Those with horse/ponies on a diet?

[JoBo]

How’s it going?

I have to say winter has been my friend, in terms of Bodey’s (the coloured in my sig) weight.
He was 560kg back in the summer (fat boy), 540kg going into winter, and yesterday he was 521kg (on the weight tape). So the diet has worked (Good Doer is a God send).

I would ideally like to get him down to 510kg, but coming into Spring that’s going to be hard. So now I’m going to have to find lots of sponsored/ endurance rides to do after hunting has finished just to keep the weight off.

So how are you doing it?

 

[Charmaine18]

Scooby's dropped loads of weight over the winter too! I don't have a weight tape (looked in the tack shop, snorted "I'm not paying seven quid for a bit of plastic tape!" and decided to go by appearance and girth holes instead!), but this is what he looked like when we got him in October:

And this rather bad photo is what he looks like now:

He's actually got a new girth now because his old one got too big for him!

Now we've just got to work on his muscle tone, which is seriously lacking, and he'll be a beautiful shape in no time.

This was achieved by feeding just a handful of chaff and a bit of beet (more to hide his De-itch meds in than anything) for the first few weeks, as we were upping his workload slowly. Then when he was in heavier work, we started giving him a scoop of pony nuts as well. He's ridden for about 40 minutes five times a week, so not loads but enough to keep the weight off. Will be upping that now and doing some roadwork in a bid to improve muscles! He's out 24/7 and his grazing hasn't been restricted at all, but obviously there hasn't been much grass anyway lately with the snow and now the mud.

 

[tabithakat64]

November and December are always the worst months for Fudge as he just seems to balloon and I don't have time due to work to ride as much.
Box rest means he puts on a huge amount of weight too as he's not able to move around and he has to have more hay (he even puts on weight when it's soaked) so he doesn't get aggitated.

 

[JoBo]

Charmaine- you have done a fab job with Scooby! Bodey and Scooby are definitely out of the same mould aren’t they?

Tabithakat64- That must be so hard, I would have exactly the same problem, tough one. Are you allowed to give him stable toys?

 

[pottamus]

Well my lad got laminitis in Aug so was on box rest for ages and shed loads of weight. He was down to 435 on the weight tape and the vet said he was the ideal weight now...can see outline of ribs. He has put on a bit but only to 440 on the weight tape so not too worried as I am about to embark on walking him out in hand and slowly bringing him back into work over the spring and summer...so that will help.
The hardest thing for me and him is the restricted food - no more adib hay for him. He has 3 pads hay and 1 high fibre haylage for night and 4 pads hay and 1 haylage during the day...which does not seem to last long before it is gone! But that is vets instructions and he is maintaining his weight at 440 well. I just have to ensure the weight does not creep back on again, but hoping it wont as he has not been ridden for 6 months and is not gaining so hopefully the exercise will counteract the bit more grass he will get when it starts to grow again in his muddy excuse for a paddock.

 

[Abbeygale]

Winter has indeed helped me with my girly!

I don't have a weigh tape I am afraid - but she has gone up between 4 / 5 holes on her girth!! I am going to have to get her a shorter girth before too long!

Unfortunately - although she has been on restricted diet, our pony has not done so well this winter - and is looking like a right porker! However, with the days starting to get longer she is beginning to do more work which will help.

 

[dwi]

Soaked hay, good doer chaff, no carrots and lots of exercise. I don't know what your grazing is like but I've put D onto restricted grazing already. I'd also recommend NAF Slimline to give his metabolism a boost. it really does work.

Not relevant to D any more but I managed to get her looking stunning last summer, I was so proud when i could see her ribs.

 

[Sprout]

I am not doing so well with mine - lack of enough exercise and freezing weather making them need more roughage as they live out, means they have got quite impressive haylage bellies .... and I seem to have developed a "wine and chocolate" belly to match ... must try harder!

 

[_HP_]

Lmao...there seems to be a piebald theme here

It HAS to go well for Bilbo. He suffers from laminitis and I've worked out his trigger weight (there are other triggers for his lami obviously) and have to keep him well below it.
This was when he first came to me with laminitis..he was approx 430kg...he is 13.3hh. He didn't look huge but was cresty and had a peachy bum:

and this was a few months later and pretty much how he stays. He's approx 368kg:

He gets Fast Fibre and soaked hay and VERY(read vritually no) grass.