Well, he's home :) (and a feeding question)

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Scheherezade

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To all those following the saga of what to do with my horse - came back from loan whilst I am 35 weeks pregnant and suffering very painful SPD!

We managed to find a wonderful farm to keep him on, the guys are very, very knowledgeable and super understanding, we're keeping him on a grass/full livery type arrangement, although I will be getting up there as often as I can to pitch in. Have offered my services as tack & boot cleaner as gratitude, along with regular home baking for them and farm lads :)

Anyway, turns out it's clear why the horse was 'too stiff to walk' and 'puts his ears back when you get on'- I almost didn't recognise him, and the YO didn't believe it was a gelding and not a broodmare about to drop - he is ENORMOUS. At his 'normal' weight he fits a wide saddle, so he must easily be in an XW now, and she has been riding him in her old TBs medium-narrow.

Now the difficult part - how to get the weight off? Obv I can't ride, and I don't want to over strain or exercise him. She's been feeding him allen & page bran mash. The YO feeds his horses (big, handsome hunters) x2 feeds a day, but this is going to bee too much for my (15.3 welsh fatty). I also want to get him on cod liver oil for joints, though I know this is extra fat.

Am going to get a sack of meadowsweet as that was what he was on when we had him, and I need to discuss feeding with YO. If anyone has any reccommendations, they would be gratefully received.
 
First of all I would give NO hard feed; a handful of hi fi lite, happy hoof or other low cal chaff if you want to give him supplements (cod liver oil is fed in fairly small amounts so wouldn't add too many calories). If you want to be 'correct' then add a vit/min supplement to this although personally I would avoid the balancers and stick to something like equivite/pink powder - I think there is a supplement called Codlivine which is a comprehensive supplement as well as having cod liver oil (But don't quote me on this).

Look at the quantity/quality of grass he is getting, if he is out on lush 'dairy' grazing you are fighting a losing battle I'm afraid. Strip grazing, muzzling.. lots of ideas to try. If he is stabled then soaked hay is very low cal.

Weightaping weekly is great as you will be able to see the weight coming off. As to exercise, would you be able to find a sharer? If he is really overweight then the best thing for him would be 'lower' intensity work like hacking and gentle schooling.

Finally, good luck, sounds like the last thing you need to be worrying about at the moment!
 
I wouldn't bother feeding! Just restricted grazing and out 24/7 for movement or soaked hay if he has to come in at night. Perhaps a cup of fast fibre or a fatty balancer for some nutrition if you are desperate to, but since he isn't working I don't think it is as important.

Sounds like he really needs to loose alot, but I would be wary of suddenly putting him in an empty lot and getting it off too suddenly. Is there anyone there who can exercise him for you? Just like with us, loosing or even just maintaining weight on little exercise is very very difficult.

Although they aren't that great at accuratly measuring the actual weight, weigh tapes are brilliant at keeping tabs on your progress. I would get one and use it weekly to chart his progress.
 
ThePony said:
I wouldn't bother feeding! Just restricted grazing and out 24/7 for movement or soaked hay if he has to come in at night. Perhaps a cup of fast fibre or a fatty balancer for some nutrition if you are desperate to, but since he isn't working I don't think it is as important.

Sounds like he really needs to loose alot, but I would be wary of suddenly putting him in an empty lot and getting it off too suddenly. Is there anyone there who can exercise him for you? Just like with us, loosing or even just maintaining weight on little exercise is very very difficult.

Although they aren't that great at accuratly measuring the actual weight, weigh tapes are brilliant at keeping tabs on your progress. I would get one and use it weekly to chart his progress.
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Excellent advice above and I would really only add, please, please be careful of yourself with the SPD. I had it and I know how painful it is. You don't want to do anything to damage your pelvis or make your recovery time longer after having the baby. I am sorry to hear about your loaner - how could she not have noticed how big he was getting or that the saddle was far too small?!
 
I wouldn't be feeding him Meadow sweet just because it is what he had before - clearly thats what got him like this in the first place stick him on a complete fiber diet as he clearly doesn't need any topping up !!

Something like HiFi mollasas free - especially if the YO likes to feed lots

Also keep him unrugged and get a grazing muzzle if he's going to be out all the time
 
You can now buy Alpha A sugar and mollasses free, if you HAVE to feed him something (although personally I wouldnt bother).
You could also give him a trace clip and let him shiver some of that weight off, but best by far would be exercise of some kind, be it long reining or lunging by a friend you can trust?
 
Well my lad - Welsh D looks 'well' and I struggle to keep weight off him even when riding him 6 days a week! He is on a strict regime of very limited grazing to pick at during the day, then in at night all year on weighed year old hay. He has a couple of handfuls of Hi Fi Lite to put an all round vit/min supplement into and that is the lot!
Even in the winter on this diet and no rugs at all, he manages to maintain his weight. So I would not be feeding yours anything other than restricted grass and hay...given there is no possibility of exercise.
Hope all goes well with your health.
 
I wouldn't bother feeding him. One of mine who I struggle to get weight off has a handful of happy hoof with naf vits and min supp and cider vinegar for joints. He has this twice a day. I also give him adlib soaked hay at night in the winter as I don't believe in restricting his fibre intake, plus when he's hungry he's a nightmare to handle! Since I'v had him, he's steadily lost weight.

He's not in work either as he's arthritic but gets 8/9 hrs a day of turnout in the winter and is out 24/7 from march to october, this movement helps his weight, especially as he's out with my tb, gives him plenty of exercise!!!!
 
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Please don't use the Hi fi or Alfa a molasses free range, it's coated in soya oil and is classed as a conditioning feed, being higher in calories and than the original varieties.

I bought a cob several years ago that was 14.2 and over 700kgs and totally obese - came from a showing yard, enough said :mad: He was put onto topspec antilam which is a very low calorie supplement to provide all the vits and mins he needed along with a handful of hifi LITE . He was muzzled for sometime each day rather than standing around in the stable getting fatter!! It was better for him to be wandering about.

Can you get someone to ride him or even walk him out in hand each day as that will make a difference too?

I would be using the winter months to slim him too, just give 1 slice of oat straw or low grade hay twice a day and don't rug him, this will help too.
 
Don't feed him any hard feed at all.

I'd be giving very restricted grazing or turning out with a muzzle and soaked hay to give him something to munch on overnight (if he's in that is). I wouldn't be overly worried about excercising either until he has some weight off, if he is badly overweight then he is probably going to struggle doing much anyway. I'd get some weight off first then you aren't putting additional strain on and then start your excercise regime with him.

In the meantime good luck with your forthcoming new arrival.
 
Ladylina83 said:
I wouldn't be feeding him Meadow sweet just because it is what he had before - clearly thats what got him like this in the first place
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Meadowsweet was what he was on before he went on loan - when he was very trim and in shape, just a scoop a day for the vits, with a splash of water to mix his glucosamine in with. I think iwill say to YO absolutely NO hard feed like you have suggested, just chaff or beet for the supplements! Anyone want a bag of bran mash? :D it's difficult as YO is an over-feeser and over-rugger, but he has big, big horses that hunt twice a week. Will discuss it tonight.

Some good ideas ,thanks everyone :) Am giving him winter off to recouperate, he has OCD and arthritis in the right hock so I won't be letting anyone else ride him. He was fit and sound before he went on loan, so i just dont trust anyone else now. There is a horse walker on the yard I might employ?

indiat - I know, I know :( last night I shifted and carried stuff through the pain, and am absolutely laid up now! Am going to get OH to help lift things tonight so I can sort out my things. It's just so unfair <whines> I hate feeling useless and like a big lump, and I want to be riding asap, but trying to pretend the pain & issue isn't there isn't going to help me in the long term.

Will put a photo on later, so you can see what a gelding carrying twins looks like!
 
Scheherezade said:
indiat - I know, I know :( last night I shifted and carried stuff through the pain, and am absolutely laid up now! Am going to get OH to help lift things tonight so I can sort out my things. It's just so unfair <whines> I hate feeling useless and like a big lump, and I want to be riding asap, but trying to pretend the pain & issue isn't there isn't going to help me in the long term.
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I do feel for you. I could hardly move toward the end of my pregnancy and I did cry a lot, which is not like me, but it really got me down. Tbh, the SPD put me off a third child as the doctor warned me it would come back and they could not tell me how bad it would be next time around. I remeber insisting I could carry on as normal with my first, I think ALL first time mums do that, and I think I would have killed myself had I had SPD the first time around. So don't fall into that trap. Carrying stuff through the pain is not clever or admirable, get your OH to do it all. Take care.xx
 
I wouldn't feed him at all. Chuck a big Rockies Red out in the field and if wants any minerals he can get them. If there is a stack of grass as above muzzle or strip graze. I also agree with keeping him stripped then he'll have to use calories to keep himself warm. Whilst he's not in work I again wouldn't worry about cod liver oil etc as he won't be under any stress and he might just free up with a bit of a rest. Remember the grass is about to have another good growth spurt! It might be windy but the ground temperature is still high and with this rain it's going to go wild! I hope the rest of your pregnancy goes well.
 
indiat - what did you find helped? Aside from rest? How long after the birth did it take to go - I've been told breastfeeding can make it worse, did you find that? I have a support belt and have to keep reminding myself to wear it!
 
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