Ideas please!

S

Snickers

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I'm not really a newbie, I had an account here aaages ago but lost the password :rolleyes: Hehe anyways, I have a bit of a problem, so was wondering if any of your sensible people could help me?

I have a big retired horse, who literally lives off thin air. This is a bit of a problem, as I can't excercise him anymore, and he has to live out 24/7 due to having arthritis in his hocks, and he is getting fat. He's in a 24 hour turnout field that is about 7 acres, with some other horses, and I've been saving some money to buy electric fencing to make a pen for him, but I can't put it round the trough as the other ponies in the field need to get to it, and carrying water down will be a bit of a nightmare, because like I said, it's really out of the way. So any ideas about what I can do with him?
 
Why not run a strip around the edge of the field about 12' - 15' wide, then you can put a large container near the trough on the other side of the tape to save carrying it back to a pen? (A bit like paddock paradise.)
 
If you have to take water up there, you can get things like bags that go in your wheelbarrow, then empty the water out of that into a water bucket for him?
Or you could put him in a grazing muzzle for some of the day?
 
I would defo go down the muzzzle route, i used to have a little 11hh pony out 24/7, iknow you are only supposse to leave muzzles on for part of the time but he lived in his and was fine.
 
It's partly the arthritis, though he's always had that and stayed mostly sound, but he broke his stifle bone a year or so ago (a kick), so he can walk out but not much else!

I'm such a dunce, a grazing muzzle didn't even cross my mind! He's quite a big chap (and his head is too big for his body :p) so does anyone know a company that does a good grazing muzzle? Also, can they still drink with them on?

Thanks so much for the ideas :D
 
If it's reasonably mild arthritis, he could probably do with a few walk hacks, it would probably loosen him up a bit too. :)
 
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