Porky looking mare! weight loss advice needed!

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alicep

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hi guys

this is my first post in a very long time! ok so ive got a very very lovely little 14.2 irish mare on long term loan. shes been cracking so far and is good in every way and im really enjoying having her (especially after the last demon from hell...)
but....... shes so fat!! i have 2 not too large paddocks of my own which i rotate her around, shes out during the day, in at night. at night she gets about 2-3 slices of hay and she gets 1 scoop happy hoof and 2 mugs of bluechip lami light a day between 2 feeds.

now im assuming the grass is the thing to blame for her fatness as the hard feed and hay seems not alot but she is a very good doer. she isnt prone to lami but the farrier has said he would not like her to be this weight come spring!

so i was thinking of buying a grazing muzzle and starting with that to see if it can control her intake of grass. she doesnt respect electric fencing at all. do you think the grazing muzzle is worth a go?? opinions/advice or anything would be lovely!!! ive always had to try and put weight on my horses in the past and not got much experience of dieting ponies :)

thanks
 
Would give the grazing muzzle a go if you can't strip graze. Is there a reason you bring her in at night? At least if she is out she is getting some exercise - you can cut the hay then too. Why are you feeding happy hoof and bluechip? Can you just pick the lower cal one and feed that to the min level or get a molasses free chaff and just give her a handful of that with a powder balancer for vits and mins instead? I would weigh the hay (slices can vary alot in weight) and soak it well to take some of the sugars out. Do you work her? I would get lots of long work into her - nice forwards walk (and trot and canter if her fitness is up to it). Just make sure she really moves on and doesn't slop along.
 
Things to check
- is her worming up-to-date?
- cd she have got friendly with any stallions?

Assuming yes and no...
try the following in order
- reduce the hard feed gradually until she is not having any (unless she drops weight too fast over winter there is really no need for her to have any, horses, especially native types, are designed for not-that-great-grazing, not hard feed!)
- soak the hay you are giving her to reduce the energy content
- I know you said that she doesn't respect electric but there are a few posts on here with advice as to how to improve that and if the paddocks are yours you could try a 'track system' to restrict grazing and encourage exercise
- only if all the above weren't enough wd I consider a grazing muzzle

Incidentally, does she have equine company? If she is by herself she won't have much to do all day /except/ eat and she won't be forced to share. Cd you consider a companion on loan?
 
We've recently taken on a 16.3hh shire x cob who came to us fat. He has already lost weight but still has a way to go yet. You are definately trying to get the excess off at the right time of year.

Advise that we have been given and are following:

1) NO rugs unless absolutely necessary and then only a lightweight, if possible we will not be using any rugs at all.
2) Grass only out in field (our grazing isn't that rich anyway thankfully), when he comes in at night he can have ad-lib hay (on advice of vet) but will prob have half a bale. He also has one scoop of happy hoof but only because the pony gets fed.
3) EXERCISE - walking is best but not dawdling, make sure they are striding out and not just dawdling along, also incoperate some hills if possible. Our field is also on a hill and he's at the top so therefore has to work to eat!!!

Really hope this helps, also contact feed companies as they are very helpful xx
 
We have far too much grass, so the grazing muzzles have been wonderful in keeping the horses trim. They don't respect fences at all, and the electric box got stolen, so they were the only option for us. This is the first year I've used them, and the difference in the horses is fantastic.

Obviously the other thing to do is exercise exercise exercise!
 
She is on the lami types feeds as i thought this would be low cal enough but still get all her vits a mins in. the only reason i feed her is because she will boot the door down otherwise and its mearly a token feed. i bring her in at night as there just isnt enough shelter in the fields for her over winter and the fields are on a high hill. she is on her own. i cannot get her a companion as i just do not have the time for 2.

She is worked 5 out of 7 days a week and this varies from a nice hack (light schooling involved) to full 30-40 mins schooling to walk trot and canter work on the beach/common.

hope ive answered most of your questions. i really appreciate the advice thanks!
 
If you use a grazing muzzle please teach her how to use it and ge her used to wearing it, as you would with anything else new to a horse. Dont just put it on and leave it on but build up gradually to an extended length of time.

Other than that- soak the hay, minimal rugging, get a stronger electric fence charger and lots of active walking and trotting when ridden. Thats the best exercise for burning fat.
 
I have a fatty too, so feel your pain! She came to me overweight in May & it's still a bloomin' battle :o

I would weight tape her to start (I know they're not always 100% accurate, but it is a good way of keeping an eye on her weight).

Based on this, I would be looking to feed 1.75% of her bodyweight each day, for weight loss.

I would weigh her hay & soak it (although again I know there is some debate as to how effective soaking is at removing WSC's), and tbh I would not be feeding anything else until the grass has gone. If you really want to feed, it would be half a handful of Hi-Fi light and a scoop of equivite or similar.

I found this book really helpful, especially in working out how much she is likely to be eating while turned out:

http://www.britishhorse.com/acatalog/horse_nutrition_bible_991996n.html

As others of said, I would also not rug (or certainly not over-rug), and even look at clipping her to help with this.

Wish you all the best with her :)
 
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