Taking weight off a pony

[louisa.t1]

Currently spring here which means LOTS of sweet grass. I turned my pony out for 2 weeks a little while ago and sadly she got laminitis(very dumb decision on my behalf!). She has just recovered but still very fat. Is being kept in a small yard and being fed hay as well as a scoop of chaff with a few supplements and her rug has been whipped of. What would everyone suggest to take this fat and wobbly crest off? thanks

 

[Cazza525]

Currently spring here which means LOTS of sweet grass. I turned my pony out for 2 weeks a little while ago and sadly she got laminitis(very dumb decision on my behalf!). She has just recovered but still very fat. Is being kept in a small yard and being fed hay as well as a scoop of chaff with a few supplements and her rug has been whipped of. What would everyone suggest to take this fat and wobbly crest off? thanks

Plenty of work!

 

[Red-1]

My new horse had just been in the same situation. He had just hay, soaked for at least 12 hours, and weighed. He managed to go from having a wobbly crest to being able to see some ribs between the start f lockdown to the end of September. He was on 8kg of soaked hay in 24 hours, at 15hh.

He came to me 2 weeks ago, I added plain straw chaff, just a big scoop 4 X a day well soaked, and he has moved up to 10kg of hay, soaked, but it can be soaked for just 4-6 hours, as he is now on hs target weight.

You really need to be weigh taping every week, and adjusting the soaked hay to suit a steady weight loss. Your vet will be able to advise as to a weight in kg of hay for 24 hours as a starting point.

 

[P.forpony]

Obviously not if sore or lame but exercise, exercise and more exercise!

Yes carefully monitor diet, soak hay to remove as many calories as possible and look into substituting part of it for clean straw.

But exercise is key to shifting weight.
Ridden, in hand, led from another horse it really doesn’t matter but get it moving as much as you possibly can.

 

[PatchyBabyHorse]

Clipped out and plenty of work!