MochaDun
Well-Known Member
I've just caught up with this thread again so this is how I'm managing mine at the mo.
Due to being on a rota at work, when I'm not working I tend to ride 5 times a week, mainly hacking with 1-2 hills, only 1 decent hill though locally to play with! I try and get in some decent trot on the bridleway but the ground is very hard this way at the moment. This is interspersed with an hour long lesson about every 2-3 weeks. At the moment in my lessons we're making use of a jumping paddock and I'm finding the exercise required for jumping seems to help trim him up quite well. If I'm working, unfortunately my riding drops down to about 2-3 times a week as I get back too late.
Diet wise - he's out during the day from about 8.30am to 6.30pm, stabled at night - and the days I ride it's sometimes for less time than that. The yard doesn't offer restricted grazing and due to where the fields are and size of the herd he's out with I'm reluctant to use a muzzle for safety reasons. Overnight he has one slice of hay soaked, a handful of Top Spec Top Chop with a breathing supplement in it, half a carrot, and I have some equibite vitamin & mineral biscuit type things which I give him a few of occasionally.
On the weightape he's about 413kg if not more at the moment and my ideal choice of weight for him would be about 398kg. This must have been the first winter I didn't manage to get his weight down to below 400kg - I think because we had restricted turnout and the haylage when in which is what we have during the winter was very good quality. So he started the summer with already carrying extra weight. Don't know what it is about this year so far but only now am I seeing a tiny bit of weight loss since they moved onto the summer fields 2 months ago. Normally I am able to let him have some turnout 24/7 in the summer but not risking it yet this year.
Well done to those of you who have got such good amounts of weight off already, it's giving the rest of us hope and hints and tips how to get there!
Due to being on a rota at work, when I'm not working I tend to ride 5 times a week, mainly hacking with 1-2 hills, only 1 decent hill though locally to play with! I try and get in some decent trot on the bridleway but the ground is very hard this way at the moment. This is interspersed with an hour long lesson about every 2-3 weeks. At the moment in my lessons we're making use of a jumping paddock and I'm finding the exercise required for jumping seems to help trim him up quite well. If I'm working, unfortunately my riding drops down to about 2-3 times a week as I get back too late.
Diet wise - he's out during the day from about 8.30am to 6.30pm, stabled at night - and the days I ride it's sometimes for less time than that. The yard doesn't offer restricted grazing and due to where the fields are and size of the herd he's out with I'm reluctant to use a muzzle for safety reasons. Overnight he has one slice of hay soaked, a handful of Top Spec Top Chop with a breathing supplement in it, half a carrot, and I have some equibite vitamin & mineral biscuit type things which I give him a few of occasionally.
On the weightape he's about 413kg if not more at the moment and my ideal choice of weight for him would be about 398kg. This must have been the first winter I didn't manage to get his weight down to below 400kg - I think because we had restricted turnout and the haylage when in which is what we have during the winter was very good quality. So he started the summer with already carrying extra weight. Don't know what it is about this year so far but only now am I seeing a tiny bit of weight loss since they moved onto the summer fields 2 months ago. Normally I am able to let him have some turnout 24/7 in the summer but not risking it yet this year.
Well done to those of you who have got such good amounts of weight off already, it's giving the rest of us hope and hints and tips how to get there!
he's still 'fat' by regular terms but he drops through winter, I don't like hard feeding unless he needs it.
