I have a fattie- I need ideas to make him thin!

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shadowboy

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I have two youngsters.
Howie is 19months and is a NF. He is FAT. I thought he was looking porky about 6 weeks ago but has got bigger since. He stands at just under 13hh and was weigh taped at 390kg.
Merlin is also 19 months He stands at 13.1hh is a Cob x Appaloosa- he is not fat- in my opinion is perfect for a youngster he weighs 366kg

These boys live out in a 4 acre field at the moment. It is rented opposite our house. Our field that we own is too wet (2.75 acres) and so we rented the 4 acre field from the farmer down the road. We are not allowed to tape the field off as he doesn't want us to churn the field up. We have no stables (only the use of some in emergencies- the farmer's daughter is a vet so we can use hers if there is a problem)

The boys get 3kg of Marksway Blue Bag Haylage(the stuff for laminitic's) every day to share between them- this has been doubled to 6kg whilst their field is covered in snow. Merlin is given a feed but Howie is not
I really am desperate to shift the pounds off Howie before spring.
In spring we will return them to our paddock which we can strip graze- I am also happy to muzzle Howie if we need to but am worried about us coming into spring with 30 extra kg.....
ideas please?
 
Do they need haylage? D is quite happy to snuffle through the snow to get to the grass. I did try putting hay out for her but she was ignoring it so I'm not bothering now.

Are they wearing rugs?
 
As soon as the snow goes and they get back to the grass I would stick a muzzle straight on him.
Other than that, there isn't much you can cut down on in the way of food, so you need to up exercise.
Some people might recommend lunging, but I would avoid it at all costs in such a young pony. A growing pony and lunging in circles is asking for trouble in my opinion. If it were me, I would be out walking in hand as much as possible, including as much trotting work as you can.
 
Change them from haylage to hay. Haylage really has too many calories for a native youngster! Don't rug them unless they really do feel the cold (the NF wont need rugging for example)

if you can get out then take them for walks. There's nothing wrong with getting both used toa bridle and a bit and taking them down the road and back daily. It'll do them the world of good plus help them shift those lbs. I cant ride daughters ponies so am regularly seen marching round the village with both boys in tow....
 
Use a muzzle and learn to long rein!! great for youngsters and keeps owner fit too!!
 
ok rather strip graze in the spring a really good way is to set up a track around the edge and leave them in the there moving the posts to give them fresh grass every so often. this way they increase their exercise and will move about more like a horse in the wild which will move a lot more than in the field with excess grazing

also at the moment cut out the haylage and switch to hay soaked if necessary
 
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Change them from haylage to hay. Haylage really has too many calories for a native youngster! Don't rug them unless they really do feel the cold (the NF wont need rugging for example)


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the haylage has the same calories as average hay- you can see the analysis on their website. We cant have hay as we dont have anywhere to store it- we can only just fit the haylage bales in the shed.
As for walking they go out at the weekends- but I start work at 8am so can't do mornings as it is too dangerous in the dark and the same with evenings- im back home after dark sadly.
 
Can you give him a chaser/neck and belly clip? That soon makes them shed the pounds I think, and its better to go into spring a bit lean if the pony is a fattie
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hollyandivy- I will quite happily cut out the haylage- it will save me loads!! My only worry was if Merlin will drop weight- he was a little underweight in the summer so I don't think he holds weight well.

The boys do have rugs- they have standard neck ruggs- 100grm fill. I would rather not take their rugs off due to the fact that Howie last year when I bought him had bad skin/rainscald.

I would happily clip him if people think this would be a good idea. What sort of clip?
 
I would start with a bib clip, and find that if his weight doesn't drop, extend it.
Also, I would buy a no-fill rainsheet. Will keep the worst of the elements off, so no risk of rainscald, but will help him shed the pounds.
 
Great- well I hope its dry next weekend as Howie will get a haircut! as long as I can find some new blades for my clippers- or does anyone live near to Bridgnorth that I can pay to clip him? Bless him he'll get a shack to the system- its damn cold out on the Shropshire hills!
 
Could you feed them different things as Howie is fat and the other Merlin just right.

Howie could have some dengie good doer as a replacement for some of the hayledge for example.

I don't think you can feed them both the same diet if one is a good doer and the other one is not and expect them both to be the correct weight. Exercise is good - walk and perhaps you could chase them round the field a bit as well.
 
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hollyandivy- I will quite happily cut out the haylage- it will save me loads!! My only worry was if Merlin will drop weight- he was a little underweight in the summer so I don't think he holds weight well.

The boys do have rugs- they have standard neck ruggs- 100grm fill. I would rather not take their rugs off due to the fact that Howie last year when I bought him had bad skin/rainscald.

I would happily clip him if people think this would be a good idea. What sort of clip?

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I was going to suggest lightweights with no fill
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or whipping them off
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Whichever you can do will make them use that blubber to keep warm
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Could you feed them different things as Howie is fat and the other Merlin just right.

Howie could have some dengie good doer as a replacement for some of the haylage for example.

I don't think you can feed them both the same diet if one is a good doer and the other one is not and expect them both to be the correct weight. Exercise is good - walk and perhaps you could chase them round the field a bit as well.

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Merlin gets Safe and sound x 3 handfulls; 1 cup of Bailey's Lo-cal and half a scoop of speedi beet. Howie get nothing so they are fed differently. I can't really give one haylage and not the other as they cant have their field divided. I also wouldn't chase them round the field as I cant churn it up- farmer would not be pleased and as he is our only neighbour I'm not willing to upset him.

I shall try a clip next sat and as soon as the snow is gone so will the haylage and I'll see how we get on like that.
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BTW - I have a living out NF and last winter he was on one slice of hayledge a day and got huge and this year he is on 2/3 slices of coarse hay (looks a bit like straw) and is about half the size! He has a blanket clip and is wearing a HW wug not being exercised at the moment due to snow. When being ridden I also try and do as much hill work as possible too. It is a constant battle to try and keep his weight under control.

Is there any way you could store some hay outside covered in tarpaulin. Clipping should also make a difference.
 
Why can't you just take the rug off the fat one?

My mare is also too fat, lives out and is unclipped due to being out of work since August/September because of an injury. She hasn't lost an ounce of weight since the weather has been like it is, so I dare not think about what she'd be like if she was rugged.
 
can't take it off permanently because he's really prone to rainscald- but OH and I have decided on dry day times he can go naked. Then have the run on at night. Then on sat we will do a bib clip- I literally just dug the clippers out of the shed to check them and they are running ok- as long as they still cut then he'll be done sat.

Then we will continue to leave him naked in the day with a bib clip and with the rug on a night. We will stop the haylage once the snow has gone- as ours is about 3/4 inches so no grass at all to eat. Merl will continue to be fed and Howie won't get anything- hopefully this will work- we will return to strip grazing when we go back to our field once it dries up in spring. And when the days lighten we can do more walks
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The clipping idea what great- for some reason that didnt come to mind- so thanks for those who remimded me of that!!
 
I would say to feed soaked hay rather than haylage and move them back to your own field ASAP and section off a patch for your fatty to go in, letting your poor doer have the run of the rest with hay supplied if necc. I wouldn't be too worried about either losing weight at this time of year. its completely natural and both will recover in the spring / summer.. the poor doer just might need a bit of help.
 

I think clipping and taking the rug off as much as possible will make a fair difference.

Can you fence off a small area so that the one who needs haylage can go in there twice a day for a couple of hours and have his haylage? Or, how about putting the muzzle on the chubby one so he can't fill his face with haylage as much.

I have a little moorland pony who has too much weight on right now. I'm going to give her a little clip soon, and as soon as the snow clears she is going into a little compound with very poor quality hay
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I too have a native who is always fighting the fat! She has always lived out and never been rugged and never lost any weight in fact usually puts it on over winter! However, my vet suggested rugging her - most people think that they shiver off the weight but she reckons that it in fact works the other way round - if the body is cold and shivering the body lays down extra fat to keep itself warm. I have now rugged her (only lightweight) for the last two winters and she has lost weight both times and i haven't done anything different apart from this.
 
CBfan - would love to have them back in own paddock- but when I mean to wet- I mean TOO WET - we had a burst drain in there so we have lying water- they can fix it till the snow and ice has gone- and even then I have been told it will take some weeks for the field to recover. Moving them there is not an option now- bot for their health and for the longlivity of the field.

Beleive me folks I thought I had very fiew options hence why I came on here- to see if there are any ideas.

Howie is currently out naked tonight as the weather is dry. Fingers crossed.

Can't do hay folks as I have nowhere to store it or collect it. I only have a shed- we dont have a garage or stables- there really is nowhere! As far as im concerned the haylage has no more colories or energy than average hay- and at 3 kg each per day during the snow (which is a small net) im sure its not going to make him balloon- especially with 6 inches of snow on the ground. once the snow has gone so too will the haylege- it will save m money!
 
henhouse- I am interested in this idea- I was wondering if the 100g rug really made such a difference in weight as to pick it up it feels like nothing tbh- but i've followed peoples advice and taken it off- he is naked for the first night since the clocks changed! I'll do a belly clip on sat- I might have to ask my vet about the weight loss issue- see what he thinks.

Re muzzle I dont think that would be fair in the winter conditions as I remember from my last fatty in 2006 that the mud gets stuck in thw holes and then they get nothing
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Re strip grazing- this was the one dondition- no churning up or divinding the field as it is used for beef calfs in spring so has to be kept tidy and it is also overlooked by their holiday cottages so again needs to be kept tidy hence why we religiously poo pick it!
 
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