Getting weight off my fatty welshie

dollymix

dollymix

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Ok so I am not happy with my welsh mare's figure going Into spring.




She has a low grade haylage which is soaked for twelve hours, a handful of happy hoof (so she gets her joint supplement) yet still looks like a barrel!

She is worked 6 days a week, either hacked (40 mins walk and trot), schooled for minimum of 20 mins in all paces, or lunged with the ho (she finds stretching very difficult and this helps). I always make sure she is puffing and hot when ridden. Don't push the lunging as she wears her ho.

I know the basic principle is eat less, move more but any other tips would be great!

Also, on our yard we have our own 1 acre paddocks. Now they are back out after winter (our paddocks were closed for months as it was so wet- not ideal but same on every yard nearby as land was so wet), am I better off allowing her full access to keep the grass down, or strip graze and swap her every couple of weeks?
 
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I had a fat cob and what got the weight off him was a lot of hacking and hill work. I would up the hacking. Unless she is coming into work after injury or very unfit, 40 minutes of walk and trot is not going to do much. I would be hacking for 1.5 - 2 hours three times a week as well as the schooling and make her really work with plenty of trot and canter work. That is what keeps my horse fit and lean.
 
I can probably up the hacking to 1.5-2 hours at weekends but not through week as I work full time and usually more. I could maybe try and incorporate some faster work out hacking now the land is drying.
 
If you are allowed, make a track around the outside of your one acre paddock; One acre is a lot for a native this time of year; Make it so you can move one side of the fencing by a little every evening; So instead of just cutting across to water, she has to walk all the way around. You can get electric fencing at a reasonable price on ebay ( I buy mine from agri - supplies ) If you can't do this, then you need to section it off.
 
You could also do some interval training to make sure you are getting her heart rate up and burning the fat. If you have access to a decent field you can do this around the outside.
 
If you can track as suggested as above. I also think she needs more work - 40 min of walk/trot hacking or 20 min schooling isn't much IMO - more canter work required ;) and hills seem to have been the making of my lad! (we were on the somerset levels)
 
The solution to weight loss is more aerobic exercise.

I would say her current programme would be considered light work. To get her weight down you need to get her up to hard work.

Walking will do very little. You need to canter canter canter!! When you go for an hour's hack make sure you trot and canter for over half of the hack with very little rest breaks. As somebody else said, interval training is good for fitness and weight control. This means doing repetitions of longer canters at a three-quarter pace with very little recovery time.



Schooling sessions need to be at least 45 minutes in trot and canter with only two one minute walk breaks.

When I lunge I do it for 40 minutes trot and canter, so 20 minutes is nothing.
 
Ok
So as an update...

Switched to shavings at the weekend so at least she isn't stuffing her face with straw! Also brought my electric fence further forward so she has even less grazing (it was split already but its prob about 1/4 acre now)

Re her work...have lengthened her hack to inc some hill work. Also some more trotting (although don't like lots of trotting on road so mostly trot up the hill). Unfortunately our bridle ways are still muddy do not venturing onto them yet.

In the school I have increased the fast work. I'd say at least 60% is canter now. Also varying the ho lunge work (not increasing from 20 mins as she is stretching and finds this hard!) with some jumping on the lunge too.

Phew... So hopefully some of that will make a positive difference!!
 
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