Sometimes I just wish I had my own land

Buds_mum

Buds_mum

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I do love my yard i'm at but sometimes I would just love my feild and stables to do things my own way.

Buddy is out on GOOD grazing, three feilds opened up full of grass. Some of it is rough and the type most horses don't eat but the rest is lush and nice, but its too good for a fatty cob. It was fine untill the weekend because I was bringing him and the two others (y/o's) in to stand in for half the day and then still stabled over night. But now they are out from about 6 in the morning untill 5 - 6ish in the evening. He has balloned! And got grass glands. He is the type to stuff himself though.

I asked for him to be moved to some rough but wasn't allowed so now i'm going down the muzzle route, I dont want him having to stand in all alone and they will soon be going out 24/7 anyway. Its just stressfull because instead of the y/o saying oh yes the grass is too good for his type they are blaming me for feeding him. Saying he should get a handfull of hay and no hard feed.

a) I don't agree with leaving horses with no forage for long periods of time, he gets two small wads of hay in a small hole net overnight. Its always all gone by the morning. I don't want him getting any less as I think he'll just gorge more on the early morning grass if his belly is empty overnight.

b) His 'hard feed' consists of a handle of soaked fast fibre and a handfull of happy hoof with his vits in. Thats all...!

Feel sick with stress, just lost one horse to laminitis and I have no control over my other boys intake. I don't want to leave him without overnight (tbh if I did I think he'd just eat his straw), I hate being blamed for his weight when I know its that he is just on too much grass.
I can't exercise him at the moment as i'm waiting on a new saddle so i'm lunging him nightly but it seems to do little.

AND my car was crashed into yesterday by a white van man so its in for repair so no transport untill I pick my hire car up later, meaning Buds is at the mercy of the grass untill 5 tonight.

Oh and the muzzles i've seen that will fit over his big snozz are the greengaurd ones which are £50 without the headcollar to put it on!! I'm nearly at the bottom of my over draft untill payday...

Migrane coming on, may go hide from the world.
 
Come hide with me.. I am about to lose one of mine from sudden complications following laminitis 18 months ago and being sound for 12 months.. His feet turned out to be horrific and had massive separation as a rising 4 yo so I believe his problems started way before I met him.. Here we are 8 years later..

I now have them at home but I feel your pain.. I have a welsh A that I can't keep a muzzle on or keep in.. He looked like he ate a gym ball.. Weight control is difficult as he was starved and abused within a particular group of people, and removed by the police, so he keeps every calorie.. A friend from here has him at her yard at the minute as part of her land is rough fatty grazing and his weight is coming down.. Tearing round with a 2yo helps too.. He's only 4 this year..

Feel free to PM if you need to let of steam, it's difficult x
 
I would section a part of and see if anyone else wants the shame for there horese a create a little paddock for yours. Ive got a pony whos prone to lami and he gets the same amount of feed as yours and ive sectioned a bit off and out a muzzle on him and he's as happy as a pig in muck. I think YO should help you not critise you
 
Buds_mum said:
No incase he chews the ground up... :mad: which i understand but i just feel so helpless...
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Could you not come to a compromise that he only stays on it when it's dry so therefore won't poach the ground up. When it's wet he could go out in the normal paddock with a mask on.
 
I am afraid that if you are worried about his weight (been there, done that) then you will have to increase his exercise as much as you can and he will have to stand in on his own if you cant get less grazing.

As you have already lost one to Lami, you know more than most that you have to be cruel to be kind.

Good luck
 
Does the YO know about lami as a condition? If not explain it to her and tell her that if Buddy comes down with it she will be mostly responsible for not letting you manage his weight correctly and you will charger her for medication, bedding, feed etc. Harsh but it may hit home and force her to let you fence him off..
 
Could you make him a track around the outside? Less grass, he shouldn't poach it if he's constantly walking around the outside and the other non prone ones can have the middle?
 
TheBayMonkey said:
Does the YO know about lami as a condition? If not explain it to her and tell her that if Buddy comes down with it she will be mostly responsible for not letting you manage his weight correctly and you will charger her for medication, bedding, feed etc. Harsh but it may hit home and force her to let you fence him off..
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I would NOT try threatening the YO!
 
I was in a similar position with my retired mare. She had bad lami last year, took 3 months to become sound enough to go out with a muzzle on and had to wear it all winter. I genuinely expected her to be PTS this year on the management I had to go with at that yard. Stressed wasn't the word.

But I have moved yards to somewhere that understand what lami is, knows how to manage it and knows what the signs are if they are starting to go down with it. The relief is immense and I now fully expect that I will get to keep my girl for a good few years more.

Don't discount moving yards to suit your needs. I had never considered it because I liked the yard I was on and couldn't see an alternative. But I looked around and found the perfect spot. I hope you find a solution / somewhere more suited to you and your horses needs.
 
Buds_mum said:
I do love my yard i'm at but sometimes I would just love my feild and stables to do things my own way.

Buddy is out on GOOD grazing, three feilds opened up full of grass. Some of it is rough and the type most horses don't eat but the rest is lush and nice, but its too good for a fatty cob. It was fine untill the weekend because I was bringing him and the two others (y/o's) in to stand in for half the day and then still stabled over night. But now they are out from about 6 in the morning untill 5 - 6ish in the evening. He has balloned! And got grass glands. He is the type to stuff himself though.

I asked for him to be moved to some rough but wasn't allowed so now i'm going down the muzzle route, I dont want him having to stand in all alone and they will soon be going out 24/7 anyway. Its just stressfull because instead of the y/o saying oh yes the grass is too good for his type they are blaming me for feeding him. Saying he should get a handfull of hay and no hard feed.

a) I don't agree with leaving horses with no forage for long periods of time, he gets two small wads of hay in a small hole net overnight. Its always all gone by the morning. I don't want him getting any less as I think he'll just gorge more on the early morning grass if his belly is empty overnight.

b) His 'hard feed' consists of a handle of soaked fast fibre and a handfull of happy hoof with his vits in. Thats all...!

Feel sick with stress, just lost one horse to laminitis and I have no control over my other boys intake. I don't want to leave him without overnight (tbh if I did I think he'd just eat his straw), I hate being blamed for his weight when I know its that he is just on too much grass.
I can't exercise him at the moment as i'm waiting on a new saddle so i'm lunging him nightly but it seems to do little.

AND my car was crashed into yesterday by a white van man so its in for repair so no transport untill I pick my hire car up later, meaning Buds is at the mercy of the grass untill 5 tonight.

Oh and the muzzles i've seen that will fit over his big snozz are the greengaurd ones which are £50 without the headcollar to put it on!! I'm nearly at the bottom of my over draft untill payday...

Migrane coming on, may go hide from the world.
Click to expand...
I have just been having a minor rant elsewhere about liveries not being flexible enough!

It really is NOT acceptable for state of grass to be put before horses health and welfare. Grass free areas/ big yards are something that should be provided imo. Why should owners and horses have to be so stressed and the owners are actually paying for the privilege! :mad:

I so feel for you. x
 
I think a grazing muzzle is your only option, the green guards are expensive (but far cheaper and kinder than vets bills) km elite do a xl muzzle at about £16. Much more affordable.
 
Thanks for the replies, hate seeing him so fat. It's awful. He is in tonight, with a small amount of hay and some happy hoof. Got a muzzle, shires I think, like a basket thing he looked so miserable and upset :( think I may just have him out at night and in during the day.

The y/o seems to understand lami but just not as deeply and obsessively as those who have been affected by it do. It will be fine when the hay is cut as the feilds are bare. I can tell he had been gorging by his huge grass glands. Hoping they will go down tonight.

So stressful, when will winter come?! Lol. Be better when his saddle comes back as then we can go for some nice long rides!
 
I feel for you, we do have our own land, but sometimes its a struggle to stop my mum from extending their paddocks 'because there's no grass left' no mum, but the horses will explode if they eat anymore :rolleyes:

I couldn't muzzle mine, I don't really feel its fair, and I think he'd get very annoyed, and you can bet your bottom dollar that 2 of his field mates would relieve him of it ;)
 
In your position, I would stop all the 'hard feed'. I know you don't think he gets much but just think of all the extra hay you could give him for those calories. He is unlikely to need a supplement, give him a mineral lick. If you are bringing him in you can give him barley or oat straw so that he has something to nibble on. Do you soak your hay?
Having said all that, I would be looking for a different yard with more suitable grazing and a YO with the right priorities.
 
Would you be able to turn him out and night and in during the day? And cut out the happy hoof (I'm fairly sure it's molassed), if you really feel the need to give him hard feed then just the tiny amount of FF, and poss HiFi MF if you really need a chaff, or maybe niether of those and D&H equibites which have all the vits and mins they need and can be broken up and put in treat ball so it lasts longer?

Could you ride bareback until the saddle arrives?
 
If you def need to muzzle, try preloved and ebay as I've seen a few greengaurd things on both.... do any of the other horses come in, if so you could arrange it so he had a friend to stay in with? Or could you strip graze or make a small paddock so he can be next to his friends and out, without the full grass?
 
Once sound and stable, lami horses need turnout as much if not more than other horses, to enable the hoof to recover and the blood supply be stimulated by the action of walking and trotting around. If that means they wear a muzzle, so be it. Good on you OP for putting your horses health first. They might sulk a bit wearing it, but better that than in agony with laminitis.

Sometimes removing the muzzle as ponies are clever at doing, means they may need to wear a headcollar over it. So it is important that any potential field hazards are identified and dealt with.

Given it can reduce intake by up to 80% and many people dont have control over amount and richness of grass in the paddocks at livery it has to be a key tool.

If he's a good doer you could also considering feeding oat straw instead of some of the hay (not if he has any choke/colic history but if he's got good speedy digestion ie a plop monster :-) Not as a complete replacer for hay/chaff as straw is quite low in vits and mins and protein but it does provide a lot of chew for relatively low energy and if it is good oat straw many horses find it very appetising, more than soaked hay and it's also a change for them.
 
It is tough and there are always loads of opinions on yards....
I have horses that gorge themselves and get fat on the most bare and small paddock.
They wear greenguard muzzles and I do put them out 24x7 in them. I know this is not recommended but they are happy as larry (they would be happier if they could get more grass!) as they get to be out. They are checked several times a day

KEEP A WATCH on ebay as they do come up second hand. You MUST get the new shaped one (more of a large rectangle that doesn't have a flat exit out the back). I got mine new last year for £30 and it can be attached to any headcollar and they do not get out of them.

Never let them get your down!
 
Buds.mum. where r u based? There is a space on.my.yard. very lami friendly and understanding! Please don't cut out feed completely, just feed high fibre (hi fi lite or mollases free version, quickbeat - loads of! And a. Low cal/lite balancer or a vit and min sup). Hope u resolve things. X
 
He looked much smaller thismorning after a ltd night, a double netted haynet of soaked haey. Wdall gone mind, poor fella. I'm going to bring him for the afternoon and turn him out again tonight then back in tomo morn.
Will lunge and do some free schooling this aft, may give bareback a go :)
I'm still stressed out but got more of a plan of action, and a lovely lady on here has offered me her greenguard muzzle, the shires one I didn't like so hopefully it'll be easier to wear, then he can be out 24/7.

This time last year I had a tb who I was struggling to keep weight on!

Sorry about typos, on my phone!
 
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