Turning out a clipped horse with no rug to lose weight ?

N

NovemberQuestion

New User
Joined
6 November 2014
Messages
6
Visit site
Would you turn a fully clipped horse out (horse is a very very good doer) over winter over night on a dry day/evening to help it lose weight? If it was raining however then only a rain sheet and nothing more ? A vet has advised this….
 
Only if the horse was so obese that it was an urgent life or death intervention.

You will find some posters aghast at the idea of clipping and under rugging as a means to loose weight. I'm supportive of it but in moderation. The ideal would be not to let a horse get so obese in the first place!
 
My Highland pony has a chaser clip and will be wearing a rain sheet on a mild day! She is slightly porky but there is no way in a billion years I would ever turn anything (Morbidly obese or not) out naked that had been fully clipped when it has been cold. There was frost on my car at 6am when I drove to the stables and I would never, ever even consider not putting a rug on a horse that has been fully clipped when I know the weather is going to be cold or bad!

As other people have said, plenty of exercise, soak it's hay, stop feeding it so much and if you can, restrict it's grazing. A cold horse might lose weight but it will also lose condition and be down right miserable.
 
I agree to an extent. Out during the day without a rug but not on a night. Just because a horse is obese doesn't mean it can't catch a chill. Without a rug during the day if its dry.On a bare field with soaked hay and a lot of exercise!
 
Said horse is already being exercised each day and has already been muzzled for the summer – the owner has already been very successful in getting weight off the horse already, this is just a remaining amount of weight the vet wants off the horse. Would you do it then ?

Horse is in during the day for a few hours but does not touch her very small haynet - it sleeps.
 
NovemberQuestion said:
Said horse is already being exercised each day and has already been muzzled for the summer – the owner has already been very successful in getting weight off the horse already, this is just a remaining amount of weight the vet wants off the horse. Would you do it then ?

Horse is in during the day for a few hours but does not touch her very small haynet - it sleeps.
Click to expand...




Yes, provided I was happy that the horse was losing weight to keep warm. That's the whole point- the horse is not cold, it is mobilising fat stores to keep warm. That is just what nature intended them to do.

If the horse starts shivering, no.
 
NovemberQuestion said:
Said horse is already being exercised each day and has already been muzzled for the summer – the owner has already been very successful in getting weight off the horse already, this is just a remaining amount of weight the vet wants off the horse. Would you do it then ?

Horse is in during the day for a few hours but does not touch her very small haynet - it sleeps.
Click to expand...

In which case horse is still getting too much grass. I would still keep a muzzle in it restrict grazing
 
No i would not. If fully clipped, worked and diet has been altered according to weight I would slightly under rug. I do think people over rug as a rule rather than under rug anyway.
 
soulfull said:
In which case horse is still getting too much grass. I would still keep a muzzle in it restrict grazing
Click to expand...

I don't get this, I really don't. Those of you who don't want the horse to be cold want to under feed it instead. Have you never been on a diet? If you are underfed, you get cold. If the horse is going to be cold anyway, I'd much rather it had a bellyful of food.
 
NovemberQuestion said:
Would you turn a fully clipped horse out (horse is a very very good doer) over winter over night on a dry day/evening to help it lose weight? If it was raining however then only a rain sheet and nothing more ? A vet has advised this….
Click to expand...

Not overnight. During the day yes, unless heavy rain. Naked in the stable at night I wouldn't have a problem with.
 
NovemberQuestion said:
Said horse is already being exercised each day and has already been muzzled for the summer – the owner has already been very successful in getting weight off the horse already, this is just a remaining amount of weight the vet wants off the horse. Would you do it then ?

Horse is in during the day for a few hours but does not touch her very small haynet - it sleeps.
Click to expand...

I personally, in this situation wouldn't leave the horse fully clipped and out naked overnight. They would either have a sheet on, or I would leave a blanket of hair on. I'd probably hate doing it too, but if it was the difference between having a horse likely to come down with laminitis in the spring or not then needs must. I must say though, this does sound quite extreme, I managed to really strip some weight off one of mine last winter without such drastic measures - out 24/7 on poor grass, topped up with a bit of hay, a low chase clip and light rugging. I probably got 50kg off him that way.

I'd try and have the horse out 24/7 but on as little grass as possible, topped up with well soaked hay or straw.
 
NovemberQuestion said:
Would you turn a fully clipped horse out (horse is a very very good doer) over winter over night on a dry day/evening to help it lose weight? If it was raining however then only a rain sheet and nothing more ? A vet has advised this….
Click to expand...

yes if in this weather and not raining (id probably rug at night)
though i have put a rain sheet on my pony who's been clipped and is overweight.
i know its better not to let them get fat in the first place and in 3 summers I never have, i obviously got it wrong with the grass growth this autumn. she's on soaked hay with straw, exercised, clipped, off the grass and i'm still struggling! at least no more is going on.
i suppose it depends on what Novemberquestion has already tried and how fat pony is. the vets suggestion may not be out of the question in dry weather at the minute
just read you're second post, pony needs to come off the grass (this was my mistake). my grass is still growing and causing me problems
 
No definitely not, its cold at night here! the poor thing will prob freeze!! I'd maybe put a lighter rug on and soak hay instead
 
No never. There are much kinder ways of dropping weight. As others have said she must still be getting too much grass. I'm sure my neighbours would report me to the RSPCA if I did that. Non horsey people who watch every move I make.
 
No never it is bad enough being cold but the chances of the weather changing in a matter of minutes at the moment I would not risk it getting wet and cold.Personally like many others have said I would put a light rug on and encourage the horse to move around by using a track system if at all possible. Left cold it will just stand in a sheltered corner shivering and it is possible because it is moving less it will put weight on
 
NovemberQuestion said:
Would you turn a fully clipped horse out (horse is a very very good doer) over winter over night on a dry day/evening to help it lose weight? If it was raining however then only a rain sheet and nothing more ? A vet has advised this….
Click to expand...

Yes I have done this, though its been out I the day and in at night as yard rules

My mare is retired due to ks, has tweaked a suspensory so cannot do any work what's so ever and puts weight on just by looking at grass.

I wont let her shiver, with the sheet on she is warm to touch which is enough.
 
Vet advised me to do the same. He was recovering from laminitis and his exact words were, clip him, don't rug and let the ****** drop the weight. I want to see him looking poor.
He wasn't obese but as he was not in work and able to maintain his weight on fresh air, it was the kindest and most effective option. He had a rainsheet when it was raining or there was a significant chill factor on a windy day though. If he'd been shivering or looking tucked up or dropped weight too rapidly, I would have rugged him appropriately.

I think my vet's advice was meant to be taken not literally but with common sense. He expected me to monitor his well being but wanted to counteract the tendancy of over rugging without considering how horses make heat to keep warm.
 
I would keep the horse in a lightweight rug/rainsheet but with a fully clipped horse I wouldn't be comfortable with no rug. No protection for their skin against the rain and wind. How is the horse currently rugged? Is she dropping weight with light rugging?
 
cptrayes said:
I don't get this, I really don't. Those of you who don't want the horse to be cold want to under feed it instead. Have you never been on a diet? If you are underfed, you get cold. If the horse is going to be cold anyway, I'd much rather it had a bellyful of food.
Click to expand...


But I wouldn't be turning it out without a rug!
 
I've been swapping my horse's grazing around this week for one reason and another so either he has been on the winter field which is large and has loads of grass or on the hay field which is very sparse and where I have given him hay in addition to the grazing.

It has been noticeable because I've been swapping around that he is much, much warmer when on the long grass so it really does do nature's central heating job. Tomorrow he will be back on the longer grass and back in a rain sheet (only because it's forecast to tip down) so that he can use some of those calories to keep warm.

I can't see any problem with following the vet's advice (with common sense) as long as the horse is checked frequently. A rain sheet helps with the wind chill factor and, as long as the horse has the freedom to move around and some shelter, it should be warm enough.

ETA - I'm not sure of my science on this but have always understood that food = calories = heat, in fact that calories is a measure of heat. It has certainly made sense to me this week!
 
Probably not if it had a full clip unless the weather was very mild. I would have no problem leaving a fat horse with a bib or blanket clip out during the day without a rug. Would definately rug if it was out at night though.
 
WelshD said:
I'm over 20 stone. I hope to goodness my doctor doesn't read this!!
Click to expand...

Quite!

It sounds like the owner is doing a good job of getting the weight off gradually so it seems rather drastic to do this when it's all going in the right direction. For the record, I wouldn't put a clipped horse out naked overnight, unless the clip was minimal like a bib.
 
IMO it would be cruel. Would a person walk around half naked 24/7 in this weather to lose weight? Do doctors recommend people do this? No they don't, because it would be unbearable. Why people think it is okay to treat horses like this, I don't know. If horses are fed according to their needs and restricted with muzzle, or strip grazing or soaked hay, then rapid weight loss can be achieved without resorting to cruelty.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top