Fat pony, can't be worked, no stable :(

[Laura+Phantom]

Okay i'm having lots of fun with Phantom right now :rolleyes: He had an azoturia attack the other day so his fitness plan has been put on hold, which is a major problem, as he is fat with a capital F. He's not really unfit, just fat, and I need to get the weight off before spring comes. He has short grazing, to the point where he's foraging in the hedges and nibbling gorse bushes, and he gets about 2 slices of old hay a day, if that. He has no hard feed whatsoever. The grass is too short for a grazing muzzle to work, and he can do no work right now in case of muscle damage from the azoturia.

Oh yeah and we have no stables, Saphys that I rent is 1/4 mile down the main road. Not good.

Hmm, now what?? Why do my ponies cause problems, god love 'em :rolleyes:

[Sparklie]

Fresh air!?! :p

I don't think there's much less you could be giving him...maybe he's just big boned.

Not very helpful am i!?

[Laura+Phantom]

Lol I think he does actually live off air! I'm hoping I can start gentle exercise soon as it was a mild attack, lets hope so!

(I wish he was just big boned, he looks like a hippo at the moment!)

[Afellpony]

I know it's not ideal but have you thought about tethering him?

[Laura+Phantom]

He would damage himself - he has snapped a leadrope in half before just by pulling, he is stronger than is believable!


ETA: He has lost weight over the winter, but is still far too fat, he's not losing it quick enough...oh I don't rug him either so he burns off calories keeping warm :)

[Bebe]

Does he get a vitamin and mineral supplement? A horse that's lacking in some vits and mins can hang onto weight more than they should as a defense mechanism. The same is true for horses who aren't fed enough calories per day, their metabolism will slow to stave off starvation. It's quite common for the fresh air types to do this, a bit like people who find that they can't lose those last few lbs when they're dieting. It can be helpful to kick up the metabolism by eating a lot more for a short period of time.

FWIW, if he's nibbling the hedgerows and eating wood, then he's probably not getting enough fibre. I'd personally feed more hay, or add in some good quality straw (I've just done this for my mare and to my surprise she's very happily eating it).

It might also be worth looking into metabolic problems given he's also had azoturia and is such a good doer. EPSM springs to mind initially and might be worth researching a bit further.

My mare is a good doer and whilst I do everything possible to get weight off her exercise really is the key. I know you're stuck there for the time being but I've found it's the only real way to keep her at a good weight. She's out of work at the minute too but I am able to handwalk her so we're going out for daily constitutionals in-hand which will hopefully help us both to shed a bit of weight.

[Jessey]

I would second giving him some straw to munch on, oat straw instead of the hay would be fine (and you could give more of it to increase his fibre without the calories), then just get some vits and minerals into him, either a lick or those treat type ones you can get would work.

[puzzles]

make sure the straw is fed at a ratio of 50:50 to hay (not to sound boffy!;-) ) as it can cause impaction in the digestive system if too much is fed.
could anyone else exercise him for you - even a 20-min lunge or walk is better than nothing, and even a non-horsey person could do it (with a little advice).
and ditto about the mins and vits - they are essential, and overweight or not they will help him to stay as ealthy and azoturia-free as possible.
i also recommend the Likits Sport Lick (for electolytes) as this will reduce the lilehood of another attack (by improving muscle health).

100% ditto bebe

good luck hun

x

[Laura+Phantom]

That's really interesting bebe, thanks, i'll look into that, the other ponies have maintained a healthy weight and dropped a little over winter, he is still enormous, it's not right.

Thanks guys, i'll see where I can get some oat straw from, I lost my supplier of oat straw as he's ill, i've been getting wheat straw for Saphy's bed.

I bought Phantom a Rockies mineral lick which he has been enthusiastically licking today, and I might try Blue Chip lami-light when I can work him more, as you could be on to something about the lack of vits and minerals.

I should have plenty of time to exercise him after tomorrow (dissertation will be out of the way at last), but i'll check with the vet if its okay to start walking him out/gentle lunging and building it up. He seems a bit down in the dumps still after tying up, but he looks sound, he's just being a bit of a loner in the field :confused:

[Laura+Phantom]

Actually, I think i'll order some lami-light now, it has got all the vits and minerals in it and magnesium which is supposed to help insulin activity...and loads of other stuff. Anyone know if it is any good?

[puzzles]

I LOVE BLUE CHIP LAMI-LIGHT!!!!!!!! ITS IS AMAZING AND LUVLY AND ACTUALLY WORKS!!!!!!!!
let us just say that, if it were a bloke, i'd marry it :-D

[Laura+Phantom]

Cool, i'll definately order some then! I had him on normal blue chip in 2005 and he looked amazing, his coat was so shiny and he was really chilled, and slim! So lets hope it has the same effect this time, the lami-light will be so much better for him.

Thanks again!

[Jessey]

I bought Phantom a Rockies mineral lick which he has been enthusiastically licking today
That good, the fact that he is tucking into it says that there was a deficency - horses are amazing at self regulating on their mineral intake, oddly salt is often something horses lack in their diet - if thats the case it could be possible that contributed to the muscle problems (you get terrible cramps etc if you a lacking salt). Personally even when my guys are being fed and/or getting a vit mineral supplement I like to put out either just regular loose salt or a rockie block out...just in case, and when its really hot in the summer or they are working very hard, esp after a very sweaty day they will top up for a day or two then go off it again :D

[Laura+Phantom]

Ah...maybe thats why Saphy won't touch the things? As she gets hard food and therefore a more balanced diet?

All of my field kept ones were loving it so they are probably all deficient, cruel mother that I am not feeding them! Hopefully it'll do them some good, thanks for that idea :)

[puzzles]

. . . :-) interesting, isn't it - surprisingly horses don't tend to over-eat; they know what they need (hence why they can start wood-chewing if deficient in certain minerals) and don't eat too much. In the wild they will choose the herbs they need most.
for example, horses i pain somewhere are known top eat around the area closest of a willow tree (a well known pain killing tree).
good doers don't eat a lot, they just use everything they DO take in very efficiently!
x

[Laura+Phantom]

Well, just an update, Fatty has been on lami-light for 4 days now, and as soon as these gales and hail storms stop, i'm going to start gently hacking him out and lunging. Hopefully before long I can post a 'Fat boy slim' thread with pics of his progress!

[Bebe]

good doers don't eat a lot, they just use everything they DO take in very efficiently!


Most definitely.

I found that adding in any Top Spec product makes my good doer even more efficient, which isn't exactly helpful when she already ekes out every last dreg of goodness from her feed. It's why she's back on Lo-Cal, she's not quite as efficient on this but looks just as good.