Ideas for managing fatty in a herd of normals!

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soloequestrian

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I have four horses at my place - three are fine on grass but this year for the first time I have a cob who potentially isn't. I don't think he has had laminitis but he does put on weight easily. He has been out with the others all winter on ad lib haylage and if it was up to me I would probably see if he self regulates on grass, however I don't think his owner is up for that experiment. We are trying to work out a system where he can be with the others or near them as much as possible - I think the whole herd will get upset if he is separated fully from them. I'm wondering what others do in similar circumstances and what sorts of intervention make the biggest difference? He will get more exercise over the summer; he could wear a muzzle part of the time; I can make up one or more track systems although that gets complicated with fencers and access to water. Just looking for ideas really and whether anyone has successfully kept a fatty on decent grass without incident. Thanks!
 
My fatty is out in the paddock with the herd in the day - muzzle on. There's very little grass and they're still being hayed. At night he's on a bare track with no muzzle and about a meters worth of new grass every other day. At the moment he's on his own at night but he's very close to the others. At some point one of the other ponies in the herd will join him on the track. He's had laminitis so I try to do the difficult balance of keeping him laminitis free but making sure he still has a good quality of life. The muzzle is a Thin Line and it's made managing him so much easier.
 
I’ve got a fat old barren broodmare who has been in with 3 babies on ad-lib haylage all winter and quite frankly looks like she is going to foal. Unfortunately for her when the babies go onto spring grass she will be staying on the winter field which will be tracked, so adjacent to babies and letting bulk of field rest.
 
Exercise is the best option, then a perimeter track, probably both if its a typical cob.
I run a narrow track around the perimeter of my field with electric fencing if I need to separate my good doer.
That way he's still with his herd but he has to walk twice as far to move around with them and his grazing is reduced but not too restricted.
 
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I feel your pain. Mines a fatty in with three slim ones! It’s very hard I’d love to say I’m all set up ready to keep him safe but in dispute currently with field owner about how much of a paddock he can have when grass is too much for him. I have muzzled him in the past but it runs his chin and wears his incisors away. It’s not easy. He’s retired too so can’t be exercised. Oh and if you stress him out he colics!
 
When I had exactly this predicament I separated them overnight. I had a bare track which they were on during the day with hay, then the others went in the middle overnight. It was a compromise which worked well for them all.
 
Our group has a RDA pony, a Dartmoor, who has already started developing a crest, so she is back to wearing a muzzle 24/7, in order to be able to live with the rest of the herd.
 
Yeah, horses don't self regulate - that's why so many get laminitis. Muzzles are always my last choice and I would definition go with the track type system if you can or just section a bit off and have the poor-er doers really graze it down first.
 
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