tips to help pony lose weight

[lifewithflash]

I've talked about my older underweight pony on here but I want to talk about my young fat pony. He's 4 years old, unbroken (don't plan on breaking him in till 5). He'll be out in summer fields soon but I'm worried about him getting laminitis as he is a cob and a good doer and will literally put weight on from sniffing air.

What's some exercises people use to help there horses lose weight groundwork wise?
I do lots of liberty with him but also do clicker training.

I don't feed him anything other than hay, a bit of winter grass and treats such as, carrots(1 carrot into little triangles), and hay for clicker training.

He's more fleshy but too fat for my liking going into spring. It's been perfect for winter but as spring is coming it not so great. I'm only asking as I cant find much helpful stuff online.

 

[meleeka]

Can you walk him out in hand? Not only is it a good opportunity to life proof him, I’ve found walking the best for weight loss.

 

[lifewithflash]

Can you walk him out in hand? Not only is it a good opportunity to life proof him, I’ve found walking the best for weight loss.

yes, however the yard I'm on have no off road hacking and is right on a busy road. We walk lots liberty wise around arena but he just isn't losing weight at all

 

[HappyHollyDays]

Put a muzzle on him.

 

[lifewithflash]

Put a muzzle on him.

when he goes out I'll definitely be doing this and keeping him in overnight but as of rn I'm wanting exercises.

 

[SEL]

There's not much arena work you can do that'll shift weight in an unridden (I have one ..). I try to walk mine out a few miles a week just to give her time away from eating - usually when I've moved the fence so the others eat the new grass.

If there's a quieter time on that road then it's worth introducing to traffic otherwise could you start long reining in the school? I might crack on with the under saddle work too if weight is a problem

 

[lifewithflash]

There's not much arena work you can do that'll shift weight in an unridden (I have one ..). I try to walk mine out a few miles a week just to give her time away from eating - usually when I've moved the fence so the others eat the new grass.

If there's a quieter time on that road then it's worth introducing to traffic otherwise could you start long reining in the school? I might crack on with the under saddle work too if weight is a problem

think I'm going to start long reining him. I haven't started it yet as I've just not got equipment but my friend is long reigning hers soon so might just start with her.

 

[Patterdale]

Get him broken in and hacking out. You won’t really shift it without exercise unless you seriously starve them, there’s no other answer unfortunately.

 

[I'm Dun]

Get him broken in and hacking out. You won’t really shift it without exercise unless you seriously starve them, there’s no other answer unfortunately.

This. Muzzle him, set up a track or restricted grazing and get him broken and working. Cantering and fast work is the only thing I've found to shift weight. There is no reason at all why a 4yr shouldn't be broken and hacking out. Why are you waiting till 5?

 

[Jambarissa]

It is easier to lose weight controlling food intake rather than increasing energy use. Out at night with muzzle (lower sugars at night) and in during the day with soaked hay.

But exercise - agree with above you need to walk, preferably on ground that isn't level, slopes are ideal. I'd imagine your fields are saturated but ideally you could lead or longrein him round the perimeters. Gentle in hand training looking for precision (eg stepping through poles, backing through an l-shape, going sideways along a pole) will help to develop muscle tone but not lose weight.

I understand why you'd rather wait til he's 5 in terms of physical development but assuming you're not too large for him and have a saddle which really fits then backing and riding away at walk with some trots on softer ground will do no harm at all.

If you plan to stay at this yard he's going to need to get used to this traffic, get him good at leading around your yard, over and past scary stuff then go out with another livery. Best to introduce it to them when they're young.

 

[Highmileagecob]

Also, please look hard at other cobs and compare notes. Cobs are not the same shape as some other breeds, and their flat backs and muscle bulk often makes them look fat. Of course, they are eating machines, and I share your pain!

 

[Indieanna6]

I have another that turns fresh air into fat!

I walk / trot her out in hand for an hour most evenings and weigh her hay. I find https://tricklenet.com/forage-calculator useful to check the amounts she should be getting. She is the type that would happily eat her way through a full round bale a night if she had access to it, she was starved as a youngster and has no off switch whatsoever.

I also make sure that the feed she has to carry her supplements are low in starch and sugar, same with any treats.

 

[Polos Mum]

I fully understand the keenness not to sit on them too young, I have a 4 y/o native that is no where near the shape needed to carry weight.

But if you plan on riding eventually from this yard then presumably you'll want him OK with the busy road. Build up to it but I would get him walking with you in hand.
Mine do miles around a couple of local housing estates - we get all sorts of people yelling out of cars "that's a big dog" or "you know you're supposed to ride it" - which you have to ignore.

Mine see the bus almost every time, screaming school kids, barking dogs, idiots who fly past too fast, kids on trampolines, bike riders, skips, etc etc. All good training for when he is ridden.

If the road is so horrible you don't plan to ever ride on it - can you box him up and go for walks somewhere you will eventually hack?

 

[dorsetladette]

I have two welshies that have come out of winter a little better than expected. I put it down to me rugging for longer due to the wet weather and the lack of movement due to standing in the shelter again because of the weather.

I've got a non ridden welsh D who is hard to get weight off and a welsh C who is just backed, so I feel your pain. I have stripped rugs off even though it's still pouring down most days. I've also put a dog legged electric fence across two thirds of the field between the hay feeder and the water trough and shelter, this makes them walk further to get between three places they spend most of their time. It means my field gets churned up more but hopefully the boys will drop a bit of weight. I'm now lunging the D twice a week (over raised poles) and riding the C once a week. It's not a lot but it's more movement than they were getting a few weeks ago.

I'd suggest lunging or long reining if you don't want to walk out in hand as weight on young joints is far worse than a few circles long term.

Good Luck with it all.

 

[suestowford]

I can see you have a dilemma - it's very difficult with a young horse to give them enough work to decrease their weight, without overdoing the workload on a developing skeleton. I too would have suggested finding some nice hills to walk him up but the road makes that a problem.
I agree with Jambarissa, you might be better tackling this from the food intake end. I have got weight off a good doer, and that was by muzzling when out, and adulterating his hay with straw, when he was kept in. After a gradual introduction he was having half hay/half straw. He lost 50 kg over about 8 months, then another 30 kg over the next year.
If you do go down the straw as feed route, you might need a bigger wheelbarrow - all that fibre makes a LOT of poop!

 

[lifewithflash]

It is easier to lose weight controlling food intake rather than increasing energy use. Out at night with muzzle (lower sugars at night) and in during the day with soaked hay.

But exercise - agree with above you need to walk, preferably on ground that isn't level, slopes are ideal. I'd imagine your fields are saturated but ideally you could lead or longrein him round the perimeters. Gentle in hand training looking for precision (eg stepping through poles, backing through an l-shape, going sideways along a pole) will help to develop muscle tone but not lose weight.

I understand why you'd rather wait til he's 5 in terms of physical development but assuming you're not too large for him and have a saddle which really fits then backing and riding away at walk with some trots on softer ground will do no harm at all.

If you plan to stay at this yard he's going to need to get used to this traffic, get him good at leading around your yard, over and past scary stuff then go out with another livery. Best to introduce it to them when they're young.

He's just moved on this yard just over a month ago from a really private and quite farm so he's been quite spooky recently so I've sorta just let him settle in for now. I'm going to stat getting him used to traffic but ideally I want to wait till he's calmed down a bit.

I don't have a saddle for him and he's still bum high and grown atm. He's not ready groundwork wise or mentally wise to be broken it yet, He's still very much a baby and acts like it. I mean my plan this year is to ride him but bareback pad and a head collar/bitless in walk and little trots to get him used to me before I get a saddle.

thank you for the advice x

 

[lifewithflash]

I fully understand the keenness not to sit on them too young, I have a 4 y/o native that is no where near the shape needed to carry weight.

But if you plan on riding eventually from this yard then presumably you'll want him OK with the busy road. Build up to it but I would get him walking with you in hand.
Mine do miles around a couple of local housing estates - we get all sorts of people yelling out of cars "that's a big dog" or "you know you're supposed to ride it" - which you have to ignore.

Mine see the bus almost every time, screaming school kids, barking dogs, idiots who fly past too fast, kids on trampolines, bike riders, skips, etc etc. All good training for when he is ridden.

If the road is so horrible you don't plan to ever ride on it - can you box him up and go for walks somewhere you will eventually hack?

I plan on riding on it in the future as once they are used to it, it's not that bad. Ive ridden my old pony on it all the time. People just have a tangency to take over other cars at a ridiculous speeds as it's down hill, which is scary when u have a spooky 4 y/o. I can walk around the yard and little lane, however it's not that long. once ur off the road this we have a beach and a dene we can walk, trot, gallop around so its just getting him off that long road to get to there.

 

[Polos Mum]

I have 2 accesses to our yard, one is onto a 50 mph (but often 80!) cut through road which I have to do 500m of to get to the bridleway.

Even with broken established horses I have often lead them up that bit and got on at the bridleway entrance until they are used to the idiots (I have a hat cam and report 2-3 a month to the police!)

Leading in hi-vis I walk right in the middle of the road with a long schooling whip and people do tend to slow down, much more when I'm on foot than riding.
You'd want sensible company the first few times

Can you do multiple laps of the little lane to get more exercise in? Or lead him to the entrance to the fast road and just stand their watching the traffic ?

It's tricky but realistically even when he's 5-6 you won't want to do tonnes of ridden exercise for weight loss and hammer him, so coming up with an alternative plan would be ideal.

 

[lifewithflash]

I have 2 accesses to our yard, one is onto a 50 mph (but often 80!) cut through road which I have to do 500m of to get to the bridleway.

Even with broken established horses I have often lead them up that bit and got on at the bridleway entrance until they are used to the idiots (I have a hat cam and report 2-3 a month to the police!)

Leading in hi-vis I walk right in the middle of the road with a long schooling whip and people do tend to slow down, much more when I'm on foot than riding.
You'd want sensible company the first few times

Can you do multiple laps of the little lane to get more exercise in? Or lead him to the entrance to the fast road and just stand their watching the traffic ?

It's tricky but realistically even when he's 5-6 you won't want to do tonnes of ridden exercise for weight loss and hammer him, so coming up with an alternative plan would be ideal.

I used to be on this yard when I met him (moved off for 2 years) and I used to do that, leading him down the lane and stand at the entrance and he was amazing and even took him over the road a couple of time. However back then he was in a field that was near the road and would hear traffic going by all the time. Now tho being on a private yard that wasn't near roads he's had to get used to being at a busy yard again.
Thats a really good idea tho having a schooling whip and being on foot, the cars will pass by at stupid speeds and pass by closely.
I will probably do that for now (doing multiple laps of the lane) until he get used to roads again.
I plan to take it slow with him anyway has he's my first youngster and ofc don't want to ruin him.

 

[maya2008]

It’s basic intake in vs exercise.

Intake:
- grazing muzzle
- soaked hay
- mix hay with straw if needed (we do - my natives even in work would be obese if I just fed straight hay all winter)

Exercise:
- walk in-hand (you really, really, really want to traffic proof now, before he gets any bigger and stronger. It’s best done when they are young, but before he turns 5, gains his full strength and a fair bit of teenage attitude, will make your life much easier).
- lead from another horse.
- back and ride if you or someone else are light enough. Hacking with a sensible weight of rider won’t do any harm, whereas being obese causes a multitude of health issues even in the young.

To put things in perspective, a pony can easily become more overweight than the weight of rider he’d be carrying. The weight of his excess fat is on him all the time. The rider, a limited time, not every day. Our Welsh A guest arrived here 130kg overweight, to give you an idea of the far end of that scale! She carries a rider of 30kg plus 5kg of tack. So 35kg for an hour or so a few times a week, vs 130kg all day every day. My TB once put on 70kg due to being out of work for a while, and husband’s cob could do similar. Neither were obese either, just went from slim to well covered.

As an aside, if you’re waiting until 5yo, I personally would give it another year and wait until 6yo. At 3/4yo they are still children mentally. Sweet and eager to please, easy to train. You can’t do too much physically but can lay the groundwork for a solid ridden career with relative ease. 5yo is the teenage year. I have backed 5yo ponies but it was far from fun. Wait until they turn 6 and you have a young adult brain. Much easier!

 

[Bellalily]

Just a small point, I have a recovered laminitic who has on both occasions never been even slightly overweight. Laminitis is not always weight related, there are many other reasons.
If you want weight off him, keep him in 24/7 or on a dry lot and feed him hay that has had all the nutrients soaked out of it, 24 hrs preferably. Works a treat.

 

[AmyMay]

Get him broken in and hacking out. You won’t really shift it without exercise unless you seriously starve them, there’s no other answer unfortunately.

100% agree.