How to keep dieting neddy occupied!!!

[emmaln]

Hello,

Just after ideas really, like alot of people on here i have a fatty who only has to look at a blade of grass and she explodes outwards! She is a part bred section D and has just turned 3, we have very rich grass at my yard and have had quite a few horses getting laminitis which i am desperate to avoid for my girly! She is in a starvation paddock but still has room to move around (i don't want to restrict her too much as she is a youngster!) She is fed Baileys lo cal balancer and a small amount of soaked hay to stop her from getting too bored! She has lost weight but the problem is she is the greediest horse on the planet and if she's not eating obviously gets bored we seem to have stopped her jumping out with 6' electric posts, i'm just worried now that she is going to get bored and find another way to make mischief! Any ideas on how to keep her occupied in the field??

p.s very sharp learning curve after mostly owning tb types, next winter she will only wear light weight rug if absolutely necessary!!! (she is stabled at night so don't feel too sorry for her!)

 

[imafluffybunny]

my shetland is kept in a starvation paddock, he has one of those balls that you can put food in and they trickle out, he has high fibre cubes in it which is a hay replacer so you could feed it without the hay and it keeps them occupied for ages.
Also, I have him in a paddock big enough to allow a little grass growth but small enough so it never gets chance to grow too much, i find this has been better than having him with no grass at all.

 

[emmaln]

I have to admit i said starvation paddock but actually same as you it's big enough to allow some regrowth! Thought about a treat ball although she would probably end up rolling it under the fence much to the delight of my other horse who currently has the rest of the 2 acre paddock to herself!

I am planning to let her out at night once she is down to her required weight when the fructans in the grass are less. Also will be backing her this August so hopefully her brain will be too tired for any mischief i just have big guilt pangs when sghe looks longingly over the fence at the rest of the field!!!

 

[PeterNatt]

You can always feed her a slice of well soaked hay (1 hour) every 3 hours. The hay won't contain any nutrition if it is soaked but it will keep her digestive tract moving.

 

[dwi]

Is she getting enough soaked hay? I found the trick was to fit it adlib, it keeps them occupied and keeps their metabolism going.

 

[Slinkyunicorn]

Agree with the soaked hay - my coblet lives on a postage stamp with enough soaked hay to produce at least 8 elephant poos a day minimum - that seems to be the amount required to keep her weight stable and no laminitis - always looks at me as though she is starved - I know by my feed bill its a lie!!!

 

[Bens_Mum]

Agree with slinkyunicorn & dwi mine goes through tons of soaked hay to keep her quiet!

 

[kellyeaton]

just give her ablib soaked hay then she has always something to eat. Try strip grazing move the fence out a little every day so there is a little grass to keep him entertianed!