Rubic's paddock... T/O options advice please! *photos added*

Yup I want Rubic to be somewhere between 400-450kg so was feeding her 6kg hay (all soaked) and 2 small bucket feeds a day when she was in 24/7 and she was steadily losing weight. I got her down to 455kg however she put on 20kg when she went out in the new paddock. I think she stuffs her face and I'd say she is getting about 4kg soaked hay overnight which I'm gradually reducing however I feel extremely mean as it won't last her long at all overnight no matter what I do with it! Hopefully in this field she will be moving round a bit more to get the grass and it isn't so rich that will help.
 
I've seen some haynets that are really meant to slow down greedy horses and they get great reviews but they are £30!!!! ARGH! I dunno! If I sell enough stuff on ebay I might buy one!
 
Rubic I've got spare eliminets if you want one to try with her,they do slow down and pretty robust if you just covered postage I can send you one to try if you want :)
 
Thanks mystiquemalaika. I've tried so many standard, small-hole haynets (like these http://www.shiresequestrian.co.uk/shop/product.php?productid=1221&cat=738&page=1) double netted but she still finds a way to pull a big chunk out and once she has a big chunk of hay sticking out that is the end of it. I'm not sure the elimanets will be much better? Could you find out how much it would be to post and if you found them better than double netting I'll give one a go - what size have you got?

This is the one I was thinking of http://www.tricklenet.co.uk/ - they seem to get really good reviews everywhere but at £30 a net they are far from cheap!
 
No problem at all a couple of quid should cover it,the trickle nets to me looks no different to a small holed haylage net or the miser nets but that could just be the pic on my phone :D
I think I got the pony size but was a couple years ago,I can stuff it full enough to fill the new slow feeder I've got for malaika I would think you should get more than enough in for rubic,I personally have found them good,I have 4 and only one doesn't slow her down,it's the oldest one and has a couple holes near the top that she knows exactly where they are and goes straight for them :rolleyes: they aren't daft are they!but on the whole I've been pleased with them :)
 
I don't know if you are anti rug or not but if not you could always full clip her body and leave her out in a no fill rug so she's protected from the wind and rain but will burn more calories off (this is what I've done with Magic). If you don't want to rug her I seem to remember that Mary Poppins blanket clipped Ben and left him naked last winter to shift weight off him.

I bought a trickle net and the one thing I do like about them is that Magic can no longer pull huge clumps of hay out like he used to with small holed nets. They are very thick sturdy netting, I can see now why they are the price they are although it did pain me greatly to pay that much for a haynet.

Could you maybe mix her hay with straw so it lasts longer as she will either a) eat the straw so she'll spend more time eating without any big increase in calories or b) sulk and spend ages carefully picking out the hay and leaving the straw in which case her hay will last her longer.
 
Lottie86 said:
I don't know if you are anti rug or not but if not you could always full clip her body and leave her out in a no fill rug so she's protected from the wind and rain but will burn more calories off (this is what I've done with Magic). If you don't want to rug her I seem to remember that Mary Poppins blanket clipped Ben and left him naked last winter to shift weight off him.

I bought a trickle net and the one thing I do like about them is that Magic can no longer pull huge clumps of hay out like he used to with small holed nets. They are very thick sturdy netting, I can see now why they are the price they are although it did pain me greatly to pay that much for a haynet.

Could you maybe mix her hay with straw so it lasts longer as she will either a) eat the straw so she'll spend more time eating without any big increase in calories or b) sulk and spend ages carefully picking out the hay and leaving the straw in which case her hay will last her longer.
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I'm not anti rug but I think giving her a full clip is excessive considering she'll be doing no work except in hand walks. I am going to do a low trace clip, that way the areas exposed to the elements will remain covered but that might be enough to get her shivering... Oh I feel mean:tongue:

That's the issue with double netting, she quickly manages to pull a large chunk out and one she has done that then she gets through it rather quickly. I have been analysing the elimanets and I'm just not sure if they will be any better. Do you find that Magic's hay lasts longer with the tricklenet? I'm selling a haycube as I have 2 so was thinking I might buy one with some of the money from that...

I don't want to add straw to her feed, partly because YM's horse colicked after eating straw and partly because I can't easily get straw that it ok for eating round here.
 
I know friends cob lost a lot of weight with one of the shires bucket muzzles. Horrid I know, but it did the trick and she was out 24/7 but with the bucket muzzle on only during the day. If Rubic is in at night, maybe alternate days with the muzzle and see how it goes?

I know a lot of people do clip for weight loss, it would always worry me that the winter would be foul or really wet which is even worse but I am a wimp, much like my horse who is very fond of all his wardrobe of rugs as he detests the rain. But I guess it would be an option later on.

I personally think option 2 would be best. Rougher grass but a larger area.
 
I would go for the Fattie's strip with the other two for company. I think after the initial little hoon around she would soon settle once she realises that this is going to be her regular turnout setup.

I know she isn't supposed to hoon around at all, so if you trust the other two not to gang up on her or plague the life out of her, I would just give a little oral sedation before you turn her out the first time? And maybe make sure she is hungry, so she is more interested in finding a little tuft of grass than high jinx with her new field mates?
 
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I think someone likes coming in to her stable at night as she comes straight up to the gate the minute she sees me. The little dartmoor pony is Ollie:happy:

ETA she survived completely unscathed depsite galloping, sliding and 180 spins and was still sound when I took her her walk down the lane
 
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Ah bless her bet she has really enjoyed it and having company,her mane is starting to get long again it seems to have grown a lot!they let you know when they want to come in don't they and that looks like one very happy content little face she has there :)
 
Oh she is very happy and it is so nice to see:biggrin: It isn't that she was ever unhappy before but something has definitely changed and she is even more of a character than she was before and if it is possible I love her even more. I think it is me taking the pressure off the pair of us which has really helped our bond, I feel a bit like I made a mistake by trying too hard with her and now I'm making up for it:redface:
 
She is lucky to have you and you her,I think you are going to have lots of happy and fun times ahead together and look forward to reading all about it :D
As for you feeling you done too much not at all you have had lots of fun together rubic always looks happy and enjoying herself in everything you have shared on here,this is just a new chapter and as is always the case with horses another learning experience to enjoy together :)
 
It looks like she is progressing well, its nice for them to have company. A boyfriend as well. :smile:

Eta-thats a nice gate, not like ours that you need two hands and a leg to stop it blowing off the hinges.
 
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