Living on fresh air

[Hormonal Filly]

Do some horses just live on air?!

I’ve owned cobs and chunky types before. My ISH (although my first mare) is the best doer I’ve ever owned!

She is somehow on the fat side.. and gets little as possible.

It must be in the genetics?! Are mares more prone to it? She’s so greedy with food, never known anything like it.

 

[awelshandawarmblood]

Both mine are the same, on what looks like the Sahara with one feed a day, but still gain if I'm not careful!

 

[DeliaRides]

Some seem to! My daughter's pony is a Welsh C and has only ever had grass/haylage and a mineral lick, and stays the same weight year round with bags of energy, a shiny coat and eyes, good hooves etc. Perhaps this is to be expected as she's a small hardy native etc. But my friend's massive 17hh ISH also only has a feed the size our hamster needs, and leaves some of it... and she's pretty fat at the moment! Some just are, others you keep shoveling it in them and they still look like skin and bone.

 

[rabatsa]

Try keeping a mule.

Mine has barley straw 24/7 and a very very small portion of hay once a day. She still has a solid crest. I am thinking of stopping the hay but she has coliced bad enough to be horspitalised twice in the past. I stopped any grass because it was making her itchy.

 

[Birker2020]

One of the vets I know posted a really interesting post on FB about how much grass a horse will actually eat during the day, even when you think there is nothing on the pasture, the horse has already eaten some 20kg of grass during that time its out, that's a huge amount when you look at the sugar content.

So while the paddock might look bare to you and me, its actually full of grass for a horse.

It was such an interesting post. I'm having a break from FB at the moment otherwise I'd find it for you.

 

[dreamcometrue]

My Connemara is the same. She is out for a few hours on moorland type pasture with a grazing muzzle, then has precisely weighed and soaked hay and still gains weight. She is a ferocious eater, probably because she gets so little that she really is hungry. I don’t know the answer. I spend hours researching to try and find a way to manage her.
She is on recovery rest at the moment so no exercise makes it worse.

 

[Patterdale]

If she’s greedy with food then she must be getting fed - don’t feed her!! If they’re fat then they’re not going without, even on what looks like a bare paddock.

 

[blitznbobs]

I have two horses (4 actually but im comparing 2 of them) one is fat … too fat always on a diet gets no food apart from pretty meagre grass and a handful of happy hoof cos he goes nuts if I feed the others… the other is so thin that i am bringing her in at night so that i can get a big feed and ad-lib haylege down her snd with that she just about maintains a weight so that the rspca arent knocking at my door … (thin horse turns her nose up at anything ‘mashy’, ) fat horse eats anything (i think he would eat me if he got the chance) … it’s definitely a personality thing

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Both my Arab's are pretty good doers 1 holds weight more than the other he could do with loosing a bit but for the time of year his not looking bad he will drop off in winter.

I literally have no grass at the moment so they get hay and a small feed.

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

Having a good doer is definitely harder than a poor doer.. I could shovel as much feed and as much hay into Jacob as I could and he just didn't seem to get fat. He got a bit of a belly when he went onto fresh grass but nothing major. He would drop off if you cut it down but it was just so easy to do.

 

[Jenko109]

I actually feel quite sorry for those ultra good doers.

I see too many on postage stamp sections of paddock, constantly hungry. It must be little more than an existence for some of these animals.

 

[Patterdale]

I actually feel quite sorry for those ultra good doers.

I see too many on postage stamp sections of paddock, constantly hungry. It must be little more than an existence for some of these animals.

Yes but most of them are getting constantly fed too.
If these horses were on larger areas, not given any extra feed or roughage, not rugged in winter, or better yet fully clipped and lightly rugged, and exercised, they wouldn’t need to stand on postage stamp sized areas with muzzles on.

 

[Birker2020]

Having been in a situation where I was desperate to put weight onto something that looked constantly like a hat rack I would always rather be in the situation where I had a horse that needed to lose weight.

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

Yes but most of them are getting constantly fed too.
If these horses were on larger areas, not given any extra feed or roughage, not rugged in winter, or better yet fully clipped and lightly rugged, and exercised, they wouldn’t need to stand on postage stamp sized areas with muzzles on.

Not true, friend has three on about 30 acres of average grazing, 2 of which are hacked a lot (one unridden) and taken to clinics/the beach and all sorts, not over rugged or hardly rugged at all apart from the older one, very little additional feed other than a token gesture I believe as they don't often come into the stables. Hers all still need muzzling and would be fat very quickly without it.

 

[smolmaus]

Having been in a situation where I was desperate to put weight onto something that looked constantly like a hat rack I would always rather be in the situation where I had a horse that needed to lose weight.

We had this discussion at the yard the other day, me with my plump little cream bun and two others with sports horses who show an extra rib if their dinner is 20 mins late. I think its going to be a case of "grass is greener" a lot of the time.

 

[ponynutz]

At least it's cheap lol!

 

[Birker2020]

We had this discussion at the yard the other day, me with my plump little cream bun and two others with sports horses who show an extra rib if their dinner is 20 mins late. I think its going to be a case of "grass is greener" a lot of the time.

It was a nightmare. He was a Grade B SJ who lived on adrenalin and used to canter sidewards everywhere, he was always on the go, but never had any problems with him, other than his weight! I had someone threaten to report me to the RSPCA because I clearly wasn't feeding him

I tried every food imaginable (I suspect the Baileys No. 4 and the Barley rings made him mental) and was feeding him vast quantities of hay but I never did put any weight on him.

 

[Patterdale]

Not true, friend has three on about 30 acres of average grazing, 2 of which are hacked a lot (one unridden) and taken to clinics/the beach and all sorts, not over rugged or hardly rugged at all apart from the older one, very little additional feed other than a token gesture I believe as they don't often come into the stables. Hers all still need muzzling and would be fat very quickly without it.

3 horses on 30 acres?? I’m not surprised they get fat..! I think anything would unless it was mountain rock.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

It was a nightmare. He was a Grade B SJ who lived on adrenalin and used to canter sidewards everywhere, he was always on the go, but never had any problems with him, other than his weight! I had someone threaten to report me to the RSPCA because I clearly wasn't feeding him

I tried every food imaginable (I suspect the Baileys No. 4 and the Barley rings made him mental) and was feeding him vast quantities of hay but I never did put any weight on him.

Baileys no 4 is rocket fuel! The barley rings are hit and miss depending on the horse, some it sends them loopy others ot does not.

My 2 oldest ones take a bit of feeding but 1 is 30yo with dodgy teeth and the other is 21yo and the most pathetic pony you will ever meet in your life - a summer drizzle and he will dive for the cover of the trees shivering ? the 30yo is a shetland stallion, the 21yo a dartmoor pony who came off of the moors as 3yo and has lived in Scotland ever since. He has never been in indoor pampered pony, he has always lived out bar the night before a show so he has no reason to be as soft as he is ?

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

3 horses on 30 acres?? I’m not surprised they get fat..! I think anything would unless it was mountain rock.

No, I should have said 3 horses in a herd of about 12-14 I think is the current number, on the 30 acres.

 

[DabDab]

Yes. I have three at the moment on pretty much identical management except for the amount of hay and hard feed they get. The Connemara is not a greedy pony at all, she is in fact quite fussy with hay and grass and will frequently not finish her meagre hay ration. I feed her less than half what I feed my tb x, she hacks for miles and has energy to burn but yet is still always on the plumper side of ok.

She's so efficient in terms of calories in Vs energy out that she is genuinely my backup plan for when the price of fuel gets completely unaffordable.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I actually feel quite sorry for those ultra good doers.

I see too many on postage stamp sections of paddock, constantly hungry. It must be little more than an existence for some of these animals.

We can't all be blessed with huge lush green fields for our horses most livery set ups are small fields with small herds or individual turnout especially if you are within the M25 perimeter.

I have mine at home I have 2 on just over 2 acres and if I had more I would probably have very fat horses, having them on not much grass does allow me to give them a good amount of hay though.

So many horses are just not designed to live on huge amounts of grass especially native cob types even my Arab's don't need loads of grass.

 

[Winters100]

For sure some need less food than others. My good-doer receives about 1/10 of the hard food that poor doer does, and none of the chaff. He works much harder than her, but still I have to keep a close eye on him to keep him at a good weight. I remember that in the old days it was considered a positive if an advertisement said that a horse was a good doer. Now I am not so sure.

 

[maya2008]

I have four adult natives, who didn’t even start to lose weight until their paddock literally resembled a desert. Currently on the winter paddock in the hopes that we will have rain and the rest will recover, and are looking very healthy!

The yearlings aren’t doing so well though (have got a bit too ribby after the last growth spurt) so are coming in at night for some forage and to keep lami Shetland company. Nothing special mind, as they are natives too - just some high fibre haylage.

 

[Hormonal Filly]

Well.. I’m so glad it isn’t just mine! I do agree though, my friend shovels food into her horse and it costs a bomb so it is definitely cheaper this way!

If she’s greedy with food then she must be getting fed - don’t feed her!! If they’re fat then they’re not going without, even on what looks like a bare paddock.

Yes, I must be but she’s given a handful of chaff with a supplement so it isn’t hard food. Because of the hot weather, she was coming in during the day on 6kg soaked hay double netted and back out at night on what I thought was a bare field. Yet shes been putting weight on, not loosing it. Her field looks bare.. but must be growing and it’s a nice size just for her.

To her disappointment I’m now leaving her out 24/7 in her field hoping this will make her drop some weight, then bringing her in on a evening for a net while I groom/tack up. She’s mad about it and acts like she is completely starved.. so I’m assuming she’ll drop weight (loose the newly formed fat pads on her shoulders!)

 

[Birker2020]

Yep.. well. because of the hot weather, she was coming in during the day on 6kg soaked hay double netted and back out at night on what I thought was a bare field. Yet shes been putting weight on, not loosing it. Her field looks bare.. but must be growing and it’s a nice size just for her.

To her disappointment I’m now leaving her out 24/7 in her field hoping this will make her drop some weight, then bringing her in on a evening for a net while I groom/tack up.

Yes I need to address Lari's paddock, he's putting on weight again.

I'm quite keen for him to have the bit at the bottom as he can socialise with the horses in the paddocks at the back - he has company either side of him. But I don't want him having access to loads of grass.

He needs worming, his worm count was 24 and the lab said anything over 15 needs worming but as he's going in tomorrow for a scoping I think I've left it too late. I will have to do after.

 

[SEL]

I've got 4 on the same paddock but the one I struggle with the most is a french draft breed that was traditionally used for meat. She'd make good value sausages.

They're on a track which is dust, with hay. The other three are a nice size with one needing extra. The French fatso still has a crest ? - she's the largest of all them but gets the least to eat.

If she was human she'd be on a permanent diet moaning about her genes

 

[Hormonal Filly]

To bump this back up. Really struggling with my 4yos weight. She eats like something I’ve never seen before!! ?

I’ve restricted her paddock and she’s out at night, in during the day because she loves a snooze. She comes in and acts like a starved animal that’s been on concrete all night. I give her 4kg of hay, split between 2 double netted nets on the ground. She probably finishes it by lunch time but can’t give her more or she’ll put more weight on.

Yet she is STILL fat. I soaked the hay for a week but I kept forgetting, I guess I could set an alarm. The only difference in her weight I noticed was when she was out on a paddock 24/7 (poor grazing/poor grass) getting 1kg of hay a day you could see she was gradually loosing weight but she hates being out during the day with the flies.

Will soaking it make a big difference?
I have the saddle fitter tomorrow, I’ve tried to hard to get her slimmer. It’s just all on her belly.

 

[Patterdale]

Stop giving her hay!! You’re constantly feeding a fat animal, that’s why it’s not losing weight. I can’t think of a gentler way of putting it, sorry.
Turn out on a bare (to you) paddock, don’t feed and she will lose weight.

 

[maya2008]

Pop her back out on the bare paddock, with fly rug and mask. She’ll be fine.

Alternatively, halve the hay you are giving and affix the net to the ceiling on a rope so it swings when she tries to eat from it. Takes them forever to get through it that way!