Show me your fatty paddock and how do my two look?

MrsElle

MrsElle

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I feel guilty putting Chad and Blue in the 'fatty field' sometimes, but worry about them putting too much weight on.

Chad is 10 and I can't feel his ribs despite him not having being rugged during the winter and getting minimal feed and hay during the cold weather.

Blue has just turned 3 and is having a bit of a growth spurt. He wasn't rugged over winter either and also had minimal feed and hay over winter. You can't see his ribs but I can feel them.

What does your fatty paddock look like, how much grass is there in there?

Are Blue and Chad looking ok? I do worry!

Blue:

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Chad:

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woahHOAH you have so much more grass in the fatty paddock than I do! Only got one photo of it but you should get the point - its the field in the back (so at the top), with the bay mare in it.

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xxxxx
 
My fatty paddock doesn't have much grass at all compared to yours, I think. Don't have great pics, sorry, but mine are on the track system

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The track goes right round a 4 ish acre field. There are new 'paths' being created to make a channel through the centre of the field and they get fresh grass near enough every day :)

ETA: Mrs Elle, yes definitely! One of mine had extremely bad feet a few years ago (wasn't on the track system then) and so I daren't ever let them get low on supplements etc. The other two get supplements as well everyday with some happy hoof, one was on Top spec Lite and I also use NAF general all round supplement too. The farrier has commented on well their feet are.
 
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My only concern would be are they getting enough roughage. Do you give any soaked hay or straw to keep their guts happy and to help them feel satisfied. If you restrict their intake too much they go into starvation mode and put on more weight like yoyo dieters.

Chad looks fine but your youngster may need a bit more like an extra slice of hay a day as he still has filling out to do.

I am sure you probably know all the above and have everything under control. It's just I have a friend with massivley obese highlands who restricts them so much they are always starving hungry and seem to get fatter by the day despite being on a totally bare paddock. She refuses to give them anything to fill their tummies so riding them is awful as they are desperate for every blade of grass they see.

My lot are on really good grass 24/7 yet aren't that bothered and seem to regulate themselves. No-one is obese and my 3 yo is pleasantly covered and a score of 3 as he still has a lovely little bum and just a covering on his ribs :D
 
ooo never knew or heard of that before, but you live and learn! Their track is constantly changing, I am forever moving the inside and out side fence in and out to give grass, almost like strip grazing everyday. You can see where I have recently moved the fence from the right hand side. But since I have been looking into it, I have heard nothing but good things about the track. I do give them soaked hay, I always try and do whats best for them but I am always looking for advice/development. That is a worrying concern about horses going into starvation mode. Perhaps they should get more then.
 
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almrc sounds like a good plan :)

peteralfred, I've not heard that but thank you for the information. I'd rather have a happy medium, not too short or too lush :p My good do-er isn't on restricted grazing per-say but has his muzzle on 24/7 for 5 or 6 days a week :)
 
peteralfred said:
latest thinking is that amount of grass is far more dangerous than stressed grass.
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I agree with this - though it is being debated a lot. But there is no doubt that laminitics improve once put into starvation paddocks like some of the ones pictured in this thread... if short 'stressed' grass had more fructans then you'd see it in the lami horses feet.

BTW - loving the use of the track system, though prefer to use the proper name of Paddock Paradise! LOL - wish more people would set them up.

As to the weight of the OP's horses - Chad needs to lose some more, Blue looks fine to me... much rather see leaner horses. We are far too accustomed to overweight horses in this country that anything at the correct weight is always accused of being too lean!
 
oops sorry, *smacks wrist* paddock paradise system :) Its hard to know what to do with good-doers, you can't feed too much for fear of laminitus etc and you can't give them too little grass for fear of whats been stated above. They get quite a lot of fresh in the evenings, its sometimes hard finding that happy medium but we strive to get there!
 
Quarter acre pony paddock, and still too much grass for Charley as he is by himself at the moment, all the calves have gone now. He is in by day mostly.

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ps. :eek: Yes, I know, it is wire. Shock, horror, keeps the goats and calves in and the coyotes out though.

With regards to Blue and Chad, echo what Puppy said.
 
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I have a paddock paradise system too; they get some fresh grass each evening;

I think a lot of people think their starving, but judging by the amount of poo I pick up every day I doubt that very much!! :)
 
My fatty field looks like almrc's but its not as big its only the size of a postage stamp garden but only got a mini shetland out there I supplement it with soaked hay and a tiny amount of fast fibre but just so i feel like im giving her something to eat.
 
My lad is on the same paddock all year so it gets trashed in the winter and then struggles to grow back in the spring and summer...so he literally nibbles at what appears throughout the day and is in on soaked hay at night. I can tell how much he is getting by the number of poos per day, so provide small amounts of hay or nothing, as required. He is keeping a good slim weight now and this is helped by riding him up and down hills 6 days per week.
My paddock is not as bare as some of the previous pics that do not seem to have anything to eat in them at all...I prefer to provide some hay so that he has plenty of fibre going through his system.
 
Wow your fatty paddock is well grassy, my retired ponys fatty paddock is literally just dust (i do hang a small haynet up tho) and he gets a bit of chop in a bowl with garlic and vit and min suplements in each day.
 
Sorry no pics on computer, but there is a lot less grass in ours - I feed hay and a balancer to make sure he gets what he needs without the calories. If he were to go out in longer grass I put a muzzle on during the day.
 
mrdarcy said:
I agree with this - though it is being debated a lot. But there is no doubt that laminitics improve once put into starvation paddocks like some of the ones pictured in this thread... if short 'stressed' grass had more fructans then you'd see it in the lami horses feet.
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exactly. I have my 3 on a track system (sorry, Paddock Paradise is too blah for me :) ). The middle bit is used for the youngster and one of the older ones for a few hours a day. They also have hay.
 
My fattie track...which contains virtually no grass. They spend most of their time on this with soaked hay. They can browse the trees and hedges and spend time mooching about to find whatever grass they can
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In the middle of the track and to the side of it are 2 small paddocks which they graze on at night (weather and state of grass permitting)...
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This gives them variety and keeps them moving which is vital for weight loss:)
 
Puppy said:
I would want to see a touch more weight on Blue, and a hell of a lot of weight off Chad!! :)
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This! Although perhaps a bit more than a touch on Blue - have you condition scored him? Chad is lovely but what a chunky man lol! You have my sympathies though, I too have a fatty but no access to a fatty paddock :eek:
 
Would definitely prefer to see Blue with a little more weight/condition. Chad would do really well on a track system if you were able to set one up? It's so difficult managing different horses requirements, so many livery yards just aren't set up for it unfortunately.
 
HP so do you put your horses all of them in the middle at night time every day then around the track in day time? I never thought of this idea!
 
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