weight loss - how fast?

[CazD]

My pony has recently been diagnosed with Equine Metabolic Syndrome and the vet has said she must lose weight. She is a 14.1hh coloured cob, aged 11 and weigh tapes at 408kg. She has been prescribed Metformin (16 per day for 4-8 weeks). I'm hacking out as much as possible (full time work and weather permitting) and stabling her at night with soaked hay. She's also getting a tiny feed morning and evening to hide the metformin in (fast fibre and a hand full of chaff).

How fast should she lose weight. I don't have access to a weighbridge so the weigh tape is my only method of "weighing" her.

 

[ridefast]

Does she have to be stabled? Imo providing the grass isn't lush and sugary which it won't be at this time of year, they're better off out and moving around as much as possible

 

[catkin]

How much weight does she need to lose approximately? You need to do it steadily.
It took about 4 months for my EMS pony to come down to her target weight of 400kg from 460kg, but that was diet and exercise alone - don't know if it is different when metformin is involved. She was fed soaked hay at a rate of 2% of her target weight of dry-weight forage per day to achieve this plus daily exercise. Get a good vitamin and mineral supplement to ensure that she has the nutrients she needs, it's sugars and starch you need to take out of her diet.

With regard to turnout, be careful even this time of year, frosty grass can be very high in sugars which ain't good for an EMS horse. We restrict grazing throughout the year and make up turnout time by putting the ponies out on a sand school when the grass is likely to be a bit 'strong'. They are stabled at night this time of year too. If it is possible to fix up a routine like this it may help your pony.

 

[Darremi]

My pony has recently been diagnosed with Equine Metabolic Syndrome and the vet has said she must lose weight. She is a 14.1hh coloured cob, aged 11 and weigh tapes at 408kg. She has been prescribed Metformin (16 per day for 4-8 weeks). I'm hacking out as much as possible (full time work and weather permitting) and stabling her at night with soaked hay. She's also getting a tiny feed morning and evening to hide the metformin in (fast fibre and a hand full of chaff).

How fast should she lose weight. I don't have access to a weighbridge so the weigh tape is my only method of "weighing" her.

Is she rugged in the stable/field? If so I would take them off.

 

[CazD]

Does she have to be stabled? Imo providing the grass isn't lush and sugary which it won't be at this time of year, they're better off out and moving around as much as possible

We are on heavy clay soil and all four of our ponies are off the field at the moment and yarded with haynets. The EMS pony is a bit of a bully and will take more than her fair share of the hay if she gets the chance so its easier to stable her with just her own haynet and no opportunity of take someone elses. Vet has said she's only supposed to get 6kg of hay a day which doesn't really last very long. She has an irish clip and is just rugged in a full neck lightweight rug to cut down on cleaning time.

Vet hasn't said how much weight she needs to lose, just that she has to lose weight and I wondered what sort of weekly/monthly loss I should expect.