Help with my fat/laminitic pony

H

Horsemad87

Active Member
Joined
17 August 2011
Messages
34
Visit site
I have a 12hh section a companion pony for my horse. He is 5 years old and last year he had his first ever case of laminitis. The laminitis was caused by him being over weight. I hold my hands up, I was totally to blame, having not had a native pony for many many years I didn't notice the signs, I let him get too over weight, whilst he was happily out grazing with my tbx mare who is the complete opposite and needs lots of feed. Anyway we put him on a strict diet and stable rest, built him is own little dirt paddock with no grass. Fed him only soaked hay. As his weight came off and the summer moved to winter we built up his grass intake to 2hrs a day in a small paddock and back in his dirt paddock with hay for the rest of the day.

However due to the constant rain over the winter, he cannot go in his dirt paddock or his little grass paddock next door. The only paddock I have dry enough is one that isn't grazed in the summer. There is more grass on this paddock but as it isn't grazed in the summer it is left to go long and the grass is rough. The paddock Is about 1/2 to 3/4 of an acre. Over the winter he has had 5kilos of soaked hay spread throughout the day (1kg at 8am, 1kg at 12, 1 kg at 4 and 2kg at 8pm) He also goes out for about 2hours in the afternoon (weather permitting) He has 2 small hard feeds a day made up of his daily allowance of top spec anti lam and 1/2 a stubbs scoop of top chop lite to mix it with.

My problem Is that over the winter his weight has increased. I use a weight tape to weigh him and since the beginning of December his weight has gradually crept up. However if I don't turn him out on grass he has to stay in and gets very bored. He has a big stable 16ft x 12ft but he does get very grumpy inside. Strip grazing is a no no as he walks straight through electric fence (we have to post and rail all paddocks). Im wondering about a grazing muzzle but concerned because we have a lot of trees and cant see the fields from the house? I cant wait till the summer and he can go back in his little post and rail dirt paddock with hay!

Does any1 have any advice!!!! I'm running out of ideas!
 
Grazing muzzle, definitely. don't rug him either. How long are you soaking hay for? I'd try replacing part of the ration with straw too.
 
Thanks for the reply.

Think im going to try a grazing muzzle! Just scared hes going to attach himself to a tree or something!

The hay is soaked for a minimum of 4 hours. Hes been rugged all winter and wears a sweet itch rug in summer, do I need to reduce the rug gradually e.g put him in a lighter one for a couple of weeks before taking it off completely
 
How much does your pony weigh? I would be inclined to cut the hay down (1% of body weight) soaked well and topped up with some straw.

Can you exercise the pony at all?

I would just take the rug off completely. It isnt cold and you want the pony to be a little cold to shiver off some of the weight.
 
Thanks for the replay I weighed him today at 318kgs, at the beginning of dec he was 298. I've read online about giving a chaff hay replacer for 1/4 of of his daily ration and soaked hay for the other 3/4. so giving him chaff for breakfast, hay at dinner time, chaff at tea time and hay again at night time, as they say low calories chaff will be lower in energy than soaked hay? What do u think? Im concerned about giving him any less than 2kg over night as I know from checking on him this is usually gone by 10.30

My niece rides him occasionally but with the ground so wet I find it difficult to exercise him. In the summer I lunge him but at the moment the grounds to wet and my other horse wont let me lead him off her. I have started just leading him down the road but with the dark nights its difficult to do it in the week
 
that would be a lot of hay for a pony his size even if he never went out, if he was a big chunky section a I would not expect him to weight more than 300k, so to lose weight I would be feeding about 5 k of forage including the grass, I would cut out hard feed (just give a very small handful of top chop lite with a broad spectrum vitamin supp if you really feel he needs a supp), I would also be working him, long reining/lunging/walking in hand/backing.

8am 2lb hay am double netted in small holed nets-hang from somewhere it swings as he feeds, so not resting against a wall, 1pm luchtime 1lb, turnout 4-5.30pm, 8pm or later 4lb-all hay soaked for 24hrs then rinsed before being fed-I would try to hay earlier in the morning and later at night too, the above is without muzzling if i was going to muzzle I would (when possible) put him out for 1.5 hrs am and same pm without changing the other feeding.

be careful turning him out on a sunny day after a frost and the grass is growing in my area and maybe in yours so be careful as the new growth is very rich and high in sugar.

No rugs take them off
 
Last edited:
First remove the rug; he won't miss it and if he does get hold he'll have to walk around to keep warm, which sounds cruel to be kind, and yes, it is. But far preferable to laminitis and all its issues.

Second: use a Greenguard Grazing muzzle, WITH the proper headcollar as this will make it stay in place properly and it will be effective.

Third: make a good friend of a good farrier - essential with a laminitic IME.

Lastly............. and IMO the most important thing. Fat little laminitic-prone native ponies need WORK WORK and more WORK. I don't know if yours can be used at all - but if he can, then he needs to be. This would go a long way to "solving" your situation; I had a friend in a similar position to yours; and she broke hers to harness - and never looked back. OH got involved, and loved it. I just throw this in the pot as TBH the single issue of workload is going to be THE key factor in your management of this pony.

The other thing you need to consider are field-mates; you need something else in the field that will keep the pony moving rather than an oldie who just wants to stand around dozing.

If he was older I'd say get Bloods done for Cushings, but he's only young so can't see this could be the cause of the weight gain.
 
Last edited:
I bought my pony 2 years ago and he was HUGE. No signs of laminitis, but how he wasnt suffering with it I dont know! Vet was horrified when she saw him!

She told me to put him on a strict diet which I did. He got 1% of his body weight in old hay (2 years old) topped up with some straw so he had something to chew. He weighed 500kg so got 5kg of hay spread over the day. To start with he was ravenous and grumpy but he soon adjusted to the reduced hay and slowed down the eating. As well as this he was lunged twice a week (too fat for a saddle!)

I took advantage of the winter, left him naked and let him shiver it off. I got called cruel a few times (he lived out) but he came into spring at 350kg and the vet was very pleased! He is now a nice 380kg and well muscled.

My mare came to me this autumn, again a little pudgy. She lost a lot of weight and looked great. I rugged her the last month when we had the wind and rain and she gained 30kg on the same feed! So she is now naked and subject to the cruel treatment.

You do need to be cruel to be kind I am afraid :( What bedding is your pony on?
 
Last edited:
Thanks twiggy2

I always turn him out in an afternoon like u suggested to avoid any frost. With your feeding regime, would u leave him without any hay between 5.30 and 8pm? As I know he will have eaten all of his previous rations.
 
This my boy before and after his weight loss (pics wrong way round)

side2_zps040958c2.png


He looks like this now

1535401_10202228108678624_522532679_n2_zpsa5c4d885.jpg
 
PaulaS21 said:
Thanks twiggy2

I always turn him out in an afternoon like u suggested to avoid any frost. With your feeding regime, would u leave him without any hay between 5.30 and 8pm? As I know he will have eaten all of his previous rations.
Click to expand...

he will come in with a belly full of grass to digest he wont need to top that up with hay
 
Can you replace some of his hay with a section of straw to pick at, my sec a has a straw bed which she picks at and a section of straw with her evening hay, it keeps her happy having something with few calories to nibble at while restricting the hay and there is always some left so I know she is never that hungry, also no rug all winter this year as it really has not been cold enough to feel she has needed one.
 
tbh I don't have straw on the yard cause I use shavings for bedding, but going on the comments on here today, I think I'll get some to mix in with his hay
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top