When do yours go back to being out at night

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littlen

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When do you put them back out, and how do you decide whens the right time?

The full story for those interested, might be long!

Horse has been in at night on and off since Sept. He weaves and box walks.
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He is obese and lacks any sort of muscle or topline. He has not been ridden since Sept due to a comination of problems, lami, seperation anxiety and bad weather.
For those who dont know, I took on horse as a rescue when noone else would. He has numerous problems and I am trying my best to sort them.

He is currently in at night with 2 large-ish haynets and no hard feed. He is out during the day between 8-4 on a poor quality field (muddy and little grass)

Vet has been out numerous times for his various problems. On his latest visit he told me to do something about his weight and quick, as he is still obese and if he comes into spring/summer at this weight I am going to have big problems (he has lami and allergies to flies so isnt ridden much in 'fly' season)
So basically I have a short amount of time for him to loose quite abit of weight. I have tried all winter to shift weight with no luck.
To describe him condition wise, think pregnant mare who has no topline whatsoever, no bum muscles, no neck muscles. He looks awful at the moment if im honest but is happy in himself and dosent seem to care. I have tried everything to muscle him up but without riding its proving impossible. Even when i do ride i dont know how to excersise him properly, if that makes sense? Anyone who has ideas on improving his topline I would love to hear them
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Its almost like a big grass belly even though we are in the middle of winter. He has been tested for allergies and cushings and has had just about every test under the sun, vet thinks its a combination of lack of excerise and genetics as apparently arabs are prone to being round around the stomach.
I cant ride as he wont hack alone and school is out of use due to weather. He isnt very well behaved in school either due to seperation anxiety so its pointless trying. Cant lunge as nowhere to do it.

Right so one soloution suggested is to put him out 24/7, so less food and more moving about.
He would be suitably rugged and is unclipped yet is a big wimp and comes running to the gate at the sight of rain/wind/snow etc.

The main problem i have is that someone prople have said its cruel to chuck him out in the middle of winter, when he has spent most of it in his stable getting fatter and fatter. Is it too late to make the transition to out at night?

Also I cant hay the field for various reasons, YO wont allow, his companion has allergies to hay and copd, and also because his companions are also obese and owners dont want extra feeding. So he will be out 24 hours a day with minimal grazing, will he be okay with this? He gets no hard feed as he is too fat but i could always try giving him happy hoof or something for nutrients?
I suppose he could always come in for an hour to have some hay too?

What do you all think about doing this? Should I just wait until the warmer weather (and spring grass!)
 
I'd soak his hay to start with so that you are losing lots of the calories. Immerse it in water for at least 30 minutes but preferably overnight then rinse it and feed it to him that day.

Short stressed grass could potentially be high in fructans, especially if there's more frost around. Plus he won't be getting enough fibre to go through his system either which could cause you yet more problems.

If he must wear a rug when he is out pop a rainsheet on him only so he has to move around to keep warm. But please don't just chuck him out 24/7 when winter isn't over yet. Be different if it was March/April time but seems a little harsh otherwise. Mine are living out 24/7 already, I have no issue at all with 24/7 turnout. Just think you need to take into account the fact that he's been in until now.

I'd carry on with your routine. Soaking hay as mentioned. Walk him in hand whenever possible if you can't ride him and make every stride count. All fast steps, no dawdling. Feed him a low calorie balancer to ensure he is getting all the vitamins and minerals he needs. And when spring comes and he is turned out consider using a muzzle if you can't strip graze him.

Good doers are such hard work, you have my sympathy.
 
Are there other horses out overnight? If not it sounds like that would rule it out in his case if he gets separation anxiety. If so, he would probably be fine, horses weren't designed to live in stables
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While he's in, i would be soaking hay for 24 hours, defo not feeding any hard feed, and if possible clipping and under-rugging him.

As soon as the grass starts growing again it sounds like he is going to need a grazing muzzle/majorly restricted grazing.
 
Will he stay out at night? Does he have company? If he does I would chuck him out, and rug accordingly and bring him in for something to eat in the day. Arabs, whilst hotblooded are quite tough, I think so more than the tb's.

I would start exercising him more, I know you say it's hard but doing a good active walk for an hour even twice a day would make a huge difference. Do this in the school, you can pretty much ride at walk no matter what the weather. On top of this, take him for some inhand walks if he doesn't hack alone and this itself will help hugely for when spring does get here and you want to hack. I am sure after venturing out and becoming used to it, you could hack him with his tack on and hop on now and then and slowly increase this to riding for longer.. It will take some time but I am more than confident with some hard work he will drop weight. Also, I would invest (they are pricey) in those snuggy hoods or whatever they are called. They are great for combating the flies and midges etc, so he can at least go out as much as possible in the summer (also muzzel when the fields get green) But exercise (not matter what) is the key to shifting some weight and I also feel this will help no end in his problems by getting out and doing stuff.
 
Personally I dont think it is a good idea to turn him out 24/7 at the moment unless you have a decent paddock or field as he will be more than likely to end up with mud fever, especially if your paddock is just mud as you say. Why not drop the weight of rug ie to a lightweight and give him a little less hay at night in a small hole haynet? If he is putting on weight now you are obviously feeding too much!

It is not very nice to suddenly strip a horse of all his comforts ( ie rugs and stable) without ' roughing him off' first. And in a nut shell, excercise and reduced calories is the key to weight loss.
 
Well my cob got laminitis this August and has been on recovery and strict management ever since. He too needed to loose weight and when he was put onto box rest the vet gave strict instructions to provide 3 pads of small bale hay at night and max 4 pads during the day double netted in small hole haynets to slow him down. I managed this although he was left for large periods of time with no food but the vet said that would be fine as he was getting enough fibre overall in his diet.
Even on complete box rest he lost loads of weight on this diet and slimmed right down. Now he is back outside 24/7 on a paddock that is churned up and mainly bald apart from some blades to pick at, I still keep this routine but have added 1 pad extra at both ends of the day in order to stabalise his weight loss as he is now at the right weight.
I would not turn your horse out on a bald field with no hay though as he will be hungry and his body will go into panic and start storing fat rather than loosing weight. He is better off in but on soaked hay than being out on nothing.
Yes the exercise will help but you would be better off taking your horse for good walks in hand before the spring hits...yuo dont want him to loose weight quickly...it needs to be a gradual process of you will cause him to have other complications like hypoglycemia. Yes, spring is round the corner but so long as he does not have access to rapidly growing grass or good grazing he will still continue to loose weight...especially if he can be exercised a bit.
 
I would keep him in until the fields dry off a bit, if he doesn't settle he is just going to churn them up!
I would try and get as small a haynet as possible so it takes longer for him to eat it. I would also soak the hay for 12 hours to minimise calories.
Does he have any rugs on, either when stabled or out? I would leave him naked, it's amazing how quickly it shifts weight. He may not like it, but it would be for his own good. If you feel you have to put a rug on him, a no fill rainsheet at most. Keeps the weather off without keeping him warm, he will still have to move to warm up.
Does he get any exercise? Ride, lead him from another horse, lunging, long reining, walks in hand, anything just to get him out and about moving during the day.
Hope this helps!
 
Her ladyship went back out last night - she's a good doer and gets 2 pads of hay in the field at night to keep her warm + a good coat - this is her first winter out and only came in due to the snow and she's fine I'm not sure I would worry to much about putting him out if he has a mate with him and a rug to keep him dry - focus on the dry bit as they regulate their own temp just get a bit fed up if they are soggy.

Walk him in hand - it'll be nice for both of you to spend some time together and get you both fit.

As for being a wimp - thats only any good if it gets a reaction. He'll soon work out it's pointless.

Good luck - they adapt well.
 
Thankyou everyone, you have given me lots to think about!

He would be out with company, the owner of his field mates will leave out at night (but they are shetlands!)

He is at the moment in a MW turnout during the day, he has had it on at night also but im thinking of either taking it off or just putting on a fleece for him when in the stable instead. He has those 2 haynets a night and thats it, no hard feed. I put it on as other liveries said it was cruel to leave an arab in a no fill turnout in winter and he was feeling abit cold.

I am going to start an excersise programme from the end of this month, it has been hard as he will not go alone and I have had to beg someone to come along with me. In summer he will go short distances, but in winter it is a no go and I dont fancy hitting the deck on winter days like this! He will buck, spin and eventually bolt for home on his own and i am not confident enough at the moment. In hand i have no control either so that is a no go.

He did loose some weight at the beginning of winter, but it seems to be creeping back on. He is not cresty or fatty, just as i said sporting a massive grass belly.
He always has a muzzle on from April, yet still balloons!

What i wouldnt give for a normal weight horse lol!
 
Ditto Russoheidi, I really would be trying to excercise. I know it's boring, but can you not pop a headcollar on and walk in hand around your field? It'll give you a chance to fence check too!

Plus dependent on how fit you're feelng, take an Ipod and you could jog a bit and do some trotting too!

I would be tempted to strip him off whilst he's in. Most stables are surprisingly sheltered. As long as he can't get wet and has shelter from the wind, he should be fine.
 
Ignore the other liveries and start reducing his rugs! It really does make a big difference. If he's unclipped I'd leave him naked or in a thin fleece when he's in, and as other have said, a rainsheet when he's out.

If you have no control in hand then that is something you seriously need to work on....have you tried a pressure halter? or walking him out in a bridle?

If he's fat, and he's had lami, he will need his muzzle on way before April. Depending on the weather, it will probably be early March or even late Feb.

Good luck, i know how hard it is having a good doer, you really do have to work hard at it all year round, no excuses.
 
With respect to your difficulties in hand, would it help if you could use a training aid whilst walking him with tack on? Don't know what he does whilst in hand (may have missed it above!) but it may stop him getting above point of control and make him work?????
 
The problems i have with him when ridden or in hand lead to his seperation anxiety. He is fine being lead to and from the field etc. but most of our hacking is road work and I would not feel comfortable walking on the road with a dancing horse on the end of a rope.

He can be lead in a bridle, however is tense and will constantly try and head for home, spinning etc. This is the same ridden or in hand. He will also spook sideways into me when lead, or spook sideways into the road when ridden. He also plants and starts shouting at the top of his voice and wont move. He will lead 100% with a companion but nobody will come with me.

I will muzzle him as soon as the grass comes through then, thankyou! I will also reduce his rugs and try and leave him out longer to get him accustomed to being out, but i will still bring him in at night with soaked hay until the weather gets better.

I am desperate to ride him and get him fitter, as i would love to do some fun rides and shows in the summer but I am just too nervous at the moment to do it, as in winter his bad behaviour esculates further!
 
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