at once.
 
motherof2beasts! said:
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Well he’s still fat 😂 even on 6kg of soaked hay a night. We did up activity levels but what with frozen schools and icy roads it’s not been consistent.
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Honestly, the only way is to replace most of the hay with plain oat straw chaff, either Honeychop or Halley's, NOT TCZ. I got my Draft mare back to an acceptable weight (never really knew how much she lost, she was off the weight tape) without loads of exercise. I was working, so not able to ride every day and it wasn't necessary. I loathe haynets, so don't use them, we have haybars and I didn't soak the hay, in fact most of the time we fed haylage as the Appaloosa in the next stable had asthma.
 
I'd seriously recommend getting him weighed on a weighbridge, I do it about three times a year with mine and it really helps me to have an actual factual number, not just guessing off the weightape.
A few of the big feed brands will often do yard visits if there's enough horses there, or if you're on a small yard you can do what I do and pay for an independent nutritionist with a weighbridge to come and weigh.
 
motherof2beasts! said:
Well he’s still fat 😂 even on 6kg of soaked hay a night. We did up activity levels but what with frozen schools and icy roads it’s not been consistent.
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He does look better than in your first set of photos though? Or is that just because he's clipped?!

Just a thought, but when my horse could and would not lose weight, we did a blood test for insulin levels. His were WAY high. He had no signs of laminitis or any of the common signs of EMS, but his insulin was ridiculous. We put him on ertugliflozin for three months and that seemed to re-set his body so now his metabolism behaves like a normal horse. Still a very good doer (he is a cob after all), and he still has higher baseline insulin than the textbooks recommend, but he does now respond to diet and exercise. It was genuinely life changing for both of us. Just a thought though. It's only a blood test so it's not expensive - maybe worth ruling out.
 
Widgeon said:
He does look better than in your first set of photos though? Or is that just because he's clipped?!

Just a thought, but when my horse could and would not lose weight, we did a blood test for insulin levels. His were WAY high. He had no signs of laminitis or any of the common signs of EMS, but his insulin was ridiculous. We put him on ertugliflozin for three months and that seemed to re-set his body so now his metabolism behaves like a normal horse. Still a very good doer (he is a cob after all), and he still has higher baseline insulin than the textbooks recommend, but he does now respond to diet and exercise. It was genuinely life changing for both of us. Just a thought though. It's only a blood test so it's not expensive - maybe worth ruling out.
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I did have his bloods run last year as I was convinced he had EMS, he was at the low level of insulin , no where near EMS. He has definetly lost some but by no means slim , don’t feel like it’s quite been cold enough yet, we get a cold snap then it goes up 10 degrees overnight.
 
I know time is always a factor, but could you get him exercised both ends of the day? Maybe a spin on the lunge in the morning to get his metabolism working and then a ride or hack later on in the day?
I feel your pain because I have a good doer who is like 2 horses stuck together. The front end looses weight easily but the belly and back end is impossible to shift.
How long are you soaking hay for? Could you try 24 hours if you currently soak for 12? Anything is worth a try.
 
motherof2beasts! said:
I did have his bloods run last year as I was convinced he had EMS, he was at the low level of insulin , no where near EMS. He has definetly lost some but by no means slim , don’t feel like it’s quite been cold enough yet, we get a cold snap then it goes up 10 degrees overnight.
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How very frustrating. You have all my sympathies!
 
scats said:
I know time is always a factor, but could you get him exercised both ends of the day? Maybe a spin on the lunge in the morning to get his metabolism working and then a ride or hack later on in the day?
I feel your pain because I have a good doer who is like 2 horses stuck together. The front end looses weight easily but the belly and back end is impossible to shift.
How long are you soaking hay for? Could you try 24 hours if you currently soak for 12? Anything is worth a try.
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Yes my physio always comments on his confirmation and how he’ll always look deep as his front legs are that of a 13.2 and his pelvis and back end thst of a 16.2 🙈 he is very bum high and not young. I find I get very mixed reviews on his weight.
 
scats said:
I know time is always a factor, but could you get him exercised both ends of the day? Maybe a spin on the lunge in the morning to get his metabolism working and then a ride or hack later on in the day?
I feel your pain because I have a good doer who is like 2 horses stuck together. The front end looses weight easily but the belly and back end is impossible to shift.
How long are you soaking hay for? Could you try 24 hours if you currently soak for 12? Anything is worth a try.
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If I had time I would but working full time sadly ruins my pony plans slightly. Currently in darkness after work so tend to school in week and then hack weekends, we are in a very hilly area too.
 
motherof2beasts! said:
Yes my physio always comments on his confirmation and how he’ll always look deep as his front legs are that of a 13.2 and his pelvis and back end thst of a 16.2 🙈 he is very bum high and not young. I find I get very mixed reviews on his weight.
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My mare’s bum is 3 inches higher than her wither. It’s like riding a ski slope 😅 Her front and back ends belong on different horses.
 
scats said:
My mare’s bum is 3 inches higher than her wither. It’s like riding a ski slope 😅 Her front and back ends belong on different horses.
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He is exactly the same , but rides like a horse and has a humongous shire size head 🙈 poor boy. Despite his porky confirmation he is bloody fast
 
He may still be big but he looks significantly better than the last photos and it's not even 3 months, I'd say that's really good progress!

Do you have weightape numbers to compare?
It feels like it's taking forever sometimes, but slow and steady realistic weight loss is far better than causing all manner of other problems trying to wave a magic wand with crash diets.

It's going to be slower over winter when exercise is hampered by dark nights, but every kilo is still progress 😊
I can't remember if I mentioned it previously but in hindsight it took more than a year to get my Connie from outrageously obese to properly fit, that's why progress photos and weigh tape records help. It's easy to forget how far they've come amd get despondent, until you look back and see the real improvements.
 
P.forpony said:
He may still be big but he looks significantly better than the last photos and it's not even 3 months, I'd say that's really good progress!

Do you have weightape numbers to compare?
It feels like it's taking forever sometimes, but slow and steady realistic weight loss is far better than causing all manner of other problems trying to wave a magic wand with crash diets.

It's going to be slower over winter when exercise is hampered by dark nights, but every kilo is still progress 😊
I can't remember if I mentioned it previously but in hindsight it took more than a year to get my Connie from outrageously obese to properly fit, that's why progress photos and weigh tape records help. It's easy to forget how far they've come amd get despondent, until you look back and see the real improvements.
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Thank you music to my ears , he has gone from 52 girth to 46 in the past year so slowly moving in the right direction. I’ve misplaced my weight tape but will get one.
 
motherof2beasts! said:
Local feed stores only have TCZ or the honey chop light and healthy , sadly none of the others even to order in. Is one of these better than the other?!
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Light & healthy is NOT want you want. You need Honeychop plain oat straw chaff or the same from Halley's, who will definitely allow you to order a single bag online or did in the past. The problem with TCZ is that it is very palatable and some horses will gorge on it, there must be something added to it that they really like, whereas you need them to only eat if they are genuinely hungry.
 
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motherof2beasts! said:
Thank you music to my ears , he has gone from 52 girth to 46 in the past year so slowly moving in the right direction. I’ve misplaced my weight tape but will get one.
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Use a bit of baler twine for now, just mark it off with a marker and keep it somewhere safe, then when you have a weigh tape you can measure the old weight off the string.
A tad agricultural but it will do the trick!
 
To be honest, I think the baler twine is sufficient anyway! The weigh tape is generally unreliable (I mean - how does it know if the pony is a cob with legs like tree trunks or a dainty thing with spindly legs?) and the binder twine with a marker is a good indication of whether the girth is getting bigger, or smaller or static.
 
What are peoples experiences of grazing muzzles ? I keep looking at the thin line flexible filly one but have a few reservations. My first being he is asthmatic and not sure if it could case some issues with that ? The second being he would get super angry /frustrated and would cause havoc …..
 
motherof2beasts! said:
What are peoples experiences of grazing muzzles ? I keep looking at the thin line flexible filly one but have a few reservations. My first being he is asthmatic and not sure if it could case some issues with that ? The second being he would get super angry /frustrated and would cause havoc …..
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They can cause tooth problems
 
motherof2beasts! said:
What are peoples experiences of grazing muzzles ? I keep looking at the thin line flexible filly one but have a few reservations. My first being he is asthmatic and not sure if it could case some issues with that ? The second being he would get super angry /frustrated and would cause havoc …..
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I tried other ones and they gave my cob sores so I bit the bullet and got a flexible filly one. They're ridiculously expensive and I ended up getting the headcollar too to make sure it fitted, but my cob doesn't mind wearing it and it seems to help with keeping the weight off.
Sooooooo expensive though!!!
 
Progress stalled slightly , he began to turn his neck to the left when trotting and appeared less keen than usual. My physio has been out and he was very sore in left shoulder. We are walking for 2 weeks hacking only , which I doubt will burn flab but hey ho.

I think some spring grass must be on the way as not gate hugging anymore so going to track his paddock at weekend.
 
Mine was due to EMS, he had such a strict diet due to the vet saying it was potentially reversable if I stuck to the diet he said.

I was religious with it. No grass at all for 6 months, muzzled after that, starting at 20 minutes and for the first year no more than 4 hours on very bare pasture with the muzzle.

I did give dampened straw until he got colic.

I said right at the beginning, he was only allowed 8kg, weighed dry, for the entire 24 hour period. This was soaked individually for at least 4 hours then rinsed off, with one small speedibeet/Hi Fi molasses free chop feed with a supplement at night. 4 nets a day, first one at 6am last at 10pm. If he had grass time, the hay had to be reduced.

I hated it but it was for his health and under vets supervision.

I've had him for 4 years now and, although it took a year, he got to a very skinny horse and yes, the EMS was reversed. He now can handle sugars and was allowed to increase his hay portion, in fact we changed to the high fibre haylage, where he can now manage a bale every 2 days without putting weight on.

He did 2 years with an inhaler, but then we changed muzzles and his asthma stopped. No treatment now.

Last year, he managed up to 16 hours at grass, muzzled.

Rigs is now 20 yrs, in work, fitter than he was at 16.

This year, he is trying turnout without a muzzle. Yes, he is putting some weight on. We shall see how it goes and I have cut the haylage back appropriately.

I felt better about the small nets and running out at night once I found that they produce less acid at night.

It was triple important, not just because of his long term health and because of the EMS (which went from in the hundreds to single digits!) but also because, when I bought him, he was just finishing 3 months of box rest for lami with rotation.

I was glad it was under vet supervision as I had some people be rude when he got skinny.

Initially, I didn't know if I could do it. But then, he could only eat what I provided, so I stuck to it.

For context, Rigs is a 15.1 cob X.

I would keep going with yours. Mine was up to 12kg dry hay before we switched to high fibre haylage and, on that, he was holding weight, not losing. It didn't seem much, but obviously was all he needed.
 
motherof2beasts! said:
Progress stalled slightly , he began to turn his neck to the left when trotting and appeared less keen than usual. My physio has been out and he was very sore in left shoulder. We are walking for 2 weeks hacking only , which I doubt will burn flab but hey ho.

I think some spring grass must be on the way as not gate hugging anymore so going to track his paddock at weekend.
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Progress is never a straight line, especially with fitness and weight loss 😊
Well done for getting him checked out and sorted, walk hacks are still better than nothing!
 
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