those with winter fatties (good doers)

[cob&onion]

My cob (3and a half) has been turned away since october and will be brought back into work feb time. She is out 24/7 and looking too well!! she gets hardly anything feed wise but does have access to hay with the poor doer TB they're due to move to their winter grazing next weekend where there will be a fair bit of grass, 4 acres of it......and am a bit concerned about her weight when she was in work she looked super and quite trim, now shes not doing anything shes looking podgy again!
So what is the nutritional value of the grass at the moment? ie the risk of lami? considering putting her in in the daytime (when we move) with soaked hay and out at night till the grass goes down a bit......or maybe sectioning her a bit of the field off and feed hay??
or a may just have to do a bit of long reining again round the bridleways......but i did want to give her a bit more time off.

Managing a good doer is almost as bad as managing a poor doer! (i have one of each which makes it harder!)
Ideas?

 

[Abbeygale]

There usually isn't much in the grass at this time of year, but if you can section the field off and bring her in for some of the day this will help. If you can do some long reining or walking in hand even - it all helps.

I have a good doer too - I wasn't going to clip her this year as I'm not riding that much right now, but I have clipped under her gullet and taken all her belly off (so the most of her is still nice and hairy) and it has helped to get her to lose a few winter pounds without making her too naked for lots of rain / cold

If you section some of the field off just watch it doesn't get too poached - it is only because of this that I take down separating electric fences at this time of year as otherwise the field just gets annihilated!

 

[Supertrooper]

We've got hardly any grass now and what there is is very short. We had a nutritionist out on weds and the shire x cob has still got a bit to loose but if we continue keeping him unrugged as much as poss and on hay/fast fibre he should come into spring looking good and he'll go straight onto strip grazing. He weigh taped 735kg.

The main thing I think makes him loose weight is taking rugs off so as long it's not heavy rain he doesn't have one on xx

 

[hairycob]

I feel your pain. I keep threatening Jason with being moved to a car park. He has quite a high chaser clip, is unrugged & is in at night with soaked hay. He has a tea cup full of unmollassed chaff with a vit & min supplement & still he holds his weight.

 

[tallyho!]

Muzzle.

 

[muffinmunsh]

Same problem here.. Two warmbloods ... One getting fat in hay and fresh air, the other one needing conditioning cubes just to maintain!

 

[hollyandivy123]

i give mine a small bib clip, then the extra calories goes on keeping warm not on the bum

if very bad weather then has a rug otherwise out naked

 

[horserugsnot4u]

At this time of year I wouldn't be restricting grazing too much (or even at all) as your horse needs to create warmth from forage and the grass doesn't have the same richness as in spring/summer. There's still a long spell of winter weather ahead and the fat reserves will be used up, as nature intended. I wouldn't over-rug either as it's easy to think they are cold, when compared with our human threshold. From what you say when in work, your horse's weight isn't an issue so I'd just make sure there is a gradual weight loss and it doesn't come out of the winter as fat as it went in.

 

[noblesteed]

We still have loads of grass in our field! Mine is in at night on soaked hay too and over the last week he has put on weight! He gets a handful of light chaff with his equibites as his tea. The only reason I can think for his weight gain is that I have rugged him overnight - in just a fleece - but it has been freezing! He is clipped (trace) and I can't leave him naked when it's 2 degrees...
Neither can I muzzle him now, as people are saying, it is very cold and he needs to keep warm. I only have him in a summer turnout with no fill to keep rain/wind off...

I suppose you could clip yours? But I feel your pain, I really do. The only way I can think to get weight off mine is more exercise but we are dependent on weather and have no arena/floodlights... so that isn't really a reliable option either...

 

[Lotty]

Mine is out during the day and in at night on soaked hay, she is fully clipped and has just gone into a medium weight. I have just taken her muzle off about 2 weeks ago but it may be going back on.

 

[Pipkin]

i give mine a small bib clip, then the extra calories goes on keeping warm not on the bum

if very bad weather then has a rug otherwise out naked

I tried this except done a blanket clip, she put on 40kg in a month I have no grass, all she gets is adlib hay.

 

[Oliver12]

Having a really good do-oer is an absolute nightmare - it really is. I'd rather have a skinny horse to feed up any day. Last winter my Irish Draught wintered out with no rug. He wasn't clipped as he was only ridden at the weekend. Admittedly I have a sheep ringer feeder and I managed to source some really low quality hay (not dusty though). He came out of winter looking fatter than ever and it's been a struggle to keep him from looking actually obese over the summer even with with the use of muzzles/strip grazing.

In desperation this year I think I'm going to resort to giving him a small clip and keep him unrugged. The horses have got a field shelter so can get out of the rain if need be. I know someone who muzzled all winter and her horse still managed to suck hay/haylage through the little holes.

 

[Faithkat]

A really good doer is a positive nightmare! I have an Arab that lives on nothing and is fat - she's unrugged, out 10 hours a day on nothing and has a coffee mug of feed balancer with a few slices of carrot to cheer it up a bit when she comes in at night, plus hay overnight obviously.

 

[missfitz50]

I too have a very good doer!! She's a Welsh cob and was used to living out all year round until I bought her and came out of last winter fatter than when she went in!!

She's just moved up to the winter grazing too which, due to the good weather we've been having, is very lush. So I've resorted to turning her out during the day wearing her muzzle and in at night with soaked hay. She's not fed hard feed or treats. From visually body scoring her she's looking just right for this time of year and I also weigh tape her every week to keep an eye on what's going on.

 

[shadowboy]

My 3.5 year old has only just started his hols so hes not too bad this year. Hes out 8am untill 6pm and then in with 6kg of coarse hay (dust free but last cut or the year) which has really helped. I think many people dont realise how much hay varies in digestible energy! I had 3 lots analysed from our hay merchant and went for the least useful- which although means I have to feed supliments he has less calories- so he has a full belly but not 'fat'. He also has the remains of a low trace and wears a lightweight which probably helps.

 

[councillor]

My good do'er is a nightmare. I have had to lay her off as I have huge work commitments at the moment and by the time I finish work it is to dark to ride ( working weekend too) I knew she would get fatter so I clipped her hair off...not all of it, she still has some on her bum and back, imagine a line from wither to stifle above is hairy, bellow is bald...she is naked...no hard feed..out 24/7 and lives in the highlands....she isn't too cold and even though she isn't losing weight quickly, she also isn't putting on...back in work for her in three weeks after the new year and I hope it will shift fast, then a firm routine in place for spring, will have her in over the spring and summer months to keep her off the grass.

 

[Mince Pie]

My cob is a good doer, currently on hay, a big single handful of readigrass and a 1/4 scoop of soaked grass nuts. He's out naked with a high chaser clip growing out (still warm and unable to rug at the moment anyway!) and is looking fine although does need to 'tone up' rather than lose a little more weight. Problem is I can't work him properly until I can rug him!

 

[stencilface]

Mine isn't too fat atm, and is in at night and out in a v small (3-4x stable size) in the day which has no grass on it. I wouldn't trust him with a net unattended, and want o feed from the floor. Its very hard though as I don't want him left for hours with no food as don't want his gut to stop working to to not eating or moving.

He's pretty good atm as ridden exercise has been upped - he gets fibre nuts - smallest amount possible! - so he can get the supplements I feel he needs.