Losing weight (wit's end).

[Christmas_Kate]

I have just shelled out on yet another grazing muzzle, which hopefully will restrict G's grazing even further. In the past I've bought one and made the hole bigger as he had a complete fit over it, and then bought another and cut the hole slightly larger than it should be, so hopefully this one i can leave the hole as normal.

G is just learning to lunge, a very long and painful process forall of us ATM. The idea being that once he's learnt this i can lunge him every day or other day and keep him trim that way.
He's in a fairly large paddock, with very good grass and 2 sheep. I can't go dividing it up as it's not my padock to do that to, and I really have to respect the fact it's not mine. He's muzzled 24 / 7.

But if this doesnt work, I don't know what I'll do. I can't bring him in as none of the other horses are in and he frets and shouts.
We only get time for hacking at weekends, so that won't do anything for his fitness (and we have no saddle atm

.

I can only forsee this getting worse... OH came up to see him today, and commented on his weight

. I'm just so worried about it I'm half thinking perhaps If I havent access to a starvation paddock it might be best to find him a home where they do have the facilities? He's never had lami, and I don't want to be the one to give it to him...

Has anyone anything to add? apart from strip grazing / more exercise (the former I cannot do).

 

[Weezy]

How big is the paddock? I presume he is now on nothing BUT grass?

 

[Christmas_Kate]

He gets nothing but grass. TBH most of it's old grass from last year, quite long, but quite a bit of new growth coming through at the top end of the field.
I'd say it was about 1/2 to 3/4 of an acre.

(he gets herbal treats in lunge training... only as bribery!)

 

[Weezy]

Bribery is acceptable

Well it isn't a HUGE field - do the sheep do a good job? All I can think is asking to have it totally and closely topped, but ONLY if the sheep graze intensively otherwise that may make the grass even better (I am not good with grass and its ways!)

 

[Christmas_Kate]

I was going to ask for that, but was thinking it'd be then out of use for a while, whilst the topped grass died off? and it's all I have access to atm...

 

[Weezy]

Do you know anyone with a ride on mower that collects the cuttings

 

[Christmas_Kate]

yes I do..... actually our gardener has one!

 

[dozzie]

In the longer term, what about getting him broken to drive?

Even if you sent him away to do this you can do a lot of the preliminary longreining work beforehand.
That will help get his weight off and keep it off and you can have some fun too!!!

Im sure you can get little traps for shetties!

 

[Honeypots]

If you definitely can't strip graze which really would be best then I would seriously consider stabling him (sorry, I know you said you can't do either) BUT he will soon get used to it. He'll have to. Better than lami.
Are there no other horses that could share with your shettie a while to knock the grazing down or even more sheep maybe...

 

[pottamus]

You seem to be doing all you can and I could only suggest upping the exercise a bit. At the weekends you could go out for a nice long hack with plenty of trotting up the hills and on the flat (if his fitness is up to it). Other than that bear in mind it will take a while for any diet to kick in and for you to see changes. I only really manage my boy by exercising him plenty, doing longer distance rides at the weekend and ensuring he is on closly cropped grass.

 

[Christmas_Kate]

ATM, lungeing him is a nightmare, due to no saddle and a roller just doesnt sit as he has no withers. Son and daughter are riding him bareback until we get a new saddle sorted (we had a cub saddle, OH left the tack 'room' open and someone's taken one of the velcro bits off of it so we can't use it).

I'm going to enquire today about having half closely topped, taping it off, and grazing the other half with sheep. Also going to start walking him inhand again. We do want him broken to drive, but as I've never drien, want to send him somewhere nearby so I can go and visit and learn too.... we just can't find anywhere within an hour's drive from here.

 

[LauraBR]

[ QUOTE ]
ATM, lungeing him is a nightmare, due to no saddle and a roller just doesnt sit as he has no withers.

[/ QUOTE ]

Just lunge without! Headcollar/bridle and lunge line and away...

 

[Christmas_Kate]

nooooo!!

lol, he wouldnt entertain the idea. This is a shetland, not a normal pony lol. he has ideas of his own, and if I attempted lungeing him in a headcollar I'd probably get my head kicked in. With two lines i can at least turn his back legs away from my head, and stop him charging at me.....

 

[LauraBR]

Little b*gger!

 

[Christmas_Kate]

I hasten to add, if my eldest was capable of lungeing this pony would probably be an angel. Seeing is believing...he's a saint with the kids and just walks all over me...... I have lots of bruises and bite marks.

 

[LauraBR]

I once had a pony on loan like that. Horrible! NO manners whatsoever and no respect for me. Had to wear a hat just to groom him.

Will probs get shot down for this BUT, I started carrying a riding crop with me all the time when handling him. If he bit, kicked or shoved he got an angry growl, and he did it again he got a smack on his bum or his shoulder- and I meant it too.

It didn't take long for him to have a little more respect (think I only carried the stick for a week or so) and ended up a total sweetie to do anything with in the end. Just took some serious showing of who was boss.

Sounds harsh maybe but at the end of the day they are large, strong animals(even shetlands) and it's no fun being walked all over nor is it safe.

 

[Fiona_C]

LOL G is testing the boundaries !!!

Sophie has decided she's lunging Mickey today....hmmm should be interesting !!

 

[spaniel]

As your grass is quite long I suspect he is managing to eat just about as much through the muzzle as he would without it.

TBH I can see only two choices here....stable him or find somewhere more suitable for him to live.

 

[lucemoose]

It does sound like you have exhausted most possibilities, but as his health is at stake then Id suggest stabling. Yes he will fret, but am sure he would settle as soon as you left the yard. You have to be cruel to be kind, and you know how manipulative shetties are!

 

[JessPickle]

We had one like that at our yard, awful on the lunge and she is 11hh! its always the small ones. To sort her out someone who looked rather large on her lol, rode her while someone else lunged if she was good large person was swapped for small child, she soon learnt being good meant light person, being bad meant hard work! slightly strange idea but it worked!

 

[piebaldsparkle]

Sounds like you have tried almost evrything, but..............have to thought of trying a stable mirror? You can buy off cut quite chap off ebay (especially if you look in the hame/garden bit for acrylic mirrors). You would only need a small one for a shetland. Could well solve the problem of stabling him alone for periods each day. Then maybe you could just turn him out at night with the muzzle.

 

[dwi]

You don't say where you are but I would have suggested driving as well. Have you tried looking on http://www.britishdrivingsociety.co.uk/. Even if they can't help you they might well be able to point you in the direction of someone who can.