Weight loss and vet's advice

[Lucky Snowball]

Could you lunge?

 

[Goldenstar]

My horses are in work except one, turned out on what is a very very grazed out field they where in muzzles apart from the three hours a day they are stabled when they get two and half to three kilos of haylege a day in the stable .
the muzzles have been off since between Christmas and new year .
I would hate to work out the percentage they are it won’t be much on they are big draught types three ID’s and one ID crossed Clydesdale .
They are now all solid condition score threes except for the retired one who is fatter than I like, the the two hunting are nearer to two than four and other is a 3.5 it’s very hard work not feeding horses .
I am moving fields over the weekend so will reduce haylege to a token when I do that .
My view is that if they moving and behaving normally and their dropping are normal and frequent enough you feed what you need to until get the horse to lose weight .
You have a little window now when you can really get weight off them before spring .
It’s really hard to get retired companion type horses to lose weight I am another who rates using straw chops sadly my old retired one can’t eat straw because of his teeth or lack of them .

 

[Chianti]

I have a pony who's nickname used to be FLP - Fat Little Pony. What's worked for him is - regular weighing -every month to begin with- so you know exactly where he is. Track system - the one he's on is only just under half a km round but it's amazing how much they move and how often they move round it in 24 hours. YO put a tracker on her little pony and he was doing 10 miles day. Soaked hay in small hole nets so they have to work to get it. Get the hay tested so you know what the sugar level is. We feed a mixture of timothy and meadow hay. He's lost weight and we've now built up to ad lib hay. Walk out in hand as much as you can- if he's spooky get someone in to help you deal with that. If there's an arena you can use then teach him to long rein. It's hard work but you can get the weight off. I know lots of people use muzzles but I don't like them and FLP won't stand them on.

 

[Polos Mum]

If you think his real weight is closer to 300kgs - then 1.2% of that is 3.6kgs - take off a good bit for grazing each day
I think you could cut the hay in half and still not be too crazy.

If your worried about ulcers (an over exaggerated risk IMHO) then leave a tub of top chop zero in his stable for him to ignore - then you can be guilt free as he is never "without forage"

If he drops too much weight sounds like it would be easy to put it back on again in a managed way.

 

[suestowford]

My 11hh pony was 283kg on the weightape when he was very fat. Now he's about 200kg. I did use a muzzle, whenever he went out in the field, during that first year. That, and giving hay little & often, and lots of straw (he did get a balancer as well but obvs it was low calorie), got his weight down by 50kg in the first year. That was with being unable to exercise him due to his fragile feet. Most of the rest of the weight he's lost has been over a period of years and he seems to have settled at 200kg. He no longer needs a muzzle as it's much easier to keep the weight off once it's gone, than to get it down once it's there.
I too think you could cut the hay amount in half. I also have used fibre blocks for mine. I timed him with one once and it took him 2 hours to finish it. Those are compressed hay/chaff so not very many calories in them.

 

[MagicMelon]

I personally would definately have him out 24/7 on a track system and increase the exercise before Id drop his hay anymore. Can you ride and lead, lunge or if its rideable could you ask a small person to come exercise him?

 

[Sprogladite01]

He's not broken and has never been taught to lunge or long rein - he lived feral in Wales and then in a sanctuary his whole life until he came to me. He has started to learn to free school - he's a smart cookie and he does pick up cues very quickly so we have started more regular "teaching" sessions. He had his first walk in next door's school yesterday, did really well and he seemed to enjoy it. We are going again tomorrow.

His bloods came back negative for tapeworm and moderate for redworm, so next port of call is worming with equest, keep up introducing exercise and then seeing how we go. Didn't manage to set up the track over the weekend as had to take my son to a uni open day, but will aim to get that done ASAP. For now, their summer field is still being strip grazed

 

[Sprogladite01]

Just a quick update for anyone who is interested and to keep myself accountable...

Little man has finally started to drop some weight - he is down from 420 on the weigh tape to 402 we have been walking him in hand, to start with just around the neighbours school over poles in walk and a tiny bit of trot (unfit human can barely run a lap round the school lol). We've also put brave pants on and have walked him up the road a couple of times (30-45 min walks) and he has been much braver than I gave him credit for. Highlight was when we pulled over onto a grass verge and he took the chance to have a wee, but an arctic lorry then went past (first one he's ever seen) but he couldn't move without hosing himself and everyone else down. Thought his eyes were going to fall out of his head he's also encountered his first cars, lorries, tractors, bike, barking dogs and a rogue cat who scared the bejebus outta him haha. All in all, his fear response is to initially freeze and then try to wrap my up in the lunge line by going in circles around me - not too bad all things considered

At the moment we are doing two to three walks a week depending on how mental my work schedule is - hoping to do a bit more once it's light enough after work. His hay ration has been cut by 1kg as well.

The winter track I suspect is going to turn into a summer track as the "summer" field is still being strip grazed down - reckon it has another 3 weeks on it before we get to the bottom. I have bought a muzzle for him for when he finally moves over onto that.

My only slight concern is that he was a little sensitive in his feet after our second walk out down the road - but he had picked up quite a few sharp little stones and he seemed much better quite quickly after that. Farrier due next week so will ask how he thinks he's looking. Otherwise quite pleased with current progress

 

[Polos Mum]

Great news, the weather hasn't been helpful either (mild and dry so the grass is growing!)

well worth looking at some hoof boots for him - cheaper and less stressful than shoes and you can just pop them on to help keep the stones out when you walk on the road.

 

[Sandstone1]

Allen and page used to bring out a mobile weighbridge so you could get a accurate weight. Is he rugged? If so he may well be better naked as it will help him lose weight.

 

[Sprogladite01]

Allen and page used to bring out a mobile weighbridge so you could get a accurate weight. Is he rugged? If so he may well be better naked as it will help him lose weight.

No, rugs are basically banned here lol - I have a fat welshie and a fjord with EMS so avoid them! I'll look into the mobile weighbridge, thank you

 

[GreyDot]

Just a quick update for anyone who is interested and to keep myself accountable...

Little man has finally started to drop some weight - he is down from 420 on the weigh tape to 402 we have been walking him in hand, to start with just around the neighbours school over poles in walk and a tiny bit of trot (unfit human can barely run a lap round the school lol). We've also put brave pants on and have walked him up the road a couple of times (30-45 min walks) and he has been much braver than I gave him credit for. Highlight was when we pulled over onto a grass verge and he took the chance to have a wee, but an arctic lorry then went past (first one he's ever seen) but he couldn't move without hosing himself and everyone else down. Thought his eyes were going to fall out of his head he's also encountered his first cars, lorries, tractors, bike, barking dogs and a rogue cat who scared the bejebus outta him haha. All in all, his fear response is to initially freeze and then try to wrap my up in the lunge line by going in circles around me - not too bad all things considered

At the moment we are doing two to three walks a week depending on how mental my work schedule is - hoping to do a bit more once it's light enough after work. His hay ration has been cut by 1kg as well.

The winter track I suspect is going to turn into a summer track as the "summer" field is still being strip grazed down - reckon it has another 3 weeks on it before we get to the bottom. I have bought a muzzle for him for when he finally moves over onto that.

My only slight concern is that he was a little sensitive in his feet after our second walk out down the road - but he had picked up quite a few sharp little stones and he seemed much better quite quickly after that. Farrier due next week so will ask how he thinks he's looking. Otherwise quite pleased with current progress

That sounds really positive! Great exposure for him too, seeig a bit of the world.

 

[maya2008]

Our vet suggests 40% soaked hay, 60% straw for good doers in limited work. Allows them to have forage to nibble on without getting fat.

My Welsh Section As are (on the weightape): 218kg (11.2hh rising 4, not thin but lean) and 274kg (12hh rising 6, could lose a little before spring and we have just cut back the supplemental forage to achieve that). Well done on your pony’s weight reduction so far, I hope it keeps going in the right direction!

 

[Sprogladite01]

Little man has had a week off as I just haven't had the time - my father has had a quadruple heart bypass so lots of to and fro from the hospital! However amazingly he has still lost another 6kg I think we are starting to see it a little bit - our walking companion tells me his barrel isn't rolling as much as it used to we are back to walking properly next week as it's my son's 18th tomorrow and I'm viewing a horse on Sunday. Busy busy!

 

[Sprogladite01]

Walks resumed with little man yesterday who was surprisingly docile given he hadn't been out for a week. Ran into our next door neighbour (she lets us use her school for walks when we don't want to walk out, she is so lovely!) who thinks he is looking less rotund we have an independent weighbridge coming tomorrow so I'll be very interested to see what that says vs what the weigh tape says! Must remember to give him a quick brush - currently he's wearing about 20kg of mud by my estimation

 

[Sprogladite01]

Soooooooo the weighbridge has just been and I am shocked! His weight is 316kg - almost 100kg less than what the weigh tape puts him at!! Obviously still fat but relieved to have an accurate figure to work with. Will keep an eye on general weight gain/loss with the tape and will get the weighbridge out again in 3 months I think. Very eye opening!

 

[Annagain]

Weightapes normally underestimate too! I thought he sounded very heavy for his height when you mentioned it originally.

 

[Sprogladite01]

Weightapes normally underestimate too! I thought he sounded very heavy for his height when you mentioned it originally.

Yes, must admit I was quite worried initially as Redwings gave me the Spillers weigh tape and told me it's the most accurate one they've found - and the person who weighed little man today agreed with that! So I was somewhat disturbed. But equally I knew my connie had been 410 on a weighbridge and there was NO WAY little man weighed more than he did either way, now we know...perhaps little man is particularly deep chested? He isn't the best in terms of conformation bless him.

 

[Annagain]

Yes, must admit I was quite worried initially as Redwings gave me the Spillers weigh tape and told me it's the most accurate one they've found - and the person who weighed little man today agreed with that! So I was somewhat disturbed. But equally I knew my connie had been 410 on a weighbridge and there was NO WAY little man weighed more than he did either way, now we know...perhaps little man is particularly deep chested? He isn't the best in terms of conformation bless him.

I think we need a photo!