How on earth can i get the weight off her?

charleysummer

charleysummer

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I have a 14hh 8 year old mare who is a VERY good doer, literally walks on grass and gains weight.
She has moved to another paddock with a bit more grass in ( was on basically nothing before) and has put on a huge amount of fat, her belly looks like shes got 3 foals inside and she has a thick neck and padded shoulders- she has no feed and is worked for an hour 5/6 days a week- she isnt morbidly obese but if i dont manage it she will be soon- she has to live out though or else she goes nuts, i tried a muzzle and it rubbed the skin on her face so was looking at the shield style-any advice would be greatly appreciated for my fat girl!
 
You could buy some electric tape and posts and strip graze her. If that's not allowed, there are various types of muzzle about- which did you try? :)
 
Muzzle will prob be the best solution , if the bucket type rubs then , expensive , try the Greenguards one . Having a muzzle on means at least they still be out in a normal sized field and do the walking around and burning those calories , rather than a small starvation paddock where they do little walking. Down side to muzzles is that they cannot easily scratch or groom another horse , but better than obese .
 
My Highland gets fat thinking about grass, she is muzzled at all times when turned out with a Greenguard muzzle. The muzzle itself and the headcollar are padded with sheepskin to prevent rubs. She is either out at night/stabled during day or stabled day/out at night and exercised, but without the muzzle she would be enormous.
 
sympathy for you. you will have to either keep her in for up to 12 hrs with a handful of chaff at the half way stage, or make her sweat hard 5 times a week! (ideally both) or find some turnout on concrete or hardcore for part of the day.
 
threeponies said:
My Highland gets fat thinking about grass, she is muzzled at all times when turned out with a Greenguard muzzle. The muzzle itself and the headcollar are padded with sheepskin to prevent rubs.
Click to expand...

This ^^

Mine is in a shires muzzle, but padded with sheep skin, works wonders, and cheap to do, I just got a girth sleeve, cut it up and stuck it on to round the nose and clip, does the job really well! :D
 
Could you up her excersise?

If you have access to a horse walker then obviously use it, you could try strapping her, someone is/was doing that on my yard for their chubby who's on box rest, and what every one else has said.

You could also turn her out in a school or on a dry lot with limited soaked hay for some time, or take her off the field with lots of grass and get another horse to eat it down first?
 
Mine is in standard cheap muzzle with various bits of sheepskin glued and stapled to it as well. It works brilliantly and he is VERY thin skinned, even the ring with no clip on it rubbed him.
 
I use a Dinky Ponies muzzle, they are very well fitting and comfortable for the pony/horse to wear and they make a huge difference
 
If you are allowed, invest in some electric fencing; make a 8 foot wide track around the paddock, she will have to walk around to get to the water, keeps them moving.

I wouldn't reccomend stabling for 12 hours with a handful of chaff, horses like humans will hang on to fat if starved. Finding some hard ground/school for during the day is a good idea with double haynet of soaked hay.

Lunge till she sweats, or hack out up and down hills. She is in light work so try and up the amount of time you exercise her.

The shires muzzles are good and cheaper than Greenguard ones, but you do have to buy a bigger size so they don't rub.

I sympathise too :( When it comes to winter, don't rug and leave her out 24/7
 
I also have ponies in greenguard muzzles with sheepskin headcollars.
It enables them to stay in a bigger pasture so they do more walking, etc, which continuing to trickle graze through the muzzle. I always worry that horses not on grass will gorge when they have access and I think there is even some research to back this idea up now ...
 
Thanks for all the advice i will invest in a muzzle with sheepskin, i have her electric fenced in a smaller section of the paddock but its still too much for her fatty tummy.

Luckily she drops the weight a lot in the winter, i keep her in a medium weight as long as possible but if the temp drops a lot or it snows shes in her big stormcheeta!

I tried on one 'comfort' muzzle but it didnt have sheepskin and rubbed her chin raw- how are they meant to fit? snug? or like a hanging bucket, the horse at the yard who is lami has one which seems free to move on his face and he doesnt get rubbed- was more snug on her.

She is being worked until she sweats up and as intense as possible- but shes recovering from a tendon injury! (9 months on though so just gradually increasing) and jumping seemed to get the weight off her but this isnt really possible just yet!.

Have a manege but its full of grass and weeds and consequently a lot of weedkiller, so thats no good- looks like the only option is the sheepskin muzzle !

but yeah any advice on how they should fit and reccomendations would be fab :) shes only 14hh but has a pretty huge head, takes a full size bridle (done up tight though) and a her cob headcoller is on the last couple of buckles
 
charleysummer said:
I have a 14hh 8 year old mare who is a VERY good doer, literally walks on grass and gains weight.
She has moved to another paddock with a bit more grass in ( was on basically nothing before) and has put on a huge amount of fat
Click to expand...

Can she not go back to the original paddock?
 
I personally don't like to use muzzles, but it's each to their own. I always put my fatties on a small paddock, and get it bare. Then every other day I'll give them a very small (and I mean small) extra bit to their paddock. Only every 4 days if they're very fat. They always seem to find something to eat as mine are never stood looking hungry or depressed.
 
agree with the other. Muzzle and more work or as much work as she is allowed. being over weight wont be helping the recovery.
IMO muzzleing is better than restricting or bringing in as they are moving so still burning calories
 
I have been through different types of muzzles and the ones for my guys is both the shires and best friend in a size bigger so they dont rub. Dont go for the ones that look the same because the buckets tend to be more shallow and rubs under the jaw. Dinky muzzles from dinky rugs site are also great but get chewed through quite quickly.

They are out all day and come on to a fenced of dirt patch with hay overnight, as they hate confinement. If I did not have a dirt patch then I would strip graze overnight without hay. Exercise is useful but its not going to shift the weight
without cutting down the food

Out during winter, no rugs, don't feed masses of hay. Start the muzzles early in spring and away you go. Good luck:)
 
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