My overweight Cob - 560 kilo to 430 kilo, progress in a year pics

CobSunshine

CobSunshine

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First horse, thought the fat was muscle when bought him, until the vet told me otherwise :p:o Didnt know how to put a bridle on, or do a girth up properly total novices :(

He weighed in at 560 kilo


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Lots of reading forums, books, lunging, riding, and a diet of minimal grass paddock. Overwinter he had horsehage highfibre in a quad bag haynet (now upgraded to tricklenet) when brought in occasionally and a little scoop of happy hoof.

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A year on down to 430 kilo, topline feels firm now too as opposed to podgy, some more leaness this year needed, but what do you think so far?

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He looks fantastic! Well done!

I hope you don't mind me mentioning it, and I am only saying so that you don't get problems with his back. His saddle tips back a lot and you are forced therefore to sit right back on the cantle. It may be too narrow?
 
You have done a very good job! It also has taken me a while to get my overweight cob down too from 450kg down to 426kg. Mainly due to not being worked as much before.
I was also looking at your saddle and where you sit and it is not good for both you and horse to be sitting there.
 
A little way to go, as you say, but very impressive so far! I wish others would do with theirs what you've done with yours! Well done :)
 
Wagtail said:
He looks fantastic! Well done!

I hope you don't mind me mentioning it, and I am only saying so that you don't get problems with his back. His saddle tips back a lot and you are forced therefore to sit right back on the cantle. It may be too narrow?
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Use a hunting breast plate now as seen in pic 3 up from bottom, so saddle does sit further forward than it did, and recently had it refitted to :)
 
CobSunshine said:
Use a hunting breast plate now as seen in pic 3 up from bottom, so saddle does sit further forward than it did, and recently had it refitted to :)
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I don't think the problem is the saddle not being forward enough. In the pic with the breastplate it is tipping right back. If it's been refitted since then so that if you view it from the side it is horizontal, then that's great.
 
Certainly an improvement, but still a bit to go, in my book - unless that neck is pure muscle... He certainly looks well covered still for the end of winter / start of spring :o

btw, agree with Wagtail about the saddle. Worth checking :)
 
Wagtail said:
I don't think the problem is the saddle not being forward enough. In the pic with the breastplate it is tipping right back. If it's been refitted since then so that if you view it from the side it is horizontal, then that's great.
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i'll check it tomorrow from the side to make sure its horizontal, the fitting did change after the saddler had been out :)


Going to go one step further with his diet too, as for 100% vitamins from Happy Hoof he needs over 2kg per day.

So after reccomendations on here, his new diet from tomorrow is nothing but minimal grazing, and good doer dose of



"top spec lite feed balancer"
+
"top chop lite"

More expensive than Happy Hoof at £35 for both, but it gives 100% vits, minerals and nutrients and very low calories.


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That's a great improvement, he looks so much better :) I'd also second everything said about the saddle but you've said you've had it refitted since the photos so it's probably okay now, but I'd be inclined to get a second opinion anyway. Keep up the good work, he's lovely :)
 
A friend (EquestrianFairy) on here has been having lots of help from topspec for her ulcer prone horse.
I *think* the general consensus was that topspec WAS good for low starch and sugar - which is good for good doers and those who don't need much calorific content (I think that's right, but worth checking with Topspec maybe?)
 
Lots better - well done, keep up the good work.

RE his saddle - you did the right thing having it refitted recently, but unforunately you'll find that it will need checking again as he gets slimmer.

I love his pink hat. :D
 
Well done! I'm going through this with my heavyweight hunter at the mo, hard work!
He is super cute!
Really like his hi vis ears, if you pop them on before the bridle they will sit under the headpiece and brow band, then there is less risk of them flying away in the wind :)
 
Well done and welcome to cobby wieght watchers club .
I have got my OH's hunter ( 16.2 ID ) from 733 kilos to just over 600 since last April and he could still lose a bit more but he's a much healthier happier horse.
 
Oh hard work good doers! Dont they make you feel so guilty..grass is always greener etc

He is better but still podgy. I would only give him any supplementary feed etc (however low sugar it is etc) if he is being really worked, I mean doing an hour or two a day good riding 3/4 times a week and if he has worked hard. He will be quite happy just to have a handful of pony nuts or a jug of nuts in a trug. Dont give him loads I wouldnt even bother wasting money on the other fan dangle feeds. Hay if you must top up grazing.

Just make sure he has hay(its good you are using a trickle net etc) if no grass but you will be suprised in the current mild and sunshine the grass is growing. Never starve a horse but make sure he can nibble some plain high fibre...HAY to keep his gut ticking over. Mine is on a well grazed paddock and I am giving him ie one slice hay twice day.

Just give a mineral lick block(the old fashioned brick is fine) Not one of those molasses ones will cost you £2.

He will lose weight then...he still is very full under his belly and bum looks big and not muscle still. So keep going and not too many treats.

My greedy boy is honestly happy to get a handful of pony nuts(I sometimes gave him about 5 nuts just to make me seem like his friend..& he is happy).

Good luck he is a lucky horse and its good to learn as you are! Nice pics too.
 
indie999 said:
He is better but still podgy. I would only give him any supplementary feed etc (however low sugar it is etc) if he is being really worked, I mean doing an hour or two a day good riding 3/4 times a week and if he has worked hard. He will be quite happy just to have a handful of pony nuts or a jug of nuts in a trug. Dont give him loads I wouldnt even bother wasting money on the other fan dangle feeds. Hay if you must top up grazing.
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Agree!!
 
Do you have a saddle pad/riser underneath the saddle on top of the numnah, if yes then try a riser that lifts the back part of the saddle and drop your irons you have long legs and you will then sit more central in the saddle, because he will get a sore back otherwise.
 
How does this look :confused:

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When I first got the saddle I used a cottage craft sheepskin half pad, along with a saddle pad. He had poor top line so the saddle fitter advised it.

The cantle height looks better here? How about distance from 18th rib/loin area?
 
putasocinit said:
Do you have a saddle pad/riser underneath the saddle on top of the numnah, if yes then try a riser that lifts the back part of the saddle and drop your irons you have long legs and you will then sit more central in the saddle, because he will get a sore back otherwise.
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Sorry for all the questions :o I found another picture from the set where i'm sat too far back. Regarding length of stirrups, how much lower should they be? Using the metal stirrup height as a guide, half a stirrup lower, a full stirrup lower, 2 stirrups lower etc? I can imagine this would put me in a more forward position not sitting so far back and better center over the saddle




indie999 said:
Oh hard work good doers! Dont they make you feel so guilty..grass is always greener etc

He is better but still podgy. I would only give him any supplementary feed etc (however low sugar it is etc) if he is being really worked, I mean doing an hour or two a day good riding 3/4 times a week and if he has worked hard. He will be quite happy just to have a handful of pony nuts or a jug of nuts in a trug. Dont give him loads I wouldnt even bother wasting money on the other fan dangle feeds. Hay if you must top up grazing.

Just make sure he has hay(its good you are using a trickle net etc) if no grass but you will be suprised in the current mild and sunshine the grass is growing. Never starve a horse but make sure he can nibble some plain high fibre...HAY to keep his gut ticking over. Mine is on a well grazed paddock and I am giving him ie one slice hay twice day.

Just give a mineral lick block(the old fashioned brick is fine) Not one of those molasses ones will cost you £2.

He will lose weight then...he still is very full under his belly and bum looks big and not muscle still. So keep going and not too many treats.

My greedy boy is honestly happy to get a handful of pony nuts(I sometimes gave him about 5 nuts just to make me seem like his friend..& he is happy).

Good luck he is a lucky horse and its good to learn as you are! Nice pics too.
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some great tips there thanks, and thanks everyone else so far :)
 
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Well done, he looks fab.
I have 2 very good doers currently on diets, the only feed they have is a bit of bran with a couple of carrots. Feel really mean when all the other horses on the yard can eat what they want and never but a kilo on
:( Think I'm def going to invest in a couple of trickle nets :)
 
Well done with weight, but would def get opinion from another saddle fitter as he loses weight. In your pics the saddle looks forward over his wither almost (which may be why you are sitting to the back of it) and it may also be blocking his shoulder.
 
Sorry to sound rude but your saddle does not even nearly fit your horse. You will damage his back. Also, I can see you seem to be using a cavesson recently but that grackle is much too low too. Like I said I dont want to appear rude but having seen the result of badly fitting saddles it is one of my bug bares, it causes an unmentionable amount of pain to a horse and if yours has been putting up with that saddle then bless him!!! Sorry have not read replies so this may have already been said.
 
Massive, massive improvement :) Well done indeed. Re the saddle; it may not be wide enough, so sitting high at the front and padding will just make the fit tighter at the shoulder. Call a saddle fitter for advice on that one. You have done much more than I suspect you realise for this little horse and his future health. Why can't everyone see fat is not only bad, it's dangerous and inhumane.
 
JFTD said:
Certainly an improvement, but still a bit to go, in my book - unless that neck is pure muscle... He certainly looks well covered still for the end of winter / start of spring :o

btw, agree with Wagtail about the saddle. Worth checking :)
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agree with this, well done for doing something about it but imo he looks well too covered for spring still. I cant see that much of a dramatic weight loss from the pics in all honesty, maybe my eyes are tired and im grouchy.lol Still, well done for acting on it.
 
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