Overweight horse

Cinnamontoast

Cinnamontoast

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Do you reduce just hay or up exercise or both? And does anyone follow the 2-2.5% rule for hay or do you just guess? I know roughly how much my horse gets, but I'm not fanatical.
 
I have a 1-2 rule. My two horses, both around 16.2hh, have one bale of hay if they have leftovers from the previous day, or two bales if they finished it all up.;) :cool:
Don't know about reducing weight on horses, we usually have the opposite problem, but with me i find diet and exercise is the only way.:o
 
Just been through this with my EMS mare,total feed needs to be at1.5% of bodyweight to lose weight,hay soaked for 3 hrs plus,and upped exercise.Yes I did weigh all feed until she lost enough weight and then relaxed the portion control!She had no grass at all for about 2-3 months and now goes out muzzled.
 
I came back from my hols last year and pony had definitely put on weight in a short space of time, he was out all day in of a night but wasn't being ridden for 10 days and had piled on a few pounds. I cut his hay a bit but nothing drastic and just upped his exercise even just by 10 mins extra in the school a day, just more trotting or even brisk walking and he was back to his old self in no time.
 
When my pony was dieting, I didn't weigh hay out. I fed less hay and what I did feed was old and stalky. I added some straw for something extra to chew as his portion did seem small. It did take exercise and diet to shift his weight though.
 
I reduce hay add straw and up exercise if that's possible .
My Tb is tubby ATM he's had an enforced break however with him a soon as I work him he will restrict himself and soon lose wieght.
 
Having just spent 6 months strictly dieting one of mine the key to it was limited grass. He has been out 24/7 (much better to keep them mooching about) on a very bare field.

So yes, you want to exercise as much as possible, and you want low calorie long fibre, but grass can make or break the deal ...
 
If this was me I would reduce the amount of good quality hay you feed by using later cut hay in the year - it is more lignin based (which is indigestible) but still satisfies the horses need to chew. The problem is if you feed too little food (2.5% of body weight is the normal appetite) then the horse will not produce enough saliva to buffer the stomach acids that are continually secreted - this can cause problems such as equine gastric ulcer syndrome - if exercise was then to occure - further stomach wall damage can occur due to acidic splashes onto the sensitive areas of the digestive system - look into feeding poor quality hay but lots of it, reduce all oil and fat from the diet and this should begin your weight loss - if all else fails contact a nutritionalist and they will work out a full ration formula for you and give you any further ideas - it would also be beneficial to offer a salt lick or vitamins as poor hay is low in nutrients that horses require - expeshially if you are wishing to tire the horse to a state of fatigue during exercise - hope this helps (im in my final degree year of equine science so know alittle bit of this)
 
Thanks all of you. He's not ridden bar the odd hack and I've cut his hay to 2% of body weight. He's on a virtually bare field 8-4 although in this week due to bad mudfever. He'll be lunged and hopefully long lined at the weekends when I can see him!

As he won't touch a salt lick, can I add a bit of table salt to his handful of chaff? If so, how much?

Cruel mummy, I'm under rugging slightly. :eek3:
 
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cinnamontoast said:
Thanks all of you. He's not ridden bar the odd hack and I've cut his hay to 2% of body weight. He's on a virtually bare field 8-4 although in this week due to bad mudfever. He'll be lunged and hopefully long lined at the weekends when I can see him!

As he won't touch a salt lick, can I add a bit of table salt to his handful of chaff? If so, how much?

Cruel mummy, I'm under rugging slightly. :eek3:
Click to expand...

You must not think like that.

It is far crueller to allow a horse to get overweight and not do anything about it.

Definitely increase exercise. It raises the metabolism for several hours after exercise.
 
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