Horrified at horses size

[poiuytrewq]

I have a 15hh cob x type. He is retired now and started to put weight on, actually before retiring but I suppose he wasn’t doing much towards the end of his working life.
He’s 21 I retired him due to arthritis and some weird sweetitch type complaint which being ridden made so much worse.
So, I had said I was going to give him a shorter but happier retirement and not restrict his grazing too much or starve him to keep weight down. He’s never been laminitic.
However, I’m having to back track, whilst giving quality of life because he is a very dramatic miserable child when I do try and restrict him, but, he needs desperately to loose weight or he is going to have serious issues.
Last night I muzzled him to turn out and as usual in a muzzle he stood at the gate calling all night ?
He’s in all day on soaked hay 6.30-4pm. I don’t really want to up that as it’s not helpful to the arthritis standing in. Today I’ve left him loose as at least he can be moving a little bit.
He is fed a big handful of Honey chop lite and healthy and Spillers lean and lite balancer, I’m going to cut this out, we really are talking desperate to loose, I need to keep the honey chop to give bute.
I can’t lunge/ride due to the arthritis, although half considered buting a bit more and lunging temporarily to get the weight shifted? (Unethical?)
If he leaves the yard he comes back absolutely besides himself itching so walks out in hand firstly don’t loose much weight, if any and I then loose control of his skin issues.
If you looked at the field you’d say it was bare!
Wwyd? Stick with the fat and happy then call it a day IF it god wrong or make him miserable and listen to him hollering at me ?

 

[ycbm]

If he's already buted up to be retired as a field ornament, then personally I'd stick with the fat and happy and if it all goes belly up call it a day.
.

 

[cauda equina]

Why does leaving the yard increase the itching? If it's flies would rugging help?

And could you turn his field into a track?

I'm so sorry, horses with multiple problems are a real headache

 

[poiuytrewq]

If he's already buted up to be retired as a field ornament, then personally I'd stick with the fat and happy and if it all goes belly up call it a day.
.

This is what I’ve always leaned to, I just did his weekly SI rug and stuff yesterday and was a bit mind blown at the increase since last week.

 

[poiuytrewq]

Why does leaving the yard increase the itching? If it's flies would rugging help?

And could you turn his field into a track?

I'm so sorry, horses with multiple problems are a real headache

He’s rugged 24/7. It keeps on top of it. I *think it’s because my grazing is on a hill and it’s quite breezy but which ever direction I go out either go under midgy trees, past cattle or various other places which set him off.
For some weirdly irritating reason I’m not allowed to use a track no.

 

[cauda equina]

What ycbm said then

 

[ihatework]

I’m all for quality of retirement over quantity.
I would 100% go fat, happy and buted (provided you literally aren’t letting him stuff his face on rich grass) BUT be very set in your mind to act on the PTS the nanosecond the quality balance tips, no dithering

 

[daydreamer]

I think I would also go fat, happy and buted as long as you know you could make the right decision if it goes wrong. How about long reining hacks in walk though? Less strain on the joints than lunging and no weight of the rider? Although I think you'd have to quite a lot to make a difference and obviously build it up slowly depending on how active he normally is in the field.

 

[MissTyc]

OP, every case is different but I totally agree with the fat and happy approach. I will add that I know two horses that have now been retired almost 10 years (together) who are so fat the vet cannot believe they have no issues ... but they don't. They play and gallop and eat and seem totally fine. Just like some humans smoke their whole lives and have healthy lungs anyway!

 

[Xmasha]

You are in the exact same position as i am with Asha. She used to itch a lot, not sweet itch but would spend ages rubbing everywhere and would irritate all the others asking them to groom. i cut sugar out completely..no carrots , and the itching has stopped. She has been very fat with fat pads and crest on very little grass. i kept her in the arena during the day just on hay, but that made her more stiff as she wouldnt move just stood by the haynet.
So this year i decide to let her be.. so shes out. Not restricted in anyway, with the knowledge that if she gets lammi then its time. ( shes 23 now) This year she has also started with a few issues with her teeth which im sure has helped as she hasnt been anywhere near as fat as previous years. (teeth have been sorted ).
Shes also out with her daughter and 1 month old grand daughter which has really given her a purpose and she is most definitely the happiest shes been in years.

Just a thought do you think hes itching after the walk because of pain / stress ? Im only asking as Asha itched a lot when she was stressed over the loss of her son the other year. Hope you can find a way to keep him happy in his retirement, its not an easy job with the good doers

 

[meleeka]

Even a walk in hand will help with weight control. if his field is bare he might be better off out 24/7. standing still all day is doing nothing to reduce his wasteline, or help his arthritis.

I think it’s important to go for quality of life over quantity when they are older. I have a friend with a 30 year old horse and I’d have let him go years ago. I have said to her that there aren’t any prizes for how long they live but she seems to think he is ok. He’s been kept alone for 10 years because he once had laminitis and she’s paranoid about him getting it again, with soaked hay because he has COPD and now he can’t even eat grass because his teeth are worn! In contrast, my old mare who has cushings is still living out with her herd and is living her best life. If that doesn’t work anymore i’ll make the call.

 

[babymare]

I’m another saying fat and happy and make the call if need be. Definitely quality over quantity.

 

[Trouper]

They put us in care homes and medicate us to the eyeballs just to eke out a few extra years. That to me is not living - so I am with the "let him be happy within reason" team. So long as he is pain free.

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

I'm another quality over quantity voter. There is aboslutely no point that I can see in keeping a miserable horse in retirement. Just make sure that you keep a really close eye on him, so that he he doesn't finish his days in pain. I may have misunderstood but I would be checking under the SI rug daily, tbh.

 

[oldie48]

They put us in care homes and medicate us to the eyeballs just to eke out a few extra years. That to me is not living - so I am with the "let him be happy within reason" team. So long as he is pain free.

I heard someone on the radio say that we haven't extended people's lives we have increased the time it takes them to die. In so many cases this is so true! Big Fatty is no more as when his care went back to owner she decided on the fat and happy course of action, he lasted a month.

 

[I'm Dun]

I’m all for quality of retirement over quantity.
I would 100% go fat, happy and buted (provided you literally aren’t letting him stuff his face on rich grass) BUT be very set in your mind to act on the PTS the nanosecond the quality balance tips, no dithering

This. I'd also set up a track for over the summer and have him out 24/7 with the soaked hay though. The movement will help the arthitis and the weight. Its what I do with my OAP. I refuse to make his retirement miserable, but I do monitor very very closely.

 

[PapaverFollis]

Fat and happy for me too. You could pop his head coller on and do a few laps on his field with him as exercise? It would be a nice way to spend some time with him and might help slow the fatness.

 

[Gloi]

With the Boett type rug it is perfectly possible to hack them in it if you take the belly piece off. I had to do this with mine with bad sweet itch when the flies were bad and it really helped.

 

[Nasicus]

Fat and Happy was the way my retired mare went. She was absolutely miserable on restricted grazing, still putting on the weight despite being on a bare track, on 2 danilon a day, and I knew it would either be her osteoarthritis or laminitis that would get her, so figured sod it, she's here for a good time, not a long time, and prepared to make the call the moment she took a turn.

 

[HollyWoozle]

How much soaked hay does he get through whilst stood in? If the field is pretty bare looking then I think I'd be inclined to turn him out 24/7 with a little soaked hay in small-holed net as a top up to forage if required? That way he keeps moving, better for waistline and joints, and if there's not loads of grass then I can't see it can make it worse.

 

[NinjaPony]

Consider other types of muzzle too, my laminitic Welsh is in a dinky rugs muzzle and has worn away quite a big hole for eating. Means he can go out all day in a lovely big field rather than having to stay in a tiny patch. He wasn’t impressed at first but he’s really got the hang of it and sticks his head in it himself to go out now.

 

[Squeak]

Consider other types of muzzle too, my laminitic Welsh is in a dinky rugs muzzle and has worn away quite a big hole for eating. Means he can go out all day in a lovely big field rather than having to stay in a tiny patch. He wasn’t impressed at first but he’s really got the hang of it and sticks his head in it himself to go out now.

I was going to ask if you'd tried different types of muzzle. After seeing posts on here I've just started using a thinline flexible filly muzzle and it's so much nicer for them and he seems much happier in it.

 

[Ceriann]

I’d be inclined to leave out all the time with the soaked hay - keep him moving (noting you can’t track which is a real shame). Options re walking - can this be done in his field if flies are that bad and have you considered deosect? Seems to be keeping flies off mine this year.

 

[irishdraft]

I have a similar problem my horse gets so upset if restricted so I leave him be . I've kept the field purposely grazed quite heavily so he can stay in his usual routine so he is a bit overweight but very happy .

 

[Casey76]

I’m going to buck the trend here.

Obesity is as much a welfare issue as emaciation. How happy is he going to be with arthritic joints if he’s overweight.

Personally I would explore grazing muzzles so he can still go out as much as possible and also explore the possibility of using antihistamines combined with full face mask/nose net so you can take him for walks.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

I have a 15hh cob x type. He is retired now and started to put weight on, actually before retiring but I suppose he wasn’t doing much towards the end of his working life.
He’s 21 I retired him due to arthritis and some weird sweetitch type complaint which being ridden made so much worse.
So, I had said I was going to give him a shorter but happier retirement and not restrict his grazing too much or starve him to keep weight down. He’s never been laminitic.
However, I’m having to back track, whilst giving quality of life because he is a very dramatic miserable child when I do try and restrict him, but, he needs desperately to loose weight or he is going to have serious issues.
Last night I muzzled him to turn out and as usual in a muzzle he stood at the gate calling all night ?
He’s in all day on soaked hay 6.30-4pm. I don’t really want to up that as it’s not helpful to the arthritis standing in. Today I’ve left him loose as at least he can be moving a little bit.
He is fed a big handful of Honey chop lite and healthy and Spillers lean and lite balancer, I’m going to cut this out, we really are talking desperate to loose, I need to keep the honey chop to give bute.
I can’t lunge/ride due to the arthritis, although half considered buting a bit more and lunging temporarily to get the weight shifted? (Unethical?)
If he leaves the yard he comes back absolutely besides himself itching so walks out in hand firstly don’t loose much weight, if any and I then loose control of his skin issues.
If you looked at the field you’d say it was bare!
Wwyd? Stick with the fat and happy then call it a day IF it god wrong or make him miserable and listen to him hollering at me ?

Have you thought about other types of exercise like hydro, swimming, or treadmill. Swimming only cost £ 15 per time, they only go for short time per session but it helps n fitness and weight. another thing would he ride and lead??

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

I’m going to buck the trend here.

Obesity is as much a welfare issue as emaciation. How happy is he going to be with arthritic joints if he’s overweight.

Personally I would explore grazing muzzles so he can still go out as much as possible and also explore the possibility of using antihistamines combined with full face mask/nose net so you can take him for walks.

I think the point that most people are making is 'let him eat as much as he likes for a short time' rather than making him miserable by restricting grazing to allow for alonger, less happy life. The disadvantage of this approach is that OP will need to be prepared to pts sooner rather than later.

 

[honetpot]

If he's already buted up to be retired as a field ornament, then personally I'd stick with the fat and happy and if it all goes belly up call it a day.
.

This is what I did. Old mare was miserable on a diet, she would eat mucky straw off the heap, even when not on a diet. She had a summer on old pasture, and as soon as she became footy, I called the hunt.

 

[ycbm]

Obesity is as much a welfare issue as emaciation

Only on a macro level, I think. For one individual retired horse I would much rather see it fat - provided it does not get laminitis - than I would see it thin.

And I'd rather a horse was dead than kept short of food and unhappy because of it.
.

 

[coblets]

Rather fat and happy 100% but what about taking him for walks, or ponying him, or even a little agility?