Overweight pony.... Best plan of attack

[RaYandFinn]

Hi everyone

I've just started helping a lady at my yard bring her pony back into work.

Said pony is hugely overweight. So much so that she's struggling under saddle as her movement is restricted. I've agreed to ride her (walking only) 2/3 times a week to break up her routine and owner will lunge her more briskly the other days.

Does this sound sensible? I'm also wondering about a bareback pad for riding atm as her saddle really doesn't fit well. I'm not keen on them on the whole, but just initially while her weight comes off, it might be more comfortable for me and her?

Just to add she's on restricted grazing and no feed.



Regan

 

[pixie]

How is her grazing restricted? Is she on a small bare paddock?

 

[RaYandFinn]

How is her grazing restricted? Is she on a small bare paddock?

Yes, it's not quite as bare as I would like, but there isn't much on it at all

 

[Polos Mum]

Just like people slow and steady is best for weight loss. More exercise the better - no harm in her being ridden gently in walk twice a day, lunging is tough and dull round and round in walk - what about long reining as a more gentle start if she's really unfit?

How bare is the area just outside the field she's in? my lot will evaporate new grass before I can see it! So someone sensible many years ago told me to look as what has grown that they can't reach to get an idea of how much they have really eaten. I've had mine get fat on an apparently totally bare field ! Could she be muzzled or be turned out in a school or pen where there is nothing other than say some straw/ v v soaked hay to really get calories down/ If she's really fat I suspect the field isn;t as bare as you'd think

 

[calmgirl]

Lunging will be hard on the pony if she is so over weight including stress on joints and strains with ligaments. Short hacks and long lining would be better. Just in case.
Use a weight tape to measure progress! Something should shift in a few weeks. If not the feeding needs reviewed. Good luck.

 

[charli_]

Should shift nicely- last year I got an overweight native slimmed down quite a bit by simply hacking out a few times a week. Have to say that it would be quite strenuous for the pony to be lunged in the beginning - best to wait until some weight is off and only do lunging 2/3 times a week as it doesn't do ligaments good to be worked on a tight circle too often - good luck

 

[SO1]

I suspect paddock was once not bare otherwise she would not be so fat.

It took me 7 months to get my pony's weight down and that included grazing muzzle and a lot more work than just a gentle hack a couple of time a week and was not massively overweight either.

Agree lunging is hard if pony is not fit so best to start with the walking maybe in hand to start off with if the saddle does not fit.

 

[amandap]

The paddock is bare because she is eating it as fast as it is growing. Could a track be made round the edge to increase movement and feed some soaked hay?

 

[RaYandFinn]

Hi all

Thanks for your replies. I agree about the grazing. I have suggested to her owner that we will weight tape her and if we don't start seeing an improvement in 2 weeks, we will muzzle. It's difficult with her not being mine. I don't want to upset her owner, so it is softly softly to start off.

We are going to do some long lining too as I want to break her routine up as much as possible.

Has anyone tried a bare back pad to ride on? Not for serious work but I'm thinking just while she's shifting this initial weight.

 

[amandap]

Using a muzzle might not be an option if the grass is so short she can't get anything at all through it.

 

[RaYandFinn]

Using a muzzle might not be an option if the grass is so short she can't get anything at all through it.

This is true... It's so difficult. She's come from a troubled back ground and can't be stabled at the moment. We're working on it, she's happy to wander in and out of her stable, but not quite at the stage of being shut in. She also has huge separation issues with her field mate, who she won't leave at the mo. This pony is older and needs some grass. Maybe it's a case of muzzling and providing soaked hay?

 

[amandap]

Some horses can eat soaked hay muzzled but you need to be sure she can. Fluffed up piles may be the way to go if she can manage it with the muzzle. It's a long hard slog I'm afraid but keeping up the feed and graduated exercize regime long term is well worth it.

 

[holeymoley]

Can you section a small part of the field off and give her soaked hay? That way you're restricting grass but she's getting some food, and she's just over the fence from her friend who can get the good grass.

 

[acorn92x]

Watching this thread. I recently aquired a Highland pony who is carrying quite a few extra pounds and is also quite unfit. Owning a pure bred Native is new to me - my previous 2 were ArabxWelsh C and Anglo Arab and I had quite the opposite problem with those two!

 

[Timmys Mum]

There's a rather wide cob at my current yard which is put in a muzzle which he can't eat ANYTHING through for a few hours every day (rest of the time he's muzzle-less) as well as being lunged. Seems cruel but preferable to him going lami?

 

[pixie]

No point in only muzzling part of the time, he'll just gorge once its off.

 

[Polos Mum]

No point in only muzzling part of the time, he'll just gorge once its off.

Agree with this - my mini puts on more weight with day time muzzle compared to 23/7 muzzle

 

[amandap]

There's a rather wide cob at my current yard which is put in a muzzle which he can't eat ANYTHING through for a few hours every day (rest of the time he's muzzle-less) as well as being lunged. Seems cruel but preferable to him going lami?

Imo this is not a goof idea and unfair. The frustration of not being able to eat anything will cause stress and upset his gut through stress and lack of fibre. He will then gorge once the muzzle is off! Starving as part of weight control and laminitis prevention is not recommended.