Ideas for weight loss?

[Trewsers]

Several people have told me that my connie x is fat:eek: I am soo worried now because I am scared she'll get laminitis. She may or may not have had it in the past, the vet couldn't be sure last year when we had her vetted. She was thinner last year (I thought too thin but what do I know???!:p ) Anyway, I ride her 6 days a week for about half / three quarters of an hour - sometimes I rider her twice a day - I give her a really small scoop of Happy Hoof for breakfast and one for tea and a couple of carrots. She is on haylage when not eating grass - is there anything else I can do???? She won't eat hay - somebody suggested putting her on it - but she just wouldn't eat it, I once left a hay net in and she rejected it for ages, wouldn't touch it. Am going to have a chat with our vet - but as I'm on a big yard its difficult on the routine visit - (he always seems to get hijacked by other customers:rolleyes: ). Isn't it always the case tho - OH's tb can eat anything (just like his owner) and not put weight on, whereas me and mine only have to look at food..........:D

[Bay Mare]

Maybe cut out the happy hoof altogether? Does she really need it? Although it's the haylage that puts on the weight the happy hoof may just be empty calories 'needs' wise (ie she may not need the happy hoof even though it's not going to contribute a lot calorie wise).

You could try a grass muzzle for when she's out and a haylage net or one net inside the other so that she can't eat as much as quickly.

You say that she's put weight on. What have you been doing differently this year from last? Have you changed her feed at all?

Saff is a good doer and has come out of winter as chunky as she went in. Thankfully she is fairly stable weight wise but I wouldn't want her any chunkier. I haven't got a clue what I'd do if she needed to lose weight apart from invest in a horse walker and have her on it for most of the day :)

Instead of haylage you could look into hay replacers, I'm not up on those particularly so won't waffle on :)

Simple Systems (I don't work for them, honest :) ) give very good nutritional advice and have a few products which can be used as hay replacers (there are both lucerne and grass based products) and are unmollassed.

[Trewsers]

Yeah, I was thinking of cutting the Happy Hoof out altogether - I don't really think she needs it - its just a token gesture after I've worked her! I guess I could give her half a scoop for breakfast tho - I think she might feel a bit disgruntled if all the others are being fed and she's not. (Doesn't matter at night as I feed ours way after all the other liveries). Good idea about the net - I'll start putting it inside another - make her eat slower!!! If anything, I'm working her far harder than I ever did - just that when I bought her she was underweight (its exactly a year ago). Her previous owner worked her hard but obviously didn't feed her like I do:p Thats why I am concerned about her getting laminitis - she didn't get it last year, but then again, she wasn't the same size as now!! Think I will try a grazing muzzle, although don't relish the Hanibal lecter look and am sure she will be furious about having to wear it! Never heard of Simple Systems, will have to look them up - thanks for that. I think its comments from other liveries that have made me more paranoid - somebody referred to her as "blossoming" the other day!

[atillathefun]

I think happy hoof has less calories than haylage (correct me if I am wrong) so I would be tempted to stop the haylage and feed more happy hoof - you can use it as a hay replacer.

ETA ** I just looked it up Happy Hoof is 8.8 MJ/Kg and Haylage is different depending on which one but approx 9-11mj/Kg It also says to avoid early cut hay or haylage!

I know how annoying it is as my horse only looks at a haynet at his waist expands and yet my sisters horse can eat all day and doesnt put on a pound!!

[Portia]

You could start weight taping her say fortnightly (and just to reassure you, my 14.2 conne x should be a 16hander according to the weight tape!) and keep a track of loss/gain - it might not be as bad as you initially think.

Reduce rugs or off altogether (if any are worn of course...), let her burn off some calories keeping warm. Strip down her field to reduce grazing acces. Echo the comments on haylage, but then as mine has suddenly turned fussy about the hay I can understand what you're saying. Perhaps mix hay and haylage together? Don't feed haylage myself so shan't comment otherwise.

[Trewsers]

Portia - thanks - feel better after reading that bout your connie :D Attilathefun - yeah, tis annoying, OH's tb just eats and eats and eats and never puts a pound on:D (funny just like his owner:rolleyes: )