Too much of a good thing

[Zesty Maximus]

Hello,

My horse Milly, a 6 year old 14.3 Welsh D (crossed with Exmoor I believe) is a bit over weight, (has an apple bum) is going to be out of work for the next month, maybe two (and has been for the past two months) and is definitely a 'good doer'. I'm trying to find the best solution to getting her to lose a bit of weight before the Spring but without much excercise, this is proving to be rather difficult.

She was only introduced to humans in April (having been wild for all of her previous life), backed and extensively schooled and then unsurprisingly got a splint in September, just before I bought her, and so I made the decision to turn her away for a few months as she's had a lot to cope with in the last 9 months. We've been spending this time getting to know each other.

Currently she's out 24/7 (she hates being stabled so not really an option if it can be helped), the field that she's in is quite small, with not much grass and she just gets 2 sections of low nutrition meadow hay each day, no hard feed. She's not been clipped this Winter and isn't rugged currently. When I bring her in for a groom, foot trim or whatever she gets a couple of carrots so that being caught is a pleasant experience for her.

She's also just about to be moved to a much better yard (in many ways) but that has a lot of grass that gets rotated so frequently that most fields just get grazed for 2-3 months of the year. I just know that she's going to pig out and even when I'm riding her, it'll only be at the weekends until the clocks go forward at the end of March and I'm worried that after 4 months of good grass, with little excercise, I'm going to have a case of very unfit, laminitc horse on my hands.

Wow, this has turned out to be a lot longer than I thought it would be!

I guess, what I'm hoping you guys would be able to advise me on is any way that I can keep the weight off of Milly or perhaps the best ways to get her fit despite only being able to excercise her at weekends?

[becs]

If you're sure the grazing is much more / better and you can't limit her access (hours / area in leccy fencing) then I guess the only answer is a grazing muzzle? My first thoughts - no expert, I'm afraid.

Let's see what the lammy experts here have to say...

[Alfies-slave]

She will drop weight as the weather gets worse. Especialy if she is not rugged. Native ponies don't need rugs if they have enough room to move about and find shelter. If it was my pony I would keep her on the roughest land I could find, ie, not lush dairy grass!

I wouldn't do anything hasty at the moment, I like to send my native ponies in to winter on the porky side. A grazing muzzle would be useful come spring. The land she is being kept on at the mo sounds far more suitable than the new place.

[Jessey]

I would agree, no rug and the colder weather should help. But putting her on to loads of good grass won't - given this new yard sound well managed could you ask if they have a fattie paddock? one with limited grass so she can spend part/all of the day in there to limit her intake?
If not It sounds to me that a muzzle is the only option.
I agree about horses going into winter a little round, but seriously over weight (which apple bums normally indicate) and moving onto better grass will probably mean she won't loose any weight over winter.

Is there any chance you could lunge her mid week?, just 15-20 minutes on the lunge is a really good work out.

Also swapping her hay for oat straw will help, it will bulk her out and keep her gut working (and keeping her warm) but has next to no calories so won't make her gain weight.

J x

[Fruit Loop]

Milly sounds like my mare! She's just having grass turnout and hi-fi good doer when she comes in for tea. I try and lunge her before work a couple of days a week and then hack out and school at the weekends.

Food is such a big deal for my mare as before we had her she had basically been left to starve in winter and then gain weight in summer - so I didn't think it was fair to put a muzzle on her (I tried it and she just got distressed), instead she just goes in the school area we have fenced off in the field if need be during the spring/summer.

My riding instructor is going to teach me how to long rein as well, so thats something else we can do in the mornings before work.

She was left to be wild as well for her 1st 4/5 years but she is doing really...considering she is very much used to doing as she pleases.

[Zesty Maximus]

I do have a grazing muzzle and am planning on using this when we move yards, so long as it doesn't distress Milly too much. She sure does like to be eating though and as she hates being stabled, I guess it would be more beneficial for her to stay out 24/7 with a muzzle than to be brought in and have restricted grazing that way.

We will have electric fencing at the new yard but despite also being prone to putting on too much weight, the horse that Milly will be out with is in heavy competition work and so needs more grass / feed. Will have to play that by ear and see whether they'd be happy being in paddocks next to each other but with mine in a smaller, less lush area. I reckon that the person whose horse will be out with Milly will want them to be able to be kept in the same paddock though as it is nicer for the horses to be able to groom each other. I know that Milly currently misses being able to be in the same paddock as other horses, not just next to them. I really hope she doesn't object too much to the muzzle!

I've not tried lunging Milly yet but would like to so thanks Jessey, that's a good idea about lungeing for a short while in the morning.

[cazrider]

Is there anyone on your new yard who could lunge her for you if you can't? My YM does it for me during the week as I can't get there due to work. I pay her for that in with my livery services.

[Zesty Maximus]

Hi Cazrider - It's a private yard at the house of someone my friend and I know. That's why there's so much grass all the time with several acres and just 2 or maybe 3 horses at any one time. It's ideal for us in so many ways and most people would be delighted by the amount of good grazing. Trust me to find a problem with something most people would welcome! :rolleyes:

My friend and I will be helping each other out with the horses so I'm sure she'd be happy to lunge / ride Milly occasionally for me as she does most of her stuff at the yard in the middle of the day. I've only had Milly a couple of months though and so will ideally like to do most of the stuff for her myself. I guess it's quicker to get a horse ready for a lunge session than to tack up for riding and if I only do, say 15 minutes, I should be able to do that at least a couple of times a week.

Thanks for some great ideas guys. Any more would be very welcome!