Tips for weight loss!

littlemissm12

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Hi all,

On a journey to try lose weight off my 14.2 Cob x mare. She has quite a large belly at the moment and want to put her on a stricter diet/turnout time e.t.c
Right now she is on a scoop of turmeric mixed with a handful of chaff and a scoop of balancer! She is ridden approximately 4 ish days a week - give or take - and right now is stabled at night from about 2pm - when I leave at about 3ish she has 2 large full hay nets but the owner tops her up a bit in the evening to last her (she is on haylage btw)!
Any recommendations for a different feed plan and turnout schedule that may benefit her even more? Or exercises to help lift/engage her core muscles?
Any help would be appreciated! Thankyou :)
 

Pearlsasinger

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If you are sure that she needs to lose weight, rather than firming up her muscles, I would reduce the mount of hay/lage she gets and replace it with plain oat straw chaff (Honeychop or Halley's). The system worked very well for my Draft mare.
 

Leo Walker

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I've done this twice now. Work helps a lot! I would make sure you keep up with the balancer if you are going to restrict them. I prefer a mineral balancer in a handful of soaked grass nuts but the balancer will be ok so long as its not packed with sugar. Then you need to reduce the calories in the forage. Soak her hay, feed it in a hay ball or trickle net on the floor if shes not shod, and reduce the amount. You can top up with chopped oat straw so she has ad lib forage. I've just posted this pic elsewhere today, but this is my little mare. We never had to restrict hay with her, just restricted grazing over the summer and upped her work. I've had others where that would have been nowhere near enough though!

53080054_10156349805613667_8125938833947623424_n.jpg
 

bubsqueaks

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Oh she looks lovely!
Yep we've been on a strict diet doing the soaked hay, trickle net, & our new found friend is honeychop oat straw.
Also working her every day whether that's riding or lunging.
 

chaps89

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Its also quality of work as well as quantity. I only had a limited amount of time today so set up some polework exercises and did some lunging over them with lots of transitions. Half an hour was more than enough (for a relatively fit pony) so she had a good workout but I still got to work on time. Far more beneficial than a walk round the block for example. (Nb, if she's not terribly fit you'll need to build up to this sort of stuff slowly!)
She's in for a long time - I'd want her out longer - either on poor grazing or with a muzzle on if needsbe. Better to be out moving and browsing for food than in stood still stuffing at an all you can eat ;)
If she is for a while possibly go with soaked hay and straw chaff if you can too.
 

SEL

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This winter has not been helpful for those of us with good doers. Mine was looking lovely and trim at the beginning of Nov, then went out of work with a dodgy leg and has piled on the blubber despite soaked hay in her box at night. That flipping grass has just kept growing.

As much aerobic exercise getting the heart rate up as you / she can do, less haylage (small hole nets are helpful), if you can get hold of hay then soak it. Limit the grazing in the field somehow - either by electric fencing (I have miles of the stuff now) or a muzzle. My friend has shifted a tonne of weight of her laminitic Welsh D by muzzling in the field and feeding soaked hay at night.

In terms of exercises then have a look at the various carrot stretches on google / Youtube. Equibands are also proving to have quite a following for helping with the core, although I haven't used them. Do you have a physio or bodyworker? They could take you through some of the basics.
 

Nudibranch

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Limit grazing with a track rather than strip grazing a small patch. Mine are already on one - It's 500m by 10m with the water at one end and the main gate at the other. It does work; I can see them from my window and they do move a lot.
Swap haylage for hay, use plain chaff and ride as often as possible. You need to build on some bursts of fast work sensibly too as this burns fat and builds fitness.

Yours seems to be in a long time overnight - if you can turn out for longer then do so as movement is key. I always keep out 24/7 and have never had naturally fat horses unless they have a metabolic issue. I appreciate up here we have plenty of space though and not everyone can.
 

milliepops

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Its also quality of work as well as quantity. I only had a limited amount of time today so set up some polework exercises and did some lunging over them with lots of transitions. Half an hour was more than enough (for a relatively fit pony) so she had a good workout but I still got to work on time. Far more beneficial than a walk round the block for example. (Nb, if she's not terribly fit you'll need to build up to this sort of stuff slowly!)
this so true, my welshie is only properly ridden about 4 times a week for 45 mins to an hour but she works super hard for those sessions and then just ticks over the rest of the week. Now she's at a really good weight this allows me to feed her adlib hay and as much turnout as we are allowed. If anything she's a touch lean at this time of year, so I have upped her linseed.
 

ihatework

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Lots of ways to do this, all of the below combined for best effect.

Reduce calorie content of stable forage by soaking hay and/or using straw. Split up feeding into smaller rations - do not leave horse with 2 hay nets and then top up. Leave one in and one for later.

Let the horse use up their reserves keeping warm. This doesn’t mean you need to leave them a shivering mess but use clipping and very light rugging to your advantage.

Up the exercise under saddle

These track systems that are becoming more common really do work, a friend of mine with an obese show cob has made an amazing difference just using an electric tape track around her 1.5acre paddock.
 

Leo Walker

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this so true, my welshie is only properly ridden about 4 times a week for 45 mins to an hour but she works super hard for those sessions and then just ticks over the rest of the week. Now she's at a really good weight this allows me to feed her adlib hay and as much turnout as we are allowed. If anything she's a touch lean at this time of year, so I have upped her linseed.

Its funny, I just said on another thread that Bobbie is only in light work driving for 45mins 4 times a week, but actually she works her socks off. Usually pulling 2 or 3 adults, and nearly all of it trotting up and down hills. She comes back hot and tired!
 
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