Horsey weight loss tips, anyone?

[ShadowFlame]

For those of you that have managed / are in the process of managing a good doer, what are your tips, tricks and methods for keeping your fatty's weight in check?

 

[CobsGalore]

Grazing muzzle and exercising him every day! Long hacks and slowly building up to doing loads of trotting! I have also just given him a bib clip and will be leaving him naked until it gets much much colder. I may not even rug him at all, will see how he goes.

 

[Supertrooper]

Don't rug!! We only put a rug on ours if it's rain/wind together or if it's really cold xx

 

[Kikke]

Have you got a walker? Twice a day 30 min work a treat. Also long slow hacks with hill work. Perfect to buildup fitness and loose pounds!

 

[Chestnut mare]

Strip grazing, if this is not possible (like for me last year) muzzle, low calorie balancer (blue chip lami-lite I use), plenty of exercise and leave rugs off. My pony is naked unless its raining but has a light rug on over night. She will be fully clipped in next week or so and will be then rugged accordingly.

 

[Littlelegs]

Exercise. Both ridden & while out. In a large field in a herd, with rough grazing, so they have to walk about to graze. They are fed pretty much ad lib hay from when grazing gets low, from Nov to end of march approximately. In for 12hrs overnight Dec-march. Once in at night, they only get hay in the field when snow very deep, even then not much as they can forage through to longer stalks to keep busy. Never left cold, but don't over rug either. No hard feed. They lose weight over winter, both because of the drop in forage quality, & to remain warm. (not to get warm because they've been left cold, just to maintain warmth). Also feed late cut hay. It's good quality hay in terms of dust, palatability etc, but nutritionally its low quality. At the moment both condition score somewhere between 3 & 3.5, so carrying slightly more than the perfect 3. Over winter they slowly lose this & by the first flush of spring grass are 2.5. They then slowly gain again over summer before the cycle repeats. No muzzles, restricted grazing etc.

 

[lyndsayberesford]

Strip graze, muzzle if really obese, soaked hay, lots of exercise, no rugs

 

[AmyMay]

For those of you that have managed / are in the process of managing a good doer, what are your tips, tricks and methods for keeping your fatty's weight in check?

Work it.

 

[bex1984]

Ditto amymay - work it hard regularly. Building more muscle will help speed up metabolism.

Other than that, restrict grazing, soak hay for 24 hours and feed as much as possible of it, clip out and under-rug.