It's January, and fatty's still not losing any weight?

Firstly i confess to not having read anything but the original post but here's my suggestion., apologies if someone has already suggested it, great minds thinking alike etc :)

I think he needs to be doing some interval training, it will shift the little bit of extra weight. Winter's not over by a long shot yet though, i'd not worry too much, if weight loss goes too far i am sure he will regain it very quickly. A bit like myself, well the gaining part .......
 
I'm not saying he CAN'T trot or canter, I'm saying that, for various reasons, he's started rushing like a loon and I've been advised to take him back down to basics for a while. I have, he's getting better, I'll be building it back up again once the ground thaws out. Hacking is limited to weekends only as I work full time, and I'm lacking company (if there's any company at all) that will do any more than walk. Try to understand that there are other factors involved with ridden work, which is why he's not being worked into the ground. I KNOW he needs working harder. We're getting there. Oh, and we're not allowed to loose school / jump either :rolleyes:

Thanks for all the replies, I'll take it all on board. Looks like we've got some work to do.
 
I would leave his diet as it is and concentrate on exercise too.

Even if you can't hack every day, you could go in the arena. Just don't try to ride any small circles and keep the corners shallow until his balance improves. If he is rushing in trot and canter you could just focus on getting lots of really good transitions rather than maintaining canter. As his muscles get stronger he'll be able to sustain a balanced canter.

The good thing about exercise is that it builds muscle and muscle tissue burns more calories than fat tissue even at rest - so even when he isn't being ridden you'll get the benefit!:p
 
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TS - I've thought about it, but we're not supposed to bring our own forage onto the yard. I may try talking to YO about it, but we're not allowed to use straw as bedding either... I've yet to try a fibre block though, are they any good?
Click to expand...

I've only used them as boredom breakers, but I liked them (and so did horse!).

I know how you feel, one of mine's a bit of a fattie, but I just don't have enough daylight to work him :(.
 
Conniemara1 said:
Hi,

I feed chaff damped down, and I had a google to double check I wasn't making it up about the stones and found this. Fat Horse Slim guide - Blue Cross
www.bluecross.org.uk/files/fat-horse-slim.pdf
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Thank you Connie! That guide is by far the best advice I've read on slimming down fatties! Will definitely save that one. My Ardennes companion came to me extremely overweight and it's a long hard battle - soaked hay, straw, living in the pig pen in the spring :eek:, getting a sharer to exercise him hard, bib clips, no rugs etc etc. We still haven't won but it was really interesting reading the guide for the different approaches to slimming down the fatties. Biggest challenge is the boredom - he's a motor mouth and will wolf a double netted haynet in half an hour - the stones look like a good plan!
 
Some good advice so far, will be easier when you can work him properly! I used to let mine get fat, was then scolded by my physio for it and I'm now hot on weight management :o So this is my first mare in May 2011 when I got that kick up the backside. She was about 390kg here:
fattay.jpg

But she'd been bigger than that before with real fat pads everywhere! Sickens me to think of it now, so lucky she never got laminitis etc.
This was her around her ideal weight of 347kg after a diet and exercise regime. Lots of free schooling as her saddle didn't fit due to the fat!
mooseslim.jpg

I got that off of her with soaked hay, bare grazing and free schooling. Lots of. Then powerwalking and hacking once back under saddle :)

And my second mare, got her in May 12 she weighed about 425kg here.
DSC_0031.jpg


Her weight just came off with exercise and restricted feeding, this is her at about 385kg or so 2 weeks ago:
slimnoonoo_zpse8e60a1c.jpg


In summer they'll be out 24/7 but no doubt in individual bare paddocks with soaked hay and plenty of exercise!
 
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