Slimming a Fatty

[a kind of magic]

Can I have some ideas from you guys please? Basically my lovely shire x cob is carrying a few too many extra pounds, at the moment he is unrideable due to a skin complaint on his back which is receiving treatment. I am long reining him 3 times a week but due to my work hours I can't manage more than that until we have finished fencing off a schooling area within our field so I can work him in there for shorter periods instead of taking him around the lanes.

Our field is 11 acres split into 3 paddocks, one larger one for winter and two smaller ones for summer. We are also in the process of building stabling within the barn so he can come in.

Would bringing him in during the day help reduce his calorie intake enough or will he gorge on grass during his turnout on the 1 acre 'fatty paddock'? My problem with muzzling is that I have yet to find one that fits! His head is huge (he wears a bridle which used to belong to my great-grandad's shire) and the 'full' size muzzles are way too small.

Once his back is healed I can take him for some lovely long walks but it's very sore and is right were his saddle goes.

Any ideas ?

 

[BigRed]

If you are saying his diet field is only 1 acre, than he must have surely eaten that down to nothing ? I personally think it is better for them to be outside wandering around a paddock looking for grass, than standing in a stable with little or no food. You need to be honest about what extra food you give him, and weigh it. I assume you are giving him extra food ? Buy stuff that is specifically targeted to fat people - ie chaff based food that makes them happy because it takes a lot of chewing, but has low calories. Lunging him, specifically in walk is good work, but he needs to be walking smartly, not slopping along. Remember, stuff like carrots and apples are no-no's to fat people.

 

[a kind of magic]

He has one handful of the Mollichaff Hoofkind with NAF Slimline mixed in, no hay, the paddock was previously not grazed so it's not bare yet. That's why I was wondering about bringing him in? The grass in our field is also very fast growing at the moment and I think it's growing faster than he and his pony friend can eat it!

I will get him on the lunge walking around nicely, any light trot work?

 

[pottamus]

Well my lad lost weight being on a hay only diet as I was able to monitor exactly what he ate. Now that he has lost the weight it is just a case of weight taping him each week to monitor things and adjust his diet accordingly. My lad is out on a trashed paddock that was his winter field so he is nibbling bits as he finds them, so he has 2 pads of hay in the day soaked and in a double net to slow him down and I have started to strip graze him a bit by moving his fence line by 1 of my feet per day...so nothing much. He is then in his stable each night on 3 pads of hay in double nets.
The key is to monitor weight gain each week...if they have put on then cut something down a bit, if loosing great...if that is what you need. My lad is not in work either and he has managed to loose weight on a careful diet. I am just bringing him back into work after laminitis problems that dragged on for months...

 

[Hayleyrf]

hey, sounds like your on the right track with feed wise if he isnt lame or anything than yes introduce some trot work and gradually build it up if you can get him to 30 mins of walking and mainly trot on lunge and working well then it's roughly equivalent of an hour ridden work that will do a world of good for his waistline,

 

[MotherOfChickens]

one thing that really works is to build a track around the paddock-it encourages them to walk much more and if it gets really grazed down leave very small piles of hay around it. really worked with my two last year and will building one again this weekend. as said, trotting on lunge and pole work will work his tummy muscles and fight the flab

 

[dwi]

I would give him plenty of soaked hay out in the fatty paddock rather than bring him in. if you horse hasn't got enough fibre going through their system then it slows their metabrolism down as their body thinks they are being starved. I tried everything to get Daisy slim and I'm sure that soaked hay and a very very small paddock was the key.