Stroppy hungry horse or happy fat horse?

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Mole1

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My mare is a good doer and because of not being able to ride much and not really having a proper winter she's not lost weight/put some on. So she's been put on a diet and instead of my happy chilled pony she's turned into a bed trashing stroppy pony.

Trying to up exercise and soaking hay for over 12hours, no pony nuts and reduced rug weights.

What's better happy slightly fat pony or stroppy hungry horse that shd lose weight?
 
An even better compromise is to feed chopped plain straw :) Our 16hh draught mare arrived here morbidly obese:( for the first three years she had restricted hay, but a large tub trug of honichop (sp) straw, she was never hungry but lost weight consistantly, so never became grumpy from hunger :)
 
Never heard of that something to definitely look into. Be great if I cld stop the bed trashing. She's only a bit fat but with spring grass round the corner I want to feel her ribs!
 
Mole1 said:
My mare is a good doer and because of not being able to ride much and not really having a proper winter she's not lost weight/put some on. So she's been put on a diet and instead of my happy chilled pony she's turned into a bed trashing stroppy pony.

Trying to up exercise and soaking hay for over 12hours, no pony nuts and reduced rug weights.

What's better happy slightly fat pony or stroppy hungry horse that shd lose weight?
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My pony cant be exercised due to joint problems. Trying to keep weight off a pony that can't be exercised, has to live out 24/7 and is evil if he's hungry is not easy so I feel your pain.

Two things that I've recently found though that is massively helping though are.....

Honeychop chopped plain oat straw - no oil or mollasses coating and I give mine two tub trugs (medium sized) per day to munch through. Very low sugar/starch and low energy too.

Simple Systems lucie stalks - only started this yesterday. Again very low sugar/starch and low energy. Can be fed ad lib from asking SS. You just need to dampen as again have no coating.

As I say I only started the lucie stalks yesterday and I've never seen my pony as excited about a feed. He LOVES them!!
 
I get both from an online feed store, brilliant service from a company called Equi Box. I ordered on Thursday lunchtime and had been delivered to work by 11.30am Friday :-)

I also hate it when mines hungry. It's not fair on him or me!!!! So relieved to find these products and now pondering starting mine on the Simple Systems Metaslim too.
 
I really love the honeychop oat straw chaff as well, my pony can only have 2-3 kg soaked hay over night or he balloons ( upped by 1kg in the winter and he had fat pads within a week ) I give him a medium trug of chopped oat straw every night as well and he just about finishes it and doesn't gain weight. He's not impressed by it but if he's hungry he will eat it.
 
Some brilliant ideas and so glad others know how difficult it is to not let them get fat while not having much exercise. She'll be a happier pony tomorrow hopefully :)
 
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