Greedy New Forest Pony!!

Burnttoast said:
I don't think it's really possible to tell for sure as, once clipped, there's no way of knowing what their weight would have been in spring if you hadn't (no control pony/control year, etc), but in principle making them cooler should mean some calories are devoted to keeping them warm. Possibly most of us aren't clipping enough off though! There's always the option of a full clip with a rain sheet on wet days.
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Thank you! I do have a rain sheet that would fit him. I wonder if clipping him all over with a different grade might work to keep some length but just not as much...
 
I have a NF and she is food obsessed and would eat herself to death. Daughter’s pony is a hand smaller and will self limit food and is able to eat more grass without getting raises pulses.

Exercises and restriction have helped (she is 21 and has never had laminitis despite being diagnosed with EMS age 15, having almost exclusively lived out all her life) but it’s only this winter that a medical emergency has got the weight off.
 
If there is some grass, I would feed 50:50 hay and straw. You want your pony hungry enough to eat the straw - if it isn’t being eaten, cut back on the hay. Living out I have always fed half and half. There’s grass to pick at and the straw gives warmth without fat. This winter mine were in and they got colder. I clipped and have fed mostly hay. My NF has only had a rainsheet on all winter, has not been cold, has had an Irish clip (low) and has been in light work - we’re not thin but not fat. Other ponies on similar regime are looking thinner, but getting more bucket feed. NF gets chaff and vitamins!
 
He's going well with his new bib clip and this week, seems to not be finishing a full net now and that's with no straw.

I weighed him though with the tape today... 380kg 🫣 he's 4 in June and standing between 13hh-13.1hh! That was with me pulling the tape a bit tighter to accommodate the fur too. Not a single rib in sight. Got lots of work to do. 🙈

In fairness to him, he is a chunky build anyway but definitely has spare fat to burn.
 
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