My fat horse is out 24/7 and getting fatter! help!!

I am sorry for OP's health issues, I had to give up horses for health issues, its what people do if they can't cope.
If she loans for the summer, she can get him back, but she needs to act now, if she can't exercise the horse she can pay someone to do it for her, or give it to a good home.
http://horses4homes.net/
 
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OK. If you carry on as you are he will get laminitus. Which will give you considerable expense and heartache. There is a lot of good advice on here.
 
Is anyone reading what I post?? I have an overweight horse who temporarily is living out. Hes put the weight on in 3 weeks. While hes overweight, lots and lots of people have horses fatter than him and do nothing. He looks about on par with the cobs you tend so see in show cob classes. I'm not an idiot. I know there is a problem and I am doing something about it. I posted this saying hes going to be muzzled 24/7, but was concerned he would get it off and about it being on 24/7 without a break with hay etc. Thank you to the people who have told me that he will be ok and wont need a haynet etc

I cant have a stable, thats the downside of grass livery. I knew that it wouldnt be suitable over the summer, I just didnt expect such a dramatic weight gain so quickly and had hoped to be moved before it became an issue. There are no yards that will take him for less than a month that I have found, and I'm yet to find one with a space anyway. I am still looking. Someone I know might be able to take him on schooling livery for me and I'm trying to get that arranged. I do have health issues but quite frankly Bonkers you can sod off right off! I shouldn't have a horse as I cant walk for 2 hours a day? Ok, I'll get rid of him then. Where do I find this marvellous loaner or buyer who is looking for a green 14hh ish gypsy cob and can come and get him today and who will manage him appropriately? Obviously you know of someone, so please send them my way.

I actually very much doubt he will get laminitus. Its almost always due to metabolic issues. My main worry is that if he is allowed to remain fat, it will vastly increase his chances of getting those metabolic issues, and therefore cause laminitus problems in the future. Either way, he needs to lose weight and I need a way to manage him until I can get him moved. Hence him being muzzled and coming in for an hour for a break, and to be worked. Although I now kow I dont need to worry about giving him hay while he is in :)
 
Clip him - either total clip, and be firm with yourself and resist the temptation to put a rug on at night, or a short-sided blanket clip if you can't bear to think of him out at night naked!

Given your circumstances, it is a good option - he will burn up more fat keeping warm and unless you intend to show him, it makes not a jot that he is clipped.
 
He was out clipped and either unrugged or in a no fill all winter. I dont have a problem with over rugging. He rips them to pieces if hes warm anyway :lol: He doesnt really have anything to clip off though, unless I hogged him. Theres an awful lot of hair in his mane and feathers!
 
You have to provide the right environment to manage your horse , there's no other way, if the yard you are on does not suit you must find one that does.
Your horse is five until now he has been growing so has been ok turned out until now you have to deal with this pronto he needs to be in work and on a yard that allows you to manage grazing there no other way .
 
The new yard is set up for good doers. Small paddocks set up with rough grazing especially for fatties, and he will be in during the day and out at night in the summer and then swap over in the winter.part stabled as well. She already has a laminitic and an EMS pony there, so has things in place already :) Its just literally the next few weeks until I get him moved that are going to be difficult.
 
I am sorry if you are upset OP, but there is a danger that when you post on here that you will get advice which is unwelcome, I did not say anyone who can't walk a horse for two hours per day should not keep a horse, what I said was that any owner has a responsibility to provide appropriate management. I suggested several strategies which should ensure your horse does not get laminitis.
Walking in hand is method of slimming the horse and yourself rapidly, if you can't do it you can try to find someone who can.
You have posted for advice [presumably] but what advice can be given other than change the situation and do it asap?
 
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FrankieCob said:
The new yard is set up for good doers. Small paddocks set up with rough grazing especially for fatties, and he will be in during the day and out at night in the summer and then swap over in the winter.part stabled as well. She already has a laminitic and an EMS pony there, so has things in place already :) Its just literally the next few weeks until I get him moved that are going to be difficult.
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That should sort it .
 
pity you are so far away he could have stayed here til you move I feel your pain I have a fat pony who has damaged a ligament. no stabling as she jumps out even with bars on, no grass restriction as shs is houdini reincarnate, no muzzle see houdini comment and only on rough grazing but lots of it again see houdini comment. I have started walking her in large squares round the field not ideal for my knee but she has now come to the point where she has enough to eat no need for guzzling so wnaders off has some grass comes back to the short stuff and snoozes so is pretty much self regulating her weight is now dropping off
 
You horse will be totally fine in his muzzle, don't worry about it at all.
My horse has to wear a muzzle so that he can live out at grass. He wears it 24 hours a day when the grass is at it's richest, though thankfully we now have a few more horses in our field and they are keeping the grass down so he doesn't need it every day. He has survived 5 summers like this!
My horse has learned to remove his muzzle by slipping it over his ears so I sometimes put a headcollar over the top when the grass is dangerously lush- that does the trick. You could try that.
I use a greenguard and according to their website and my vet they are safe to leave on as they only cut forage intake by 50% so they still get enough to eat. I lined it with duck tape to stop it rubbing his face.
I find that I only need to ride about 30 mins 3 times a week to keep the weight off but obviously you have to get the horse to lose a bit too. I am sure the lunging will do the job for your little coblet!
Take no notice of people making comments about your circumstances OP. Everyone's circumstances are different.
I still bring mine in for a small handful of chaff to get his supplements into him. Previously I have found dried rosehip to be a good lami preventative but I am now using Top Spec Anti lam balancer. It gives them the chemicals they need to ensure their system doesn't get overloaded by the lush grass. It's worked for my chap so far, he just gets a mug a day.
 
FrankieCob said:
I am sorely tempted to bring him home and tether him on the acre of rough ground behind my house, and I'm only half joking when I say that!
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One month is not long enough for the neighbours to complain and get anything done about it, assuming it is your acre of land. You could offer him up for pony rides to the neighbours children if the parents are ok leading him then they would not complain and he would get some work too.
 
Bonkers2 said:
I am sorry for OP's health issues, I had to give up horses for health issues, its what people do if they can't cope.
If she loans for the summer, she can get him back, but she needs to act now, if she can't exercise the horse she can pay someone to do it for her, or give it to a good home.
http://horses4homes.net/
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OP when I read this post, I thought Bonkers2 was being open about their own problems and trying to give you some helpful advice. I don't think they were trying to say you shouldn't own/look after a horse. The title of your thread ('help!!' at the end of it) gave the impression that you welcome any advice. You obviously don't have to follow any advice given on here at all, but if you ask for advice on an online forum where anyone can reply, then you're very likely to get replies which you don't agree with.

I think Bonkers2 was only trying to say to you that there's no shame in making the decision that your horse is better of to go out on loan, if you're finding it hard to cope with the current situation you're in.

Could you please tell me if my post to you yesterday was also a post which was upsetting or annoying you? I would hate to think that it did, as that wasn't my intention at all. But in a more recent post you said people are not reading your post properly, so I'm wondering now if my advice to you was upsetting to you?
 
He will be fine in the muzzle.
I would take him for long steady hacks - you are worried about weighing too much but you won't weight too much more than the extra pounds he might put on without you riding him.
It is only short term, so don't panic. Greenguard muzzles are good, I managed to keep them on the ponies.
Good luck.
 
agree with all those that say get on him and ride him, muzzle him the rest of the time. stick to a good active walk if you are worried-it's light very early and very late so you should be able to get it done. Just don't stick up a 'am I to heavy for my horse thread'.I doubt you are btw but you know what weight threads are like ;)
 
npage123 said:
Could you please tell me if my post to you yesterday was also a post which was upsetting or annoying you? I would hate to think that it did, as that wasn't my intention at all. But in a more recent post you said people are not reading your post properly, so I'm wondering now if my advice to you was upsetting to you?
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No :) it was Bonkers that annoyed me. She had nothing constructive to add and didnt appear to have read my post. That wasnt what annoyed me though. It was the idea that because I'm not capable of hand walking a horse for 2 hours I'm not fit to own one.

The problem is now solved anyway as I have managed to get a friend to take him on boot camp/schooling livery for the next few weeks. He will be off the grass and in work, and shes not charging me full wack, so while its not a good time to be forking out money, its not as bad as it could have been. Shes very flexible with dates etc, so he can go straight from her to his new yard with the fat pony paddocks and stables. So panic over!
 
That's great news Frankiecob, my little gypsy cob can pile on the weight quickly too, one week a super model the next a small hot air balloon! I am glad you sorted it out, I know how you feel, I am careful about riding my lad due to my weight, however I am lucky as I found a lightweight professional rider to work him twice a week. My lad has another issue which makes me concerned, if he didn't have that my weight would not be a concern. I hope it works out for you.
 
Oh that's excellent news! I'm really glad your friend can take him on for a few weeks - as you say, panic over. Now you can stop worrying about all of this.
 
FrankieCob said:
The problem is now solved anyway as I have managed to get a friend to take him on boot camp/schooling livery for the next few weeks. He will be off the grass and in work, and shes not charging me full wack, so while its not a good time to be forking out money, its not as bad as it could have been. Shes very flexible with dates etc, so he can go straight from her to his new yard with the fat pony paddocks and stables. So panic over!
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Great news- hope it goes well and takes some of the stress off your move!
 
You need to do something immediately OP, every day he remains fat he could get laminitis and then you're screwed. If you think you're too heavy to ride him then get someone else to, or simply lunge him every day? At least that's some sort of exercise. Speak to the YO and tell them you're really worried about his weight, ask if you can section off a corner of the field (or put him in a smaller one somewhere) - if they say no, then I would make arrangements NOW to move yards. If a new yard wont take him for a few weeks go and buy a grazing muzzle. I don't believe a stable is the way forward - all it does is minimise exercise which is what he needs, he just needs a much much smaller paddock.
 
FrankieCob said:
I actually very much doubt he will get laminitus. Its almost always due to metabolic issues. My main worry is that if he is allowed to remain fat, it will vastly increase his chances of getting those metabolic issues, and therefore cause laminitus problems in the future.
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They can get laminitis pretty damn quickly OP, don't think they have to be fat for a while before they get laminitis. One of my ponies got severe laminitis as a 5yo, he was SLIM and FIT! The vet believed it may have been concussive laminitis but who knows, but if he could get it like that well anything remotely too fat is seriously at risk IMO! If you cannot find a yard pronto that can give you a very small paddock then have you asked around local farmers to see if you can rent?
 
DuckToller said:
Clip him - either total clip, and be firm with yourself and resist the temptation to put a rug on at night, or a short-sided blanket clip if you can't bear to think of him out at night naked!

Given your circumstances, it is a good option - he will burn up more fat keeping warm and unless you intend to show him, it makes not a jot that he is clipped.
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sun burn is a big risk for something newly clipped and living out 24hrs per day at this time of year
 
Just got back from dropping him off at bootcamp. Hes going out in a tiny paddock thats been grazed down and is going to be worked everyday. Hopefully he will lose the weight as quickly as hes put it on now :)
 
FrankieCob said:
Just got back from dropping him off at bootcamp. Hes going out in a tiny paddock thats been grazed down and is going to be worked everyday. Hopefully he will lose the weight as quickly as hes put it on now :)
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Well done - that must a great weight off your mind. Hope it works out well for you and him
 
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