Help, my mare needs to go on a diet tout suite

[Birker2020]

I'm now in a bit of a quandry, where she is starting to feel very flat during lessons because she isn't getting the right amount of energy. I've literally cut out everything I can from her diet, to the point where I no longer give her any supplements so I could stop the 300g soaked speedibeet and light chaff she was getting.)

I put my typically good doer WB on Spillers Instant Response last season http://www.spillers-feeds.com/products/response-competition-feeds/instant-energy-mix/ as I felt he lacked stamina and I didn't feel like he had enough energy.

It really made a difference, as did changing yards where the grass was less rich. Before he was on the SPillers he lacked the staying power, and inbetween classes tied to the back of the trailer would nod off at his haynet, or look really sleepy when we arrived home. After starting him on it in about May time I really noticed the difference. He wasn't spooky or silly, just had more oomph in general. After a ten mile fun ride, he looked like he'd easily go round again, and would been alert back at the yard. I would say, from reading your OP that your horses energy requirements far outweigh the amount she receives in feed, and I would suggest that this could be a good source of 'cool' energy to give her.

Just because your horse has a belly doesn't mean to say its fat/full/stuffed itself.My horse would often look really bloated coming in from the field but a lot of the bloatedness was due to gas build up (which used to make him a colicky horse). Since leaving the last yard a year ago this Thursday, he will have only had one colic to date, whereas at the last yard he was very colic prone due to the rick grazing and you would be suspicous of mild colic symptoms at least every three or four weeks.

 

[Casey76]

She is barefoot, is she feeling footy at all, is this lack of energy only noted on hacks or is it when working on a surface as well?

She isn't footy at all. Her feet are very good at the moment, and have improved since going onto shavings. All of my past trimmers/farriers have remarked on how hard her feet are. They are due for a tidy up at the moment, so don't look too pretty, but they are very functional!