Weight management advice needed!

metalmare

metalmare

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I have a pony who is about a 3.5 out of 5 on the fat scale and who I cannot shift weight from! I have tried various options and am at my wits end! All summer he had a muzzle on (Best Friend, decent design) - he has still come out of the summer too fat. So I've bought electric fencing. After a couple of weeks in a menage size paddock he has poached our clay soil and I daren't damage the field as it's not mine! I walk him at weekends but can't exercise him at the moment due to dark weekdays.

The other thing to point out is that he's a yearling so still needs hard feed to ensure he has vitamins and minerals. I am coming to the end of a bag of Blue Chip Lami Lite, which I feel has been too calorific and I am wondering what to try next? I have fed NAF stud and youngstock in the past but it's hard to get into him as he refused to eat chaff (Dengie Hi-Fi Lite).

I'm really hoping someone else on here has experience of fat native youngsters!

Sorry for the essay.
 
fat native youngsters really dont need hard feed. just good hay and grass just eniough to maintain the slow growth rate. you are obviously doing him too well, which will lead to problems in the future. he is native and meant to scrat around on the moor or up a hill.
 
Do you think I can trust the grazing to give him all he needs then? I've been advised that grass can be deficient in copper and magnesium, that's all. But I totally agree with your point that on the hills he wouldn't have extra and if that's the prevailing opinion I'd LOVE to do away with the hard feed!

Although hill ponies do have access to much more diverse forage...
 
Definately cut out the hard feed and instead give him a vitamin and mineral supplement or a youngstock supplement (NAF, topspec and dodon and horrell do specific youngstock ones)
 
He did have NAF Stud and Youngstock which is a powdered supplement, however it's a case of how to 'deliver' it. Shame I can't just inject it in! He hates chaff, you see.

By the way, thanks for visiting the stable yard :)
 
If getting a powdered supplement down him is hard if he won't eat a non molassed chaff then you could look at a lick? Rockies do the Five star lick which contains alot of base minerals and vitamins?
 
I'm glad you've said that because I was toying with the idea of the lick. That way if he feels he is deficient he can get as some broad spectrum vits and minerals so I won't be worrying about that so much.

Obviously I have to trust him to use it sensibly but horses know when they need minerals and vitamins, don't they? Hence gnawing at bark, hair, etc when they are deficient.

Also, it would ideally need to be non-sugar based.

I've never heard of this company Rockies - are they available online? And are they weatherproof?

Many thanks for the advice - been losing sleep over the tubby man!
 
Your pony shouldnt be getting too many calories from a balancer due to the amounts fed. However a balancer does contain a probiotic which will help him get the most from his grass/hay etc, which isnt a bad thing!

How about posting this in "Breeding" for more help.

I personally dont know too much about younger horses.

Remember we are heading into a what is going to be a hard winter so your horse may well lose the extra weight he has gained this summer.
 
metalmare said:
I'm glad you've said that because I was toying with the idea of the lick. That way if he feels he is deficient he can get as some broad spectrum vits and minerals so I won't be worrying about that so much.

Obviously I have to trust him to use it sensibly but horses know when they need minerals and vitamins, don't they? Hence gnawing at bark, hair, etc when they are deficient.

Also, it would ideally need to be non-sugar based.

I've never heard of this company Rockies - are they available online? And are they weatherproof?

Many thanks for the advice - been losing sleep over the tubby man!
Click to expand...

http://www.rockies.co.uk/

Their products are available widely at places like countrywide stores etc, you can buy online too but then have P&P to pay, do make sure you use a non-molassed one though otherwise natives will be greedy and stand there licking and licking till it's gone!! And end up consuming more sugar than ever!! The rockies five star uses fenugreek and apple flavouring to increase it's palatability instead.

They are available from online saddleries, just google shopping search five star rockies! They do outside blocks and inside ones, some are weatherproof others not so, just read through the blog of each block they do.
 
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I'd feed a balancer along the lines of Top Spec Anti Lam or Baileys Lo Cal. Something which will give him adequate nutrition to help support his growth but without additional calories. Lots of the feed companies have helplines, be worth having a chat with them.

I believe Dodson & Horrell offer a testing facility for grass, hay or haylage. Not sure who else does though Metalmare.
 
Dodson & Horrell do offer forage analysis - details here:

http://www.dodsonandhorrell.com/help-advice/forage.html

However, the basic service which costs £7.50 just covers protein, digestible energy, sugar levels etc., and not mineral content. If you want mineral content then it costs either £30 or £47.50, depending on what minerals you want analyzed!

If you do decide to give him a powdered vit/min supplement, why not try mixing it in with a tiny bit of Speedibeet or Fast Fibre.
 
Have you looked into Dodson and Horrell Equi-bites?
They are like treats you can hand feet as a vit and min supplement for horses/ponies at grass. You'd have to look at nutrient analysis on the tub to see how they campare to other supplements. ( See link below)
Easy way to feed if you find it is nutritionally sound for your youngster!

http://www.dodsonandhorrell.com/products/horse-ranges/tailor-made/equi-bites.html
 
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