How can I get my horse to lose weight?

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EquiHolly

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Any suggestions welcome!

My horse seems to be putting more and more weight on, she is currently being ridden 4 times a week, 40 minute sessions flatwork/occassional jumping, and 2 hour hacking on the weekend when she is not out at local sj events.

We have gradually been reducing her food intake, she is a good-doer so can live off air and still put weight on! In the mornings she has a handful of pony nuts, and dinner she has 4 handfuls. She currently has the whole stretch of the field as there is little grass including her stable block which has no grass at all so there is no point putting her in a starvation paddock.

I was thinking of getting her a grass muzzle? Please help
 
Sometimes what looks like very little grass is more than you think - short grass is often much higher in sugar than longer grass. I'd cut the pony nuts completely unless they are needed for supplements to be hidden in (in which case I'd still cut the pony nuts and use Fast Fibre or Molasses Free) and either use a grazing muzzle or strip graze the field :)
 
If she is on a field with no grass then what is a grazing muzzle going to do?

Is this your own place or are you at livery? A track is usually used to get them moving a bit more. My two shetlands are on relatively good grass but they are constantly on the move and therefore not overweight.

I would up the workload if possible (ie your horse is not old or injured or something similar) as that is very light work.
 
I wouldn't be giving her any hard feed for a start off! My native-y type is on a starvation patch and strip grazed (by which I mean he gets a few extra inches every couple of days!). He works 6 days a week (3-4x schooling [with plenty of canter work, lateral work, lots of transitions, he is usually sweating heavily by the end], 2x hacking, 1x jump or competition), is storming around 90cm ODEs on just minimal grass and a handful of chaff to have some salt in. And he is still fatter than I would like!

In your position I would cut out the hard feed and work her more. Can you fit in anymore work? I would add in another schooling session, increase the intensity of the work you do in those sessions, and maybe do some interval training/ canter work. Basically less food, more work. You might be surprised how much grass is on the field too. Mine has been out on big field the last two weeks, which looks as though it has been eaten right down, and he has ballooned so back on starvation. How big is her field? I would section it off and strip graze.
 
I'd cut the pony nuts completely. There's a huge desire to pump feed into our horses despite the burgeoning girth sizes!! If you must offer anything, how about some soaked grass nuts with a vitamin and mineral supplement... I know if you are in a yard it's nice to be able to put something in a bucket to stop you feeling guilty :D At least grass nuts are full of grass and not pelleted floor sweepings of high starch grains.

Another myth is that short grass is healthier for fatties, well it isn't. Studies show (just google NSC and WSC) that sugars are MUCH higher in stressed short grass. Healthy grass and lots of exercise is the best thing to do and if you have to restrict, do so my reducing time on the healthy grass but offer good quality hay.

There is no escaping the fact that fat needs to be burned off. You cant starve it off without causing another problem elsewhere.
 
Maybe bring in during the day and out on the night? I've been told that sugar content in grass is higher during the day (correct me if I'm wrong), also if she is in her stable during the day you can control the amount she eats. She may also thank you in this heat! ;)
 
Bonkers2 said:
Walk walk walk, feed some soaked hay or other fibre and add some minerals and some salt, then walk and walk and walk.........
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Second this. If her field is bare its because the grass is going somewhere - inside her! My two good doers are being strip grazed and having soaked hay. When I moved them off my front field last week, it looked completely bare, it was green again within a few days even in the heat with no rain.
 
Cut out feed.

Swop high intensity work such as jumping for more low intensity work, eg walking out briskly. You need to do loads more low intensity work to burn calories. One 2 hour session a week with few high intensity bursts wont do it. Boring doing this work, but it's what horse needs rather than what rider would have more fun doing.
 
pip6 said:
Cut out feed.

Swop high intensity work such as jumping for more low intensity work, eg walking out briskly. You need to do loads more low intensity work to burn calories. One 2 hour session a week with few high intensity bursts wont do it. Boring doing this work, but it's what horse needs rather than what rider would have more fun doing.
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If you have time OP I would also hack before or after a schooling session - I quite frequently school for 45 mins then hack for another 45 min to cool off, in addition to his usual 2 hacks per week.
 
Cut out pony nuts like everyone says - if you really don't want to or need them for supplements then only feed once a day, my natives only have one feed a day in winter! They could also be replaced with something of a lower fat content like fibre cubes, I use them to disguise supplements, they work great. Also try extending work periods of 40 mins if you can :)
 
Keep him in paddock he is in; grazing muzzle; salt lick; water; lo-cal balancer to ensure all vits and mins going in and work him more :-)

There is a huge amount of grass this year thanks to wet winter and unless whole field is dirt without anything growing you can be sure he's got grass!
 
No hard feed at all unless the horse desperately needs supplements. Get him a salt lick if you're worried about minerals and up that exercise! Fit as many hills into your hacks as possible and don't let him steam up them - keep a steady trot or a walk.
 
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