Ideas on managing a fat companion shetland?

Ellietotz

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My mare is attached to her new toy and needs the weight/isn't having any issues with grass consumption.
However, her playmate miniature Shetland is getting a tad too round. I don't want to split them as that would be counterproductive as I got him purely to keep her company.
I worry about muzzling, I've never had to do it before and I've seen things about the muzzle damaging their teeth or rubbing their faces raw. I don't know how long to keep it on for and he would only gorge when it got taken off. I feel cruel doing it too.

How has everyone else managed situations like this? If so, how have you done it?
 

ester

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I think the only to have two horses with different needs together is by muzzling,
or putting a track round her paddock for him to go round the outside.

I first muzzled frank when it was that or turn him out alone, I didn't want to do the latter.
It's only really the hard bottomed (greenguard) muzzles that cause the tooth wear and it depends how they use them. I'd start yours off in a dinky ponies one (all nylon so very soft) and see how it went.
 

windand rain

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This is why you should always buy a companion with the same dietry needs as your horse. Still the only way you can keep his weight down is to cut his intake so muzzle (I hate them), put both on a track and/or keep him in part of the time. The problem with muzzles is he cannot keep it on 24/7 and as soon as you take it off he will gorge himself silly unless both come in for hours day or night
 

ester

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Plenty do keep them on 24/7 without any obvious ill effects. Mine didn't because they were in during the day so had ad lib hay then which I was happier with.
 

PapaverFollis

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I would track the outside of the field and put him on there without a muzzle during the day. At night muzzle on and in with the big horse. So they get companionship overnight but he gets time without his muzzle on restricted grazing.
 

The Fuzzy Furry

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My mini ponies can get tubby. However, to manage them at this time of the year, they go in a bare, very bare paddock overnight which is adjacent to bigger friend over the fence. The reason they are separated at night is that it's the longer period of time.
Daytime all together with smallest mini in grazing muzzle , I prefer the Dinky muzzles as very rarely rub.
Water tank by yard, do all have to exercise to come down for water.

Edited to add, I will never leave a muzzle on 24/7 as I feel they need time to scratch and itch etc.
 

windand rain

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I would track the outside of the field and put him on there without a muzzle during the day. At night muzzle on and in with the big horse. So they get companionship overnight but he gets time without his muzzle on restricted grazing.
think I would put the mare on the track with the pony for companionship rather than the other way round she can do the gorging while he stays on limited grass
 

Ellietotz

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Plenty do keep them on 24/7 without any obvious ill effects. Mine didn't because they were in during the day so had ad lib hay then which I was happier with.

Bringing them in isn't an option sadly. Will have a look at the Dinky muzzles, I quite like the sound of them and the reviews are good. Also going to clip him out and hopefully lead him out when I ride my mare.
 

The Fuzzy Furry

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Be careful clipping out, they can catch a chill quite quickly unless you are quick with rugs. I do gullet and stomach off for my bigger 33inch one through the winter.
They both go yomping at least 3 times a week for a good half hour too, either on a dog walk, individually or together. Bigger one also lunges and long reins too.
 

PapaverFollis

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think I would put the mare on the track with the pony for companionship rather than the other way round she can do the gorging while he stays on limited grass

That would also work. She goes out in the centre for a pig during the day then has social interactions with mini overnight.... And then mini never need wear a muzzle at all and big horse helps keep track eaten down too..

Ellietotz if you pen them in a smallish area to start you'll soon get a bare patch and you can grow your track out from there.
 

supsup

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I've done a similar combo in the past - my gelding in a bare pen alone part of the day, and out muzzled with the others for the rest. My experience with trying to do a track around the field has been that the area covered by the track (even if pretty narrow) is too great to limit grazing in a meaningful way. Mine needed to be in a much smaller area than that to keep his weight in check.
So while I like the idea of keeping the pony 24/7 on a bare track, and swapping the horse onto richer grazing in between, I suspect a track built on grass (not surface) will still provide too much grazing for the shetland not to blow up. Depends on the weather/field size etc. of course.
But I think part-time muzzling in combination with part-time restricted access to grass is the way to go. The only thing I really hated about my set up was that the only time my boy was in company and could in principle be grooming, he had the muzzle on. Not great. Fortunately, these days he's with a companion who has very similar needs, and we can manage purely by reducing the size of the pen.
 

SEL

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I thought my 2 would have similar requirements given they are both heavy breeds and have PSSM - but no!

My field is an odd shape so a maze of electric fencing rather than a track but I pop the gelding (who needs more grass) on the fenced off bit during the day and the mare stays on the outside on the well eaten down stuff. At nighttime they go on the outside together with soaked hay. Decent energiser needed to prevent the mare deciding she wants to join the gelding on the green stuff.

When I first put all the fencing in place they were both on the track for a week or so to make sure it was eaten down by 2 horses. If we get a grass flush then the area she has access to will shrink.
 

Ellietotz

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Are there any options that don't require moving them about twice a day and building up/changing around a load of fencing? I'm not sure how well he would cope being separated either as they are always next to each other so if she grazes in the middle, I don't know if he wouldn't get upset. I rent my fields so I don't want to turn any areas into dust either. I could put a muzzle on him during the day on the longer stuff and shut them both back in at night without his muzzle but the field they would be shut back into is short grass, not bare but quite short and not very weedy either. It's difficult for me to get there twice a day but I can ask someone to open up the gate for them in the morning if I can't as they can go straight through then.
I just wondered if it would be easier to clip him now as he still has such a thick coat and just strip graze them both with the addition of exercising him.
 
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oldie48

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I share your pain,. A track system wouldn't work for me so I have just ordered a Dinky Muzzle for my sect C. I used one last year with a sect A and he kept it on (mostly) and I took it off from time to time so he could groom etc. The grass does need to be farily long (not very short anyway) or they struggle and get frustrated so I found it a bit of a balancing act. However, it never rubbed him and he literally wore it out eventually. He was also in for part of the day or overnight and I got him a trickle net which really slowed him down. He still looked a bit podgy though
 

ester

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I think it depends on the paddock they are in, F will gorge/stuff on hay instead in the right field (and will eat hay through his muzzle,- looks amusing probably not doable with a dinky though).
 

Ellietotz

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I mean, I may be overreacting. He hasn't got a big neck or bottom, just the grass belly that looks ridiculous when you watch him walking towards you!
 

The Fuzzy Furry

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they just gorge when you take the muzzle off so its pretty pointless. The field looks short but thats because they are eating it off
That's why mine go in a bare dirt area or small bare paddock overnight without muzzles but with a little damp hay, so they dont gorge.

For mine, the muzzles are not pointless at all, they get far more exercise in the daytime as they roam around in their muzzles.
 

Mister Ted

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It can be a tricky one. Had the same scenario.The Shelties were barrels so muzzled them during the day and took them off at night for safety.The rubber muzzle is best as nylon quickly wears through and found they can rub.I think Roma was a good one.It can be difficult to know how to adjust the straps for comfortable eating.One of the long suffering Shelties after having hers first put on trotted out the yard into the field but came back in after ten minutes and stood there as if to say",Sort this out".! It definately made a big difference in dropping the weight and soon were both used to the muzzling,although several times they dodged getting them on or when they were on slipped them off on a branch little devils. We would also bring them in including the horse during the day for a few hours into the yard for a soaked hay net.The good thing about muzzling is they can all be together.Shetlands are so good at escaping electric fencing or any kind if they decide to that I gave up on trying to confine them.
 

only_me

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I’d fence off a small section in the field for the mini. Then big horse has company but mini can’t get too much grass.
 

_HP_

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A paddock within the field is your best bet if you don't want to muzzle (hate muzzles). Post and rail is ideal and then they can still groom/interact with each other.
 

Leo Walker

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That's why mine go in a bare dirt area or small bare paddock overnight without muzzles but with a little damp hay, so they dont gorge.

For mine, the muzzles are not pointless at all, they get far more exercise in the daytime as they roam around in their muzzles.

I didnt phrase that very well, I meant its pretty pointless to have them on half the day, then take them off and chuck them back out on the grass. Yours have the best of both worlds :)
 

Ellietotz

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Thanks for all your replies! I have now clipped him out and he leads off my mare like a pro! Will see how this goes before I look to muzzle.
 

Ellietotz

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He's just getting fatter! I tried him in a track around my mares field, he just pulled it down, even snapped one of the posts! He's now in a muzzle and I watched him for a bit, I could hear him pulling up a fair bit of grass through it. I saw some people on old threads have no issues leaving it on 24/7 and getting to the yard every morning to take it off/on isn't an option. :/
 

only_me

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I don’t like muzzles. As mare is so attached Do you think tethering could be a short term option? Obviously not work for all but might be a good short term measure for you until able to get some hardcore fencing eg. Chicken wire so Shetland proof and enable you to section off a bit within the track for Shetland. Not sure how you’d attach wire to plastic poles though. Or try stranding every single “bit” on the pole with electric tape and even double fencing the outside so if does get out is still “in”.

Other option is to stable until have fencing and just hope mare copes until fencing.
 

Bellaboo18

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I know how you feel, i've got a similar problem and I don't love any of the options....how about trying lamalert? I've never used it but a friend swears by it for cresty necks and fatty ponies.
 
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