How to give chubby pony more energy?

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Blondie1

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Hi there,

I have a chubby welsh cross 14.2hh gelding who is currently on a diet. I have cut his hay down and soaking it and currently on no hard feed and he has approx 9 hours of turnout per day but not on huge amounts of grass.

Since making this change I have found he doesn't have much energy when ridden.

I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions to maybe feeding a supplement wit a little Hifi lite that will give him more energy but won't make him loony or gain weight please?

Thanks in advance xxx
 
energy = calories = weight gain.

Tbh, he will have more energy when he has dropped weight and is fitter. Make sure he's getting the right vits and mins, give him plenty of *steady* work and his energy levels will improve. Brisk walking is the best way of shifting fat without unduly stressing his body.
 
You'll probably find he has more energy once he's lost some weight and got fitter.

Alternatively you could give him more energy but you would need to make sure he burns off more calories than the amount of calories he is eating.
 
Hi, thanks for the replies. It is strange though that before I cut down his food intake he was more energetic but he was overweight. Is it a case that he is now getting less energy from his hay hense the go slow pony?

How do I know if he's getting the correct vits and mins?

Thanks xxx
 
I would imagine that's why - a fatter body does need more energy to keep going than a thinner one, which is why losing weight is a painful process! A lo-cal balancer or a broad spectrum min-vit supplement in a handful of chaff should cover his needs, but if you are concerned about possible deficiencies you could have your forage analysed - eg http://www.forageplus.com/ - and a feeding plan done.
 
He will have more energy once he has lost weight but you also need to replace the vits and mins lost thru soaking hay. I have my good does on soaked hay 8 hours and baileys low cal balancer and alfa alfa molasses free. He is ridden 6 days a week and has good energy levels. I sometimes pop some Oates in if we are doing a lot but that would put weight on long term. I have fed equi cell and red cell in the past and found it gave him a good boost
 
Oh yes ive been there, tried alot of the remedys out i.e competition mixes, oats, red cell etc etc....
But what worked for me this summer was stripping all my feed back, having an analysis done on the grass and feeding to what was lacking in her diet. I have to say for me its made a huge improvement in her way of going, she looks good and she has lost alot of weight in the process. I do feed oats now and again when needed but because everything is balanced in her diet the oats seemed to now work.
Good luck i hope you find what works for you
 
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