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

What a great thread! Am going through similar issues to you and you got some fantastic advice from here. Mine is also on topspec antilam and a tiny bit of top chop lite, with added mag ox and top spec 10:10. Would love to swap from haylage to hay but its all we have here, and cos ikm pregnant and can't lift, and therefore relying on others to do this, soaking is problematic too. Mine is currently about 425kg, and needs to be around the 400kg mark for me to be happy, but she's out more now and fully muzzled so that will help.
 
I love reading threads where advice is offered to the OP, and it is taken on board and acted upon, what a lucky lad he is to have you OP!
 
Great thread and what a difference. I got my new lad in Nov, a 4 yo cob and he weighed 570kg (he was only 14hh). He was 449 last weigh in. I aim to get him down to about 400 - 420. He came with a saddle that I wasn't happy with so I booked the saddler before I had even paid for him (she gets very booked up!). He has a made to measure Ideal VSD on a hoop tree, with a view to it being adjusted a lot! He has changed so much, inches over his shoulders so I expect we will have lots more changes to come.

Our weight loss has been down to
- no rug
- Soaked hay boosted with straw to keep tummy and mind happy
- Feed is just a token splodge of soaked unmollassed sugar beet with homemade straw & hay chaff and 365 feed balancer
- Lots of walking in hand and long reining - we have only had about 10 weeks of riding with a fitting saddle as he keeps changing.

I am sure the hard work will be worth it!
 
Well done, what a difference!! Good doers can be so difficult - my cob came through Winter on next to nothing and was put into The Fatty Paddock in February! Exercise is a great help too.
 
Well done!! Having a fatty to contend with myself i know how hard it is!!

You took all the comments on board really well as well, not everyone would have done :)
 
I've read the whole thread through... Wow, well done you OP! I wish all first time owners were as conscientious as you - great thread, your boy is looking fab :D
 
Wow he looks fab now - I have a new too round section d and you are an inspiration - shows what can be done and excercise is the key!

:)
 
Just to echo everyone - well done on your progress with your boy! He looks amazing now and your new saddle looks fantastic too.

Also your willingness to learn and desire to do the right thing for your horse has really stood out. He is such a lucky boy to have you. I wish you many wonderful years together.

bth_cheerleader21.gif
bth_cheerleader21.gif
bth_cheerleader21.gif
 
Wow thanks for all the comments everyone :):):) Makes it even more worthwhile.


Hippona said:
Hi...looking good.:D

Are you pleased with your saddle? Matty made one for me too....he's just altered the tree for me as my boy has changed shape...
Click to expand...

Love the new saddle! Recommend Matty to anyone, great professional service and the quality of the saddle is unreal, comfy and perfectly finished. I went for the GP Yin Yang inner balance custom made

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



Orchardbeck said:
What a great thread! Am going through similar issues to you and you got some fantastic advice from here. Mine is also on topspec antilam and a tiny bit of top chop lite, with added mag ox and top spec 10:10. Would love to swap from haylage to hay but its all we have here, and cos ikm pregnant and can't lift, and therefore relying on others to do this, soaking is problematic too. Mine is currently about 425kg, and needs to be around the 400kg mark for me to be happy, but she's out more now and fully muzzled so that will help.
Click to expand...


When he moved to the new farm closer to home I muzzled him as the pasture was rich and grass quite long, couldn't recommend the greengaurd grazing muzzle (and safety head collar) highly enough. He'd lose the shires ones on a daily basis lol.

This forum alongwith all the advice in this thread was the biggest help in the weight loss, here's the top 10 contributors, I hope this will help others reading this thread struggling with a good doer!


1. Lunged and ridden everynight all throughout winter in menarge, or hacked out if light. Exercise not only burns calories from the work itself, but the metabolic rate stays elevated afterwards burning further calories.

2. Tricklenet for his hay at night, doubled the time it took to finish.

3. No haylage, the farm could only provide haylage which put weight on him, so bought my own hay separately.

4. No straw bedding, he'd eat it once haynet finished, shavings only

5. Grazing mask as very rich pasture up until September, where he was then allowed on the lammy paddock, he was much happier not having to wear the mask, but grass more of a "nibble" as opposed to a "gorge"

6. No rugs at night in the stable, he was more than warm enough and more calories burnt.

7. His first trace clip (he gave me the beady eye but settled after 5 minutes :) ) to burn more calories, stop him sweating so much in girth/belly area under work, but keep winter coat of his back and legs for weather protection + warmth. I'll get this same style of clip each winter I think.

8. Lightweight raincoat when turned out if needed, ie. cold or wet.

9. No treats, only one small horse treat after his work.

10. Topspec Antilam balancer and Topchop lite, only additional food, and fed strictly according to his weight, (100gram antilam per 100kilo bodyweight, and 1 stubb scoop of topchop lite daily)
 
Last edited:
Really well done, he looks fab! I feel your pain, my little mare was incredibly overweight when I got her, I have found that soaking her hay and topping up with barley straw, using a trickle net, and getting her off straw bedding were my main winners. It's hard work with a good doer, but they are worth it. :)
 
What great progress! It's not easy so kudos to you, he looks fantastic!
I have a mare who was very overweight when I got her in Sept last year, she still is, well both of us are, but not as much as we were, and we're working on it!

She has a bit of Lo-Cal balancer and Hi Fi Lite to take her supplements in once a day. She has haylage in winter but I feed it in a trickle net and then stick another net inside that one to make it harder for her to get, and once the grass has got going a bit more she'll have to go in a fat pen as she hates to wear a muzzle, also hates the pen but less than the muzzle. She has this way of looking at me which makes me feel so guilty! Also, she gets hacked out most days, lots of hill work, sometimes she goes out twice in a day as she is the "go-to" horse for novice riders at our yard, even if it's just a slow plod that has helped a lot
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top