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

CobSunshine said:
Contacted a local saddle fitter Matt Marlow @ Heritage

http://www.heritagesaddlery.co.uk/
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No where near me but I've seen some lovely comments made about this company and the quality of the tack on here so you should be in good hands this time around...:)

My saddler is a great chap... If you can find one you trust they're worth their weight in gold I think... No suggestions on one for your boy - cob-less here...:)
 
1. I'm thinking about this

http://www.heritagesaddlery.co.uk/c...ll-purpose-saddle-100-english-saddle-heritage


VS

http://www.heritagesaddlery.co.uk/content/yin-yang-inner-balance-generalall-purpose-saddle



custom made to fit?


2. Also for a 14.4hh pony how much lower than 430 kilo could I go? or is 430 good if I can now really lean him up?


3. Heres the picture of his dad I was promising, i've love him to get some slabs of muscle like this...




daniel.jpg



http://www.toprockstud.co.uk/htm/daniel.htm
 
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He still looks a bit chunk tbh.

The saddle doesn't fit him at all, or you either and ou have it to far foward onto his shoulder too.

Sorry to sound so negative and a know it all, but I started out just as you have and now I just wish someone could of told me sooner as I could of saved a lot of time and money getting it right the first time instead of the last.;)

Well done with what you are doing, he looks a fab little chap and very happy.
 
Elsbells said:
He still looks a bit chunk tbh.

The saddle doesn't fit him at all, or you either and ou have it to far foward onto his shoulder too.

Sorry to sound so negative and a know it all, but I started out just as you have and now I just wish someone could of told me sooner as I could of saved a lot of time and money getting it right the first time instead of the last.;)

Well done with what you are doing, he looks a fab little chap and very happy.
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he still has more to lose, but not sure how much lower than 430kilo to go?
 
CS, I suspect those saddles will both fit a bit different, style is also important as is custom to fit. I would let Mat guide you a bit on what will best suit both of you. I also suspect he will start muscling up differently and actually using his abs a bit with a better fitting saddle for you two :)
 
Cobsunshine - firstly very well done for getting the weight off him. If you need help/advice can I advise speaking to a nutritionist.

We have used Allen&Page and have found them really helpful. We already used their fast fibre product (great for fatties) so they didn't actually sell us anything but they have been very helpful for advice plus it's free and they'll bring weigh bridge out too. Oh and you get a free bag of feed. May be worth a call xx

Well done and enjoy him xx
 
I wouldn't be feeding him anything at all! All the good grass is going to come in and he's going to blow up faster than a baloon!

Cobs can more than happily survive on fresh air with a sprinkling of grass :)

He;s still a bit chunky just now so I wouldn't worry about him going hungry - he will put on weight a lot quicker than he will lose it!

Won't comment on saddle, everything I think has been said x
 
I wouldn't be too fussed about what he actually weighs, just use it as a method to check that the weight is coming off. A horse in peak condition with little fat & a lot of muscle will weigh a lot more than it would with no topline & a reasonably large grass belly.
 
Good on you for slimming him down so much already, and glad you're getting the saddle situation looked into! :) I have a ridiculously good doer as well. Apart from grazing/hay in winter, he gets just TS Anti-Lam, with a bit of extra MagOx for a deficiency. The Anti-Lam doesn't need any chaff added; can be fed just as is, and a big bag lasts me quite a while, so cheaper to feed than the other TS products.

Mine always seems to stay round, despite lots of exercise, unless he's actually on just soaked hay, with restricted grazing. It's hard work getting them lean and mean! :)
 
Thanks for continued comments :)

This is the topspec i've got the "lite" feed balancer, so its going to last me a while, and I believe you can feed this too just as is, out of your hand

http://www.topspec.com/products/topspec-lite-feed-balancer/


I may get the anti-lam next time.


I'm confused about feeding him hay now, there are some comments in this thread saying its essential for roughage, but then many comments saying he'll be fine to live off minimal grass with the spring grass around the corner?

I'm definetely going to keep up the top spec lite balancer for his vits+mins.

But as he's out 24/7 and there is grass on his field, although minimal, should I feed hay or not? surely it will make it harder for him to keep losing weight if he's eating hay?
 
My D is 14.2 and his 'fit' weight is 405- that's when we're at his Driving trial fitness, and driving 16km three times a week, riding 18km twice a week and schooling for a day a week.

Then he looks like this-

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And looks like this ridden-

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Go on- break him to drive!! It's a great way to manage a good doer!!
 
CS hay really does depend on your grazing/how big the field is they vary so much at this time of year. If Frank was out on his field 24/7 he would not be getting hay, because I know that there is enough out there still. However a friends fields are practically bare so I would prob be feeding hay for a couple of weeks until it started coming through properly.
 
Ours is currently getting two wedges of hay twice daily and two feeds of one stubbs scoop fast fibre and two small handfuls of hifi mollasses free. When he was last weighed (on weigh bridge) he was 812kg and we think he's lost more since then. Will see at his weigh in tonight. Our field is fairly bare and grass just starting to come but it is never lush so perfect for B.

Just to point out B is a 16.3hh shire x cob xx
 
Well done on getting the weight off! I'd agree he needs to lose a little more - maybe 30 kilos?

Re your saddle - I agree it doesn't fit - as you have also discovered and while the herritage saddles are lovely and it's great that you are considering a made to measure, he is still changing shape so it could be a waste of your money if you then have to get another one made...

I'd agree he could take a slightly longer seat, which will help you in finding a saddle that fits YOU too...

Have you considered a saddle with a changeable gullet in the interim? Kent and Masters do lovely looking leather saddles in a variety of shapes and styles to suit most types... worth a look ;) I have a HWGP (rrp about £700 new but much cheaper second hand) for my youngster and even though it was incorrectly fitted at the start, a new fitter adjusted it for me really easily and relatively cheaply. It will certainly do us until he stops growing / changing shape when I will invest in a nicer one... maybe... it's so comfortable! Maybe get a fitter to work out what style is best for you and him and then try and track down a second hand one with the right sized seat and get the right gullet put in and any flocking adjusted to suit?
 
p.s. If you want to feed any hay I would soak it well... (overnight / during the day - drain and wrinse it well) and it will have very little nutritional value at all but will provide him with the fibre he needs for a healthy gut as well as keeping his belly feeling full.

Weigh it dry and only feed 1- 1.5% of his ideal bodyweight a day - so 4 - 6 kg a day (about 2-3 sections)

If you are allowed to feed in his padock, put his ration in several small piles so he has to 'graze' for it ;)
 
katastrophykat said:
Go on- break him to drive!! It's a great way to manage a good doer!!
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He's gorgeous and very fit :) The boyfriend wants to break him to drive, but there's no where really suitable to do it, and dont have the funds to afford a cart. I can imagine how much it helps with weight control on a good doer though!

ps. when he's ridden is that one of his natural gaits to stride out so straigh legged, or is it something youve learnt him?

Vectro said:
Where did u get the breastplate? Its exactly what i'm looking for
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The breast plate on my pony or another one shown in this thread?

If mine, http://www.goytmill.com/kincade-contrast-breastplate.ir?cName=-brands-kincade secures to the grith, round the neck and the d rings.


ester said:
CS hay really does depend on your grazing/how big the field is they vary so much at this time of year. If Frank was out on his field 24/7 he would not be getting hay, because I know that there is enough out there still. However a friends fields are practically bare so I would prob be feeding hay for a couple of weeks until it started coming through properly.
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I'm not sure how big the field is acre wise but theres constant nibbling to be had 24 hours a day, and the weight isn't dropping off him over winter so i'm guessing extra hay wouldnt be a great idea.


Supertrooper said:
Ours is currently getting two wedges of hay twice daily and two feeds of one stubbs scoop fast fibre and two small handfuls of hifi mollasses free. When he was last weighed (on weigh bridge) he was 812kg and we think he's lost more since then. Will see at his weigh in tonight. Our field is fairly bare and grass just starting to come but it is never lush so perfect for B.

Just to point out B is a 16.3hh shire x cob xx
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That sounds a lot of food for a 812kg horse :confused: what did he come in at on tonights weigh in?

CBFan said:
p.s. If you want to feed any hay I would soak it well... (overnight / during the day - drain and wrinse it well) and it will have very little nutritional value at all but will provide him with the fibre he needs for a healthy gut as well as keeping his belly feeling full.

Weigh it dry and only feed 1- 1.5% of his ideal bodyweight a day - so 4 - 6 kg a day (about 2-3 sections)


If you are allowed to feed in his padock, put his ration in several small piles so he has to 'graze' for it ;)
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I normally use horsehage high fibre, which i understand to be far better than hay as is, but usually soak too, and use tricklenet, still not sure he needs it though. If he's in overnight on occasion he get horsehage soaked about 4-5 kg.
 
Supertrooper said:
Cobsunshine - firstly very well done for getting the weight off him. If you need help/advice can I advise speaking to a nutritionist.

We have used Allen&Page and have found them really helpful. We already used their fast fibre product (great for fatties) so they didn't actually sell us anything but they have been very helpful for advice plus it's free and they'll bring weigh bridge out too. Oh and you get a free bag of feed. May be worth a call xx

Well done and enjoy him xx
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thanks for this post, sounds a good service, ill take a look at Allen & Page :)
 
If you don't think he needs it, don't feed it but do make sure he gets to munch a small haynet before exercise to stop his stomach acids slopping about inside him, possibly causing ulcers ;)
 
Sorry- just saw this and I'm on phone so can't quote...

He's gorgeous and very fit The boyfriend wants to break him to drive, but there's no where really suitable to do it, and dont have the funds to afford a cart. I can imagine how much it helps with weight control on a good doer though!

ps. when he's ridden is that one of his natural gaits to stride out so straigh legged, or is it something youve learnt him?

That pic was taken in a lesson I was having with Richard Telford, he does monthly clinics round here in summer and has poor Ru working his little welsh socks off :D it's rarely he goes like that at home!
 
littlelegs said:
I wouldn't be too fussed about what he actually weighs, just use it as a method to check that the weight is coming off. A horse in peak condition with little fat & a lot of muscle will weigh a lot more than it would with no topline & a reasonably large grass belly.
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This, condition score him :) If he were mine I'd still want a lot off of him tbh :o But well done on helping him shift the pounds!


CobSunshine said:
But as he's out 24/7 and there is grass on his field, although minimal, should I feed hay or not? surely it will make it harder for him to keep losing weight if he's eating hay?
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I wouldn't feed him hay at all to be honest.



katastrophykat said:
My D is 14.2 and his 'fit' weight is 405-
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In comparison, my 15.1hh D was conditioned scored as perfect weighing 556kg (on a bridge - spillers yard visit) and 510kg on the weigh tape. Probably not as fit as your lad but can show the difference in weight which is why it's best to focus on what you can see and feel :)

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It's very tough with a good do-er but use the last of the bad weather to your advantage :D I've had to be cruel to be kind as my gelding is on box rest and has been out of work since Novemeber. He gets about 1.75% of his bodyweight in hay and a handful of fibre cubes for his supplements to go in and nothing else! He's about 10-20kg lighter but obviously has no muscle. I can feel his ribs nice and easily and wouldn't mind him being a touch lighter!

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cinnamontoast said:
I wouldn't feed him anything but forage unless you're working him hard. Lovely looking lad. :)
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I have the greediest good doer cob 14.1 but built like a house. When he was with another NORMAL eater who would stop eating when full...mine just goes on and on and on............one track mind. Would polish off hers too.

He is in one acre well winter grazed and I am giving him one slice of hay in the morning and a haynet full at night. The hay is a couple of years old and in good condition. He has a old fashioned non molassed mineral lick £2. If he was being worked (he is retired) I would give him a few pony nuts and in winter plus Trug of Dengi Hi fi lite but only after being worked. Dentist said he had the best teeth and she knew he lived out even though I took him to a freinds house just by looking at teeth.

Blows up like an elephant if allowed. Spending money for a good doer on feeds is just such a complete waste of money. Save it to buy the little cart instead(now thats an idea surely)! I dont know how to post a pic of old boy?
 
Hey guys,

Thought i'd update this another year on, he's at a yard very close to home now so lunged and ridden everynight, even in the dark throughout winter in floodlit menarge. His diet consists of Topspec Antilam and Topchop Lite and brought in at night to a tricklenet full of hay, turned out in the day. As of last weekend he's now out 24/7 again. First winter he's been brought in, after living out all his life and he loved it!

Also had a new Yin Yang saddle custom made after this post, by Matty Marlow of Heritage Saddlery.


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