How important is a foals weight?

[muckypony]

Question in the title really. How important is it if a foal is overweight? If they are overweight, besides cutting down food what can you do excersize wise?

 

[maccachic]

Overweight increases chances of OCD and other defects.

 

[PandorasJar]

It puts strain internally and externally. As with any horse but at a young age in a developing body i really wouldnt be happy.

 

[muckypony]

So what do you do - how can you exercise?

I don't have overweight foals btw, just a musing

 

[maccachic]

Don't over feed stay away from grain and get if free run in the paddock, never had a problem with an overweight foal myself.

 

[Maesfen]

Also depends if it's still on the mare or been weaned as to remedies.

 

[PandorasJar]

I should imagine it's pretty hard to get that way, certainly I've not known any. Depends on age as well as what maesfen says. If I wasn't over feeding and it was out I'd probably be looking at medical reasons.

 

[Littlelegs]

It's not like I've had lots of stud yard experience, but I've never really seen an overweight foal.

 

[AMW]

not so much overweight but ones with large bellies, not wormy but from standing eating ad lib haylage.
It also depends on the breed, some native foals can be like little butterballs & its not just fur but once they grow on a bit they lose it.
As long as you are sensible with feed & turnout they tend not to run to fat cause of their age but overfeeding can present itself in other ways through growing too fast etc

 

[muckypony]

not so much overweight but ones with large bellies, not wormy but from standing eating ad lib haylage.
It also depends on the breed, some native foals can be like little butterballs & its not just fur but once they grow on a bit they lose it.
As long as you are sensible with feed & turnout they tend not to run to fat cause of their age but overfeeding can present itself in other ways through growing too fast etc

Very helpful, thanks mine are shetties... So the biggest culprits for fat bellies!

I just worry about them getting fat but they seem fine. Its kind of hard to tell because theres just SO much hair!! They get a tiny feed just so that they can have a vit&min supplement, grazing isn't fab quality which is ideal for them and they get hay which again isn't great quality but they don't need it!

 

[windand rain]

Have any foals in at night out for at least 12 hours during the day, never rug, feed small feed at night of high protein high fibre diet littleor no cereals or sugar max of 10% carbs, hay or haylage and bedded on barley or oat straw so they can nibble if needed. I dont like feeding too much hay or haylage as I think it makes the tummies swell and baggy so prefer a nice high protein high fibre chaff like alfa oil as a feed with a little speedibeet and a balancer natives at half rate and a ration of hay suited to their weight at the time so 2% of their body weight plus the forage feed and any grass