Overweight cob

[AceCob]

Hi, I’ve recently bought a cob x. He’s appears slightly over weight on his belly. Been told it’s hay/grass belly. I’m seeking advice as this is my first owned horse. He has a fantastic temperament, ridden & also in hand. I would like help on how to reduce his belly shape. What exercises would be good for him/what to feed him. He is currently on 2/3 hour grass turnout & 2 nets of hayledge. Carrots, apples and bailies treats for a treat. Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[chaps89]

Is there a reason he has such limited turnout?
If he's out more he should move about more which would help (although if there's lots of grass you may need to use a muzzle, strip graze or put a track in - if you're allowed - to help restrict intake)
Can you either feed Timothy haylage or swap onto soaked hay at all? That would probably be better for him than haylage. Also weigh your hay to help with feeding the correct amount. If he's still hungry a plain straw chaff like top spec top chop zero are good for nibbling on but very low calories.
Treats are probably not a good idea if he's a bit porky. If you're desperate for him to have some, use them as a reward, for example if you do carrot stretches. Or hang a swede on a string in the stable to keep him occupied, as a low calorie snack and some entertainment.
The Blue Cross do a very good guide to condition scoring your horse which is worth looking at if you're unsure.
Exercise wise, hill work, pole work, hacking and interval training are all good for helping tone up
Eta- well done for asking too, always a good idea to ask for help if you're unsure, especially with a first horse

 

[AceCob]

Hi, thanks so much for your response. He came from a muddy paddock 24/7 with no green grass. So I’ve been told to limit the amount of time he’s getting on the grass to avoid laminitis and colic. I’m slowly bringing his hours up every day by half a hour so he doesn’t get unwell from the grass. Also he’s being ridden on hacks 5 times a week with 2 days rest. And I always nip up and let him have a walk in hand to keep him moving. I definitely will be measuring amount of hayledge he’s having. What would you recommend giving him?

 

[AmyMay]

Sounds like you’re doing everything right. Personally I’d drop all the snacks if you genuinely think he’s overweight.

Do you have a photo?

 

[chaps89]

That makes sense and is very sensible in that case
So to feed for weightloss they suggest you feed 1.5% of your horses weight.
Whilst weighing them on a weigh bridge is ideal, a weigh tape is what most of us have to settle for!
It can be tricky (especially if they're stabled alot) to feed enough to prevent them having empty tummies and developing ulcers but not getting too fat, which is why soaked hay or Timothy haylage with straw chaff can work well.

It definitely sounds like you're already doing a lot of the right things with him though, well done

And a photo is a) always nice and b) helpful on threads like this

 

[AceCob]

thanks for the reply’s. this is him

 

[AceCob]

Hi thanks for the response. This is him

 

[AmyMay]

Can’t really tell from the photos. Do you have any others?

 

[AdorableAlice]

With him being new to you and possibly with limited information on his past worming records it would be worth worm counting him before making any changes to his feed regime.

Very best of luck with him and well done for gradually introducing grazing to him.

 

[Micky]

Looks more like muscle tone he needs..a good instructor (when the time allows) should help schooling him correctly to start using the right muscles, it takes time but will help tone his belly, develop topline, engage back end..meantime keep hacking, soak hay if necessary, cut back on treats etc. He looks lovely by the way..congratulations!