Please help with weight loss!!

J

jellybean09

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Hello everyone!

I am after some advice please on how to help my Shetland lose some weight!!

I have 2 shetlands (1 mini but he's an okay weight) They are currently out from 5pm - 7am on a bare paddock about size of an 20 x 40 arena. They come in to their own stables during the day to a hay net that has been soaked over night. They have a trickle net to help make it last. Also on shavings so no bedding to eat.

The mini is only 18 months but the other one is fine to be exercised.

I am going to start lunging and long reining. Is there anything else I can do? I was thinking about giving him bit of a clip?

I am moving yards in a few months so will Have a school to exercise them in and also a yard i can put them on instead of grass.

Any help/advise is greatly received

Thank you
 
I would replace some of the soaked hay with plain oat straw chaff. My mare ate that by the trugful and lost loads of weight, so that she is now back to a sensible weight (she was dangerously obese when I bought her). Can you find some really rough grazing for them in future? That is really what they are bred to eat.
 
How about asking people on the yard to lead shets out if they hack. Obviously short slow ones to start this is what im having to do with mine atm as the kids dont ride him hard enough. And the baby maybe inhand walks round the block?
 
My daughter rode her mini for 3 hr hacks keeping up with my 15.2. He leads off another horse as well. If you taught him to lead off another horse that would be a great way. Ours is so good that it's absolutely no big deal at all to take him with you while you ride. He is impeccably trained.

He also long reins over fences and stuff - he can jump really high and loves it!
 
Leading the Shetland from another horse out on hacks got ours slimmer and fit. He loved it too. Once he got fit we started driving him and he's great fun and goes miles without tiring.
 
Thanks for the replies. I cant lead him off mine as I have 3 and I keep them at home so can't leave one on their own. He long reins as I want to break him to harness so can help harrow the school once we have moved. I will definitely look into the oat straw. Thank you :)
 
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