Weight loss on boxrest

Amye

Amye

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Hi all.

My horse has been lame over the past 3 weeks or so. Vet was out yesterday to scan and we now have a plan of action.

I'm to start a very gradual process of bringing him back into work, starting with inhand walking. The vet has also said, to make it less likely this happens again, to keep him as slim and get him as fit as possible.

The fit thing is going to be hard for a few weeks as we are only doing walking! But I need to work on the weight.

J is a VERY good doer. I usually keep weight off him by working, but obviously this isn't an option. He lost 40kg over winter but due to being in for 3 weeks and no work has put a bit back on! He normally has a haybar but I've been netting since he's been on rest to try and limit the amount he gets.

Can anyone give any tips to how to slim down while on box rest? He's got box rest for at least another 2 weeks, and then possibly more as I'm worried he'll be overexcited to go back in the field and I don't want him to gallop out and injure himself again!

At the moment he has two nets (medium sized one) during the day and then refilled for night time. I was thinking of getting some smaller holed nets for the time he's in? I'm reluctant to reduce too much as I don't want him starving.

At the moment he's also on haylage, as this is what is included in our livery, would it be better to get hay and soak?

He also has some hard feed, a handful of chaff and his pro hoof supplement. I gave him this as the grazing here isn't rested so I worried about him getting his vits and minerals. He did seem to improve a bit when he got the supplement (this was a while ago I started giving hi it) but as he's only doing walk work for now, and will be for a while, do you think it would be best to stop all hard feed for now?

Any advice appreciated.
 
I found it easier for my horse to lose weight on box rest because I could control everything he ate. It’s recommended that horses normally should eat about 2% dry weight of their body weight in forage a day. To lose weight the vet recommended feeding 1.5%. So a 600kg Horse would get 12kg at normal ration and 9kg at 1.5%. I double-netted the hay to slow eating down and soaked hay either overnight for morning or all day for evening. I still fed a small amount of chaff and a balancer. I put chaff and a small handful of nuts in a ball for interest.

This is an informative read.

https://www.bluecross.org.uk/sites/default/files/downloads/fat-horse-slim.pdf
 
Mine lost 100kgs when on box rest and was never hungry so it is possible!

I used very small holed nets and a normal net of straw, the small holed haynet (Martsnets I think the holes are 25mm) was always kept full and he had a small amount loose on the floor to satisfy him when I fed him. Low calorie chaff and Spillers Lite Balancer). He was weighed a month apart on a weigh bridge and I was gobsmacked that he’d lost 100kgs in a month !
 
Sussexbythesea said:
I found it easier for my horse to lose weight on box rest because I could control everything he ate. It’s recommended that horses normally should eat about 2% dry weight of their body weight in forage a day. To lose weight the vet recommended feeding 1.5%. So a 600kg Horse would get 12kg at normal ration and 9kg at 1.5%. I double-netted the hay to slow eating down and soaked hay either overnight for morning or all day for evening. I still fed a small amount of chaff and a balancer. I put chaff and a small handful of nuts in a ball for interest.

This is an informative read.

https://www.bluecross.org.uk/sites/default/files/downloads/fat-horse-slim.pdf
Click to expand...

Thank you, I'll have a read of that! What did you use to weigh your hay? Sort of like a luggage scales? I've never weighed it before! Might have to look at buying in some hay and soaking as well as weighing.

The grass in his field isn't really very good, which is great for him as he's such a good doer. The time I had him at his slimmest was the summer he spent out 24/7 surprisingly.
 
meleeka said:
Mine lost 100kgs when on box rest and was never hungry so it is possible!

I used very small holed nets and a normal net of straw, the haynet was always kept full and he had a small amount loose on the floor to satisfy him when I fed him. He was weighed a month apart on a weigh bridge and I was gobsmacked that he’d lost 100kgs in just over a month!
Click to expand...

Wow well done you!! What kind of straw did you use? He's on haylage at the moment so I think I do need to introduce or switch to something low in calories!
 
You can soak the haylage, I’d prob do that if it’s included in your livery fee.
So soaked haylage in small holes nets.
Then could always top up with oat straw chaff
 
Great advice above!
To assist the boredom issue, you can put it in lots of different nets around the stable - this allows them to 'forage' at least a little bit, so you could have a tiny unsoaked one, a bigger soaked one, one with part-oat straw - I've even heard of people putting chamomile or peppermint tea on some of them. This allows at least a little replication of choice he;d have when grazing, and also helps stop your guilt ;-).
You could also put his feed in a treat ball so that slows him down a little.
 
Amye said:
Thank you, I'll have a read of that! What did you use to weigh your hay? Sort of like a luggage scales? I've never weighed it before! Might have to look at buying in some hay and soaking as well as weighing.

The grass in his field isn't really very good, which is great for him as he's such a good doer. The time I had him at his slimmest was the summer he spent out 24/7 surprisingly.
Click to expand...

You can buy scales from tack shops etc but a luggage scale would work just as well. Something like this.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001C7L...=9045822&hvtargid=pla-421878982978&th=1&psc=1

Unfortunately I’m having a different problem, mine has started going out overnight and comes in lunchtime for a snooze and back out between 5.30 and 7.30 depending on if I’m riding and he’s ballooned! I didn’t realise how much until I looked at the photos from the show I took him to on Sunday. I think I’m going to have to muzzle which I hate :(
 
ihatework said:
You can soak the haylage, I’d prob do that if it’s included in your livery fee.
So soaked haylage in small holes nets.
Then could always top up with oat straw chaff
Click to expand...


Thank you! I never realised you could soak haylage... feel bit silly now :D I has just always heard hay being soaked!
 
Morgan123 said:
Great advice above!
To assist the boredom issue, you can put it in lots of different nets around the stable - this allows them to 'forage' at least a little bit, so you could have a tiny unsoaked one, a bigger soaked one, one with part-oat straw - I've even heard of people putting chamomile or peppermint tea on some of them. This allows at least a little replication of choice he;d have when grazing, and also helps stop your guilt ;-).
You could also put his feed in a treat ball so that slows him down a little.
Click to expand...

Thanks! That sounds like a good idea :) I'll try that. He has a treatball but doesn't seem to get it! Once I've stopped showing him what he needs to do he doesn't bother carrying on..
 
Sussexbythesea said:
You can buy scales from tack shops etc but a luggage scale would work just as well. Something like this.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001C7L...=9045822&hvtargid=pla-421878982978&th=1&psc=1

Unfortunately I’m having a different problem, mine has started going out overnight and comes in lunchtime for a snooze and back out between 5.30 and 7.30 depending on if I’m riding and he’s ballooned! I didn’t realise how much until I looked at the photos from the show I took him to on Sunday. I think I’m going to have to muzzle which I hate :(
Click to expand...

Brill thanks :)

Oh these good doers are annoying aren't they! Hope you find a solution. I can tell my boy is big and i feel awful about it!
 
Ok, possible stupid question.

I'm trying to search for where I can buy oat straw. All that keeps coming up is chopped oat straw (like topchop zero). I assume you can buy it in bales too. What would be best? Buy some topchop and give him that (can this go in a net? I assume not?) or source bales?
 
Something like this, fed by the scoop in the manger, will give something to nibble on if hungry (most aren’t keen to gobble it down!)

http://www.honeychop.com/our-horse-feed/honeychop-oat-straw/

Or you could try and source good quality oat straw bales and feed from a net. You might find it tricky to get some though. There is a big supplier, whose name temporarily escapes me, who last I knew had wrapped feed quality oat straw available. I want to say Henry Cole but I think that’s wrong!
 
ihatework said:
Something like this, fed by the scoop in the manger, will give something to nibble on if hungry (most aren’t keen to gobble it down!)

http://www.honeychop.com/our-horse-feed/honeychop-oat-straw/

Or you could try and source good quality oat straw bales and feed from a net. You might find it tricky to get some though. There is a big supplier, whose name temporarily escapes me, who last I knew had wrapped feed quality oat straw available. I want to say Henry Cole but I think that’s wrong!
Click to expand...

Thanks :) I did worry if I just gave him a scoop he would just eat it all in one go and it wouldn't last him! I guess it's not something they really gobble though, like you say, he would hopefully just pick at it.

Yeah that's what I seem to be reading, it's hard to source bales to put in a net. I'll have an ask around and see if I can find any. If not I know my local feed shop sells some of the chopped stuff so I can get that :)
 
I've been using top chop zero for one of mine as a small feed and she picked at it. Now got another on boxrest and out of interest gave her a bucket of it, 2 mins later and all gone..... hoovered up, and enquiring nicker from fuzzy eejit asking for something else to eat......
Piggies will be piggies unfortunately. So, am keeping to 3 to 4 small nets a day, all soaked and rinsed before using.
Plenty of grooming and a small friend to keep company the other side of the door :)
 
The Fuzzy Furry said:
I've been using top chop zero for one of mine as a small feed and she picked at it. Now got another on boxrest and out of interest gave her a bucket of it, 2 mins later and all gone..... hoovered up, and enquiring nicker from fuzzy eejit asking for something else to eat......
Piggies will be piggies unfortunately. So, am keeping to 3 to 4 small nets a day, all soaked and rinsed before using.
Plenty of grooming and a small friend to keep company the other side of the door :)
Click to expand...

Haha maybe I’ll just get a bag and give it a try! I’m off to get him some small holes haynets tonight and try to order some scales so can at least can his portions right :)

ester said:
is he shod?
Click to expand...

Yeah, he is
 
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