Ideas for slimming a porker

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parsley

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I have just weighed my boy and he has put on 70 kgs over the last 2 weeks and is looking gross! He is in 12 to 13 hours a day during the day and ridden once a day. The field he is in is very large and lush and after asking the YO I can't make him a smaller paddock. The YO said to keep him in at night instead of during the day. Is the grass nutritionally a lot different from night to day? I could probably manage to keep him in 14 hours during the day.

Would it be better to keep him permanently in the starvation patch (he is in there in the day) and just feed him hay or put a grazing muzzle on at night? Is one option better mentally than the other? I can't see him being happy with either
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If you've got a starvation paddock and he's put on that much weight in the past two weeks, I'd keep him in there if I were you. Is it completely bare, or just shorter grass?

You need to keep his digestion going or his body will cling on to the weight, so if it's very bare you can give him hay, but soak it for 24 hrs (and then give him plenty) - like wise if you decided to keep him in during the day make sure his hay is soaked.

what do you do when you ride him? how long do you ride for? Brisk walking, and plenty of it, is the best way to shift the weight.

Does he have any feed?

70 kg is an awful lot to put on in 2 weeks
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so you really do need to change his routine/management to stop him putting on anymore. I understand how difficult it is though, I am waging a constant war with my pony's waistline.
 
I can try again but I have to get up at 5 am and do it before work and then straight after and unfortunately I also have to do some work at home
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If he was mine I'd have him in during night (because it's longer) with well soaked poor (but clean, not mouldy or dusty etc) hay and out during a day with a muzzle on (so he gets less grass and can't eat the rich new growth).
 
Its scary how quickly he has put in weight. I am going to weigh him again tonight to see if it is mainly bloat as he had just been brought in. I'm really worried as we have had loads of rain and now its nice a warm - perfect grass growing weather

The starvation paddock is bare - he gets a slice of hay to keep him occupied.

He generally gets 30 mins schooling a day although he also gets hacked out for an hour a couple of times a week. Schooling is at novice level and generally leaves him very sweaty in the warmer weather.

He gets some chaff each day with minerals and vitamins, a couple of tablespoons of codliver oil (farrier told me to give it to him) and some cider vinegar.
 
The only reason I am a bit reluctant to put him out during the day is that when it gets warmer he stands in the field with sweat running down his legs in mini rivers and hes so lazy when I bring him in he is very difficult to school.
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Its scary how quickly he has put in weight. I am going to weigh him again tonight to see if it is mainly bloat as he had just been brought in. I'm really worried as we have had loads of rain and now its nice a warm - perfect grass growing weather

The starvation paddock is bare - he gets a slice of hay to keep him occupied.

He generally gets 30 mins schooling a day although he also gets hacked out for an hour a couple of times a week. Schooling is at novice level and generally leaves him very sweaty in the warmer weather.

He gets some chaff each day with minerals and vitamins, a couple of tablespoons of codliver oil (farrier told me to give it to him) and some cider vinegar.

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OK - he may well need more hay than that to keep his digestion ticking over. I had loads of advice from an equine nutritionist to help me get some weight off my pony this winter. I was shocked when she told me how mcuh hay to give him, it was at least double what I would have given him. BUT it has to be soaked. Soaking for 24 hrs takes all the calories out. And another bonus to that will be if he's sweating he'll be taking in lots of moisture from the hay and it'll help precent dehydration
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The nutritionist had me getting my pony doing half an hour brisk walking every day - in addition to his normal schooling!!

I'd probably stop feeding the oil and chaff etc if I were you...maybe look in to something like D&H equibites that give all their vits and mins and don't contain calories. Unless he's having the manufacturer's recommended amount (which if you look on the bag is usually a small mountain!!) of the chaff he won't be getting all his vits and mins anyway.

Weigh him at the same time every coupld of days and keep a record so you know exactly what is going on. Try to fat-score him too, and take pics to compare if poss.

I know it's such hard work, and I am struggling with it to at the mo, but we have to keep their weight down for their own good...
 
The sugar levels in the grass drop overnight so if one or the other then turn out at night to lower the laminitis risk. Generally my horses have free access to the stables and come and go as they please and they choose to come in a lot more during the day than at night (my bay hates being warm and of course once the flies start there are a lot less in the stable.)
I'm also trying to keep my little welshie from too much grass so have opted for turning out at night (have sectioned off about an acre for him and my WB to share) and either out in day with muzzle or in with hay if the grass might be fluching due to the rain. He's not very happy with either the muzzle or the keeping in but at least while the spring grass is coming through he'll have to put up with it!
 
The grass isn't quite so nutritious at night so I tend to bring in during the day and out at night with a muzzle as I don't have a starvation paddock. This has certainly made a difference with the bloaty tummy and I do think my boy is starting to lose some weight. If I had a good starvation paddock I would probably bring in during the day and leave out at night without a muzzle.
 
Another thought - if he's in he's hardly moving around so he won't burn any calories. If he's out with hay, spread it around in little piles so he has to walk to get it. He'll sweat less when he loses a bit of weight too
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my cob is out for 3 hours in the morning on poor-med grazing, then a armful of hay afternoon,scoop of chaff then small haynet at night.

she put on 20 kg in the last 2 weeks.
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i think she scoffs a days worth of grazing in 10 mins
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If you decide to bring him in to the stable, make sure it's not straw or any other edible bedding. I learnt this to my cost with my own porker!
 
I can easily soak his hay for 24 hours although he isn't eating the slice at the moment - he just stands around looking fat. It wouldn't be a problem to give him half an hour of hacking as well each day or weigh him regularly.

I feed him a handful of chaff to mix in with his vit and mineral supplement rather than feeding chaff for the mins and vits.

Thanks for the advice
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hmmm- OK I'll try turning him out during the daythen and see how I get along - I can hack him out in the eve and school in the morning.
 
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If I had a good starvation paddock I would probably bring in during the day and leave out at night without a muzzle.

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Unfortunately thats what I am doing now and hes still growing like mad
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she put on 20 kg in the last 2 weeks.
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i think she scoffs a days worth of grazing in 10 mins
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for a couple of mornings last week I was worried he was going to colic when I brought him in - he was full of gas, bloated all over and had a very wrinkled up muzzle - I think that he goes out at night and just eats and eats
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No, other way! Turn out at night and keep in in day would be my advice!
Also if hacking try and really push on, plenty of hills, trotting and if there's anywhere for a good long canter that'll make him blow, make him do it! Make it a real workout.
 
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No, other way! Turn out at night and keep in in day would be my advice!
Also if hacking try and really push on, plenty of hills, trotting and if there's anywhere for a good long canter that'll make him blow, make him do it! Make it a real workout.

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LOL! I have changed it
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I can give him some good trotting and cantering if the ground keeps soft enough
 
I'd agree, out at night in during day and WORK him. Exercise is the best way of shifting weight, but don't overdo it if he is not fit, but build up gradually.
 
Just a thought but how are you gauging the weight. I've found weigh tapes are IMO pretty inaccurate. Can you get to a weigh bridge? It would give you a truer picture.
 
as much work as poss- pref long walk trot hacks with hills but ANY is going to help.
no more lush grass- i would have him on the bare patch only(as long as it IS bare and not too big-section a bit off and you can see how fast its growing and how much he has eaten off.)
and feed (24 hour)soaked then rinsed hay plus oat/barley straw. 50-50
i fed that to my mare she was 560kg shes now 420-30kg and i can just about see her ribs.
i kept her out 24/7 as there was so little grass it seemed pointless bringing her in to feed hay when she could have it in the field.plus it kept her moving about. once the grass got abit longer on the other field and more like hay she went out on there with a muzzle on in the day for a few hours(only so i could check the muzzle was still on!)
she got a mineral/vit lick and half a carrot after riding
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My advice would be keep him in all day (fructans in the grass are higher during daylight hours due to the action of sunlight) and turn him out at night with a muzzle on. Give him well soaked hay when he is in (at least soaked for 12 hours) and try lunging him to help get the work into him with minimum time input, and hopefully his waistline will shrink.
 
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