Mild winter, fat horses

[Achinghips]

Mine are all maintaining very well, too well but I've seen some mahooooosuve great pigs about this winter. How are yours all doing with the grass still growing. Anyone not feeding?

 

[atropa]

Mine has dropped off a little but she had a tiny bit to lose so is now looking a good weight. She's only on hay and a Stubbs scoop of chaff a day atm.

 

[Tobiano]

Mine is doing quite well so far (i.e. not too fat) as I am soaking his hay (and myself!). Am a bit concerned if the wet weather continues though, as he will get his turnout and exercise reduced which may give us problems.

 

[Cortez]

Mine are all off the grass since early December so not stuffing their faces.

 

[dollyanna]

Mine weren't fed last year, even in snow - they're definitely not getting fed this year!!

 

[pansymouse]

Mine is clipped, in a no-fill rug, token gesture morning hay and small (summer size) evening hard feed and is still not dropping any weight (which she needs to)

 

[Supertrooper]

Mine is what he was on weigh tape this time last year, he didn't start dropping weight until end of Jan so will interested to see if he does the same.

He's having hay and oat straw chaff as although I'm sure the grass is growing a bit still he was hungry and he's horrible to deal with!

 

[FfionWinnie]

Incessant rain and wind up here means it's really not that mild. I have some unclipped and unrugged on a hill with good natural shelter, no mud and lots of winter grass doing well.

The ones at home however are clipped and well rugged with adlib hay. It's miserable. Fields are wetter than I've ever seen them and I've been here 12 winters.

 

[Slightlyconfused]

Mine is clipped, in a no-fill rug, token gesture morning hay and small (summer size) evening hard feed and is still not dropping any weight (which she needs to)

This is what the elephant is doing, in just a rug with a fleece lining as he is jyst a bit too damp under he rain sheet and either no neck or light neck and is still fat. Boot camp has started early as normally hedropps off nicely this time if year.

The spotty is maintaining nicely.

 

[AppyLover]

Ours are on 2 feeds a day & hay once a day as their field (I think its around 9 Acres but on a hill so looks smaller) has been in use since last winter so not huge amounts of grass but still a decent amount but the grass has ****** all goodness in it so they mostly get hay so they don't start getting bored and cause trouble really. Both live out 24/7 and will be rugged again when it finally stops raining and they dry out. Ted has petty much stayed the same weight he was this time last year but ive never weight taped him we have a panic attack about the height stick (he dropped down abit to much for my liking in summer as they ate through grass quicker then I could move the fencing) and Ards is built like a tank but seems to have dropped a few lbs which isn't going to kill her. I can't wait for spring/summer no more 2 feeds a day and hay that constantly ends up in my Bra lol oh and no ankle deep Mud which I keep getting stuck in

 

[georgiegirl]

Mine are getting haylage at night and literally a tiny handful of honeychop calm n shine with half rations of Benevit advance. Both look well and shiny and have lost a little bit of podge but I'm a big believer in that that's what they are naturally meant to do in winter! No point going onto lush spring grass when fat as pigs already! Just wish the rain and mud would bog off as they are on next to no grass at the moment but no point buggering up my spring field yet until weather settles down

 

[Cinnamontoast]

Mine gets a handful of chaff to ensure he has his supplements and I'm going to under rug now he's clipped, much to the horror of my sharer!

 

[Orca]

Mine is far too broad but she's lost 1.5 - 2" from her girth since arriving with me (and I'm very happy about this!). She's on soaked hay only. She's unbroken and in a lot, which is not helping. She's away on grass breaking livery as of next week and training lady is kindly going to pop her in the least green and most grazed of her fields for the duration. She's six, not a baby and it's imperative that her weight is shifted by spring but I'm hoping once broken, the extra exercise will make life a little more easy!

 

[merlin12]

Not feeding any as still plenty grass. Polo pony is ideal weight. Cob is naked and fat. Standardbred is fat. All under control though.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

No hay going out in day (am usually chucking a good lot out by now).
Mine only in overnight now since NY day to a, save the ground & b, so Tiny Fuzzy can diet better......

 

[Dancing_Diva]

My new forest mare came back from loan huge, I got told off big time by the vet! Oops!

She's in a tiny fended off corner of my winter field, comes in at night with haynet and small feed of ready grass and fast fibre. She's lost weight nicely and is starting to look good again.

Shetlands are looking the best weight wise, the yearling is lovely weight wise too. Hopefully I can keep them all this good come spring/summer.

 

[Dizzle]

Mine was obese coming into winter, she had been on full livery for nearly a year and probably had nearly a year off work due to the baby arriving so she was disgustingly big, at one point we questioned if she might be in foal!

Moved her in July to DIY and was able to muzzle and section off the field, she is gradually losing weight now but is out 24/7 naked with no hay in 3/4 of her field. She gets a handful of happy hoof once a day (less than 1/4 of a round scoop).

Had the vet out the other day and he 'claimed' he could feel her ribs (at least we know she has them) and he declared her a bit cresty but not too bad, he'd have probably had a heart attack if he'd seen her in summer.

The sad thing is that she is probably only just now at her normal summer weight, I'm worried now that we are running out of winter for her to lose weight, I wanted her to go into spring looking poor but I can't see that happening.

 

[southerncomfort]

Well the oldies who are poor doers have not required any extra feed so far this Winter!

And the good doer is the size of a small elephant, not helped by the fact that the wind keeps blowing the fencing down allowing her out on to the good grass!

Problem is I can't put her in a piggy paddock because the ground is so saturated it would be a horrific bog within hours. Hoping that the weather will dry up towards the end of this month so I can get her in a pen and get the weight off her.

 

[Fransurrey]

I'm having to feed as the grass is too rich. I normally feed less in winter than summer, but they're still on restricted grazing. I did at one point last week suggest that we had dementors in Surrey, but was told I've watched too much Harry Potter. ;-)

 

[Penny Less]

Im a bit worried about fatty going into summer. I do limit hay to a certain extent but as horses are in for about 16 hours cant cut too much, grass is still growing. Cant exercise fat off either as he is retired. Sort of hope we will have a long dry summer with not much grass !

 

[Casey76]

Mine are steadily gaining weight, not losing it. It's driving me up the wall.

The pair of them are clipped (one full clip and one blanket clip) and have been out rugless for the past three weeks it's been that mild. My YO, thankfully, put up a new fence and divided my field into two, with only the top third being used, but as it had been rested for months prior to it being used again the grass is just ridiculous.

 

[laura_nash]

My two are both bigger than I would like, I just wasn't able to strip-graze this autumn as the ground was so wet plus when I did try the fencing just blew down. Everyone keeps saying there's "no goodness in the grass" at the moment, but I'm not seeing it. They spent the last two weeks in a muddy bog and still didn't lose any, I've just moved them to a dry field so can't see it improving - I got the neighbours sheep in there for a couple of weeks first but there's still more grass than I would like. Both are bib clipped and un-rugged.

 

[windand rain]

Still strip grazing miine they are fed all year round as they have turmeric and need a feed to carry it but thye are still too fat for my liking no hay just a foot of grass a day

 

[Achinghips]

Ive seen quite a few people posting pics of their neds on Facebook and they look like welfare cases because they are so fat !

 

[dollyanna]

Having finally had enough dry weather to be able to groom my two, I am seriously considering giving them both a bib clip - one in particular I think is fatter now that she was 2 months ago, the other I worry about less as he has a slightly thinner coat and feels the cold marginally more. But my little mare has the coat of a black polar beat, and just has to look as grass to put on weight - I really don't want her to be going into the spring as she is now. Difficult because they don't normally drop until Feb time anyway, but by then it will be too late to clip!

 

[marmalade76]

Loads of grass here and all looking well, if a bit muddy and soggy. I am still feeding and putting a little hay out 'cause I am soft.

 

[GeorgiaR95]

I have two very happy haflingers that are a nightmare to drop weight, I only rug them in a rain sheet and at a push they have a medium in heavy snow and still dont drop weight. Dont want to clip because then i will have to rug which i dont want as they live out. I feed mine Baileys Lo Cal Balancer, two cups a day, all the nutrients they need and perfect for good doers as it has no calories. Usually put a tiny handful of happy hoof chaff to slow down their eating. Seems to be keeping them full without the weight gain

 

[fathorselover]

Mine has dropped quite a lot and looks like a racehorse so I am giving a few extra feeds- she is living out with adlib haylage.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

I only have one thats porkier than I want but thats mostly because the last week he's been chugging back the hay and in overnight. Once he goes back on the hill he'll be alright. The oldest and the youngest are fine-the youngest has dropped a bit but also seems to be growing again.

One good thing about having a short growing season where I am, is that I still have 3-4 months before spring grass starts up.