how to manage my horses weight

First atempt was to bring in during the day - gave up during a hot spell when the stable became too stuffy to house an animal. Also felt sotty for horse being only horse in on the yard and missing the daytime sun on his back.
 
Then I bought a grazing muzzle, but horses visible intense frustration upset other liveries so gave up that idea.
 
Then I tried bringing him in at night - he will not eat any hay or the good doer that I left out for him- he just craves grass. I turned him out for an hour before I rode today but he was just thinking grass all the time and I had a morning horse wrestling.When I turned him back out he was so frustrated he shot down the field at a canter.

I ama nervous rider and really would lke him to be relaxed and content when we go out to ride.
 
He is an 8 year old cob that has had an intermittant lameness that started 18 months ago and is being tentitively brought back to being ridden to see how he does being ridden on a sachet of bute a day- so lots of exercise is not a possibility. He has gained excess weight as there is more than usual grass on his field and less horses at the moment to eat it. Any ideas as to what is best to do.
 
Can he not be restricted in a small area within the paddock? I much prefer using this method to bringing in or muzzling as horses seem more content.
 
can you make a track round the outside of the field? this limits intake and increases movement.

Mine is slowly being brought back into work after lameness since november, I'm very much used to working him hard to keep the weight off but obv this not a possibility (he is walking for approx 45 mins daily).

His weight isn't great but it's ok and I know we are doing the best we can manage!
 
You need to get him off the grass either during the day (preferable ) or at night; If he wont eat, tough, he will eat if he's hungry. Soak his hay for at least 12 hours and rinse.

If you're too nervous to ride him then get a sharer, loan him out or sell him. If he's overweight he needs as much exercise as time allows. So many laminitics atm not worth the risk of leaving him out 24/7 to eat as much as he can!
 
I use greenguard muzzles which the horses definitely prefer to the bucket type and I also have a long thin strip the length of the field which is now completely grass free. I put 12hr soaked hay in the strip if required but both horse and pony lost significant amount of weight with the greenguard muzzle.
 
i can ride him and dont want anyone else to untill he has been sound for some time, but it is only appropriate to ride him lightly . But how does it compare, if kept in at night he will be in for 12 or 13 hour but if kept in in the day it works out less hours in.
 
I feed 16hr soaked hay in trickle net by day, turnout out overnight in a muzzle, feed only lo-cal balancer in sprinkle of molasses free chaff and work her 6 days a week. This keeps her just the right side of fat!

I'm afraid I couldn't care less what other liveries think about muzzles (fortunately at our yard about a third need them anyway) and I would carry on with this, equally the weather is hardly warm at the moment so I would continue to bring in by day as better to have them off the grass then.

It is case of tough love I'm afraid with very good doers - especially if you can't work them hard enough to keep the weight off that way. In our case only work+muzzle+soaked hay works.
 
My girl is a good doer and because she's got navicular she's best moving so she wears a grazing muzzle. I don't like them but it doesn't stop her eating it just slows her down. Your horse, your decision not other liveries! Would they be happier if he had lammi?
 
The only way then is the muzzle, I use a best friends one, I did cheat and make the hole and tiny bit bigger. They have even put weight on with the muzzles but not excessively, just about acceptable. Then they are strip grazed overnight or if the weather is crap they have a hay net each in side. Its really hard I know.

We long for summer but with all this grass and fat ponys a blanket of snow seems like the perfect solution. I actually leave mine out all winter with no hay (maybe a bit) no rugs just the 13 acres of grass they could not eat because of the muzzles:D The idea is to be lean come spring.... never happened yet. They just grow mammoth size coats keep their heads down and conserve as much energy as possible, I have never seen them shiver.......not much hope really. Good luck
 
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