Revving up/slimming down fat horses?

[hussar]

I'd appreciate your suggestions for giving fat horses more oomph. A friend of mine has a 6yo 15hh Clydesdale/TB/Highland mare which is much more TB than anything else but at the moment resembles a barrel on stilts. My friend has tried grazing muzzles, starvation paddocks, keeping in at night, but still the weight is piling on. The mare is exercised several times a week, is wormed regularly, is otherwise very healthy - but too damned fat for even endurance pleasure rides. She has no energy whatsoever - probably because my friend has been withholding feed for fear of weight gain.

More exercise isn't possible as my friend is an ITU nurse and works shifts. Any suggestions for feeding for energy without weight gain and/or ways of helping her lose weight?

 

[eohippus]

It really comes down to getting the horse fitter really and not ration the feed but feed to ensure vit and mins are present but not any energy, Energy feed will put weight on if the horses is not excersised sufficiently to burn the energy off correctly, it will be stored as fat. It may also be the type of exercise you are doing with her, fast hacks do not make a horse thin and muscled but is more likely to cause respiratory or muscular damage and it will make her hungry. once a correct regime is used then the mare will enevitibly feel more energetic and loose weight.
Hope that helps
Good luck
Dawn

 

[threeponies]

My Highland gets plenty HiFi lite and high fibre cubes with kwikbeet and combined with restricted grazing (not starvation) this keeps her weight down, but ensures correct vits and minerals. When the horse loses weight it will have more energy. Not feeding enough will not make it lose weight, lots of slow work will help shift it. Good luck with it, I know how you feel!

 

[hussar]

Thanks guys - I'll pass on your suggestions. Luckily for me, it's not my problem - as far as I can see the poor girl is doing everything right including lots of slow exercise and flat work, but perhaps not giving enough in the way of vits/mins.

 

[djb]

I know how she feels!

I was having the same problem with my 3/4 welsh D. He wouldn't keep a muzzle on and I was paranoid about him being too fat.

I rang a feed-line - they said it was no good feeding for more energy as this was just extra calories and he just needed to lose the weight first.

I feed HI FI good doer and Blue Chip Lammi Light so I know he has the right vtamins, etc. He is also on restricted grazing but not starvation and gets schooled/lunged/hacked 6 days per week. He has lost approx 30 kilos according to the weigh tape in the last 2 1/2 months so I hope I am doing the right thing!