Gassy and "hay belly"

[FlyingCircus]

Shamelessly posting in here for traffic!

My mare is very gassy (farts every time she does a canter depart..!) and also appears to be bloated. She has always been gassy, but the bloat seems to come more with the lush grass.

Her belly definitely looks like a "hay belly" and I know part of it will be resolved with exercise, as she is only doing 4 or 5 sessions a week of light work (hacking 1hr30 or schooling 40 mins).

Just wondering if there is anything management wise I can do to help her tho? I have my own field and able to tape off where I want, so that's an option. Also have access to a stable, though she lives out 24 7 at the moment, with only 2 slices of hay in the eve.

Have just started her on Dengie Hi Fi Mollasses Free, which will carry Progressive Earth Forage Balance + and micronised linseed once they arrive.

Open to suggestions

 

[Sossigpoker]

My 6 yo cob gelding also has a hay belly but isn't really fat elsewhere. He's out over night ,.there's enough grass to eat but wouldn't say loads.
He works about 5 days a week , some of those of moderate intensity.
I did some Googling and it turns out that this can be a symptom of poor forage and not enough protein. Although in my case his forage isn't poor. He has hay whilst in during the day but like today , he hardly touched it as must be full from the field.

 

[The Jokers Girl]

Have you tried a pre and pro biotic to help balance the gut flora. There are plenty of feeds out there with them in or you can feed as a supplement.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

It sounds like the grazing is too good I would be restricting it if it's making his gut bad, or he could colic or even worse end up with laminitis.

 

[Austen123]

i treated my mare for ulcers when she first arrived and maintained her on protexin acid ease. i tried to slowly wean her off of it and this september, when she changed to winter routine, she was completely off of it. i then noticed i could hear she had a gassy belly, i put her straight back onto the acid ease and within a couple of days the gassy-ness had gone.

 

[vhf]

I have one similar. Except, never mind canter, it was walk, trot, turn... Been like it since a yearling regardless of management (which revolves around reducing calorie intake and increasing workload as she's a fatty anyway). She's not had rich grazing in the last 6 years.The only thing that's made a difference is feeding her a course of activated charcoal, followed by a course of yea-sacc/brewers yeast on top of her existing yea-sacc containing supplement. However, I noticed evidence of a return striding up a steep hill yesterday
I think I may have to do a rinse and repeat approach until I get her in proper hard work, if that ever happens (unlikely).