Over weight horses...

[roxy's_mom]

Hey everyone! I thought I could come here and ask for some advice on my slightly over-weight minis. Both are 5 year old mares and around 35" tall. They are both stocky built. Both girls are about 25 - 30 lbs over-weight. Their diets are the same, 1 cup Strategy 2x daily, about 2 slices of Orchard/Timothy mix hay per day (if they clean the first one up), and 24/7 turn out with run-in barn. All last summer I had them on 1/4 oz of Remission 1x daily until fall. I just started them back on it again about 3 weeks ago. Neither one of these girls has been bred by my choice.

The first one, Roxy, I've had since she was 5 months. I started driving last year and she lost probably about 15 - 20 lbs last year. She kept a steady weight all winter and now I'm wanting to get some more weight off of her. You can see in the pics the chunky/thick neck, low belly, she's just thickly made! Even though she's heavy this girl can trot with the best of them!

Sept 2008 - Roxy's heaviest

May 2009 - Roxy is the gray one

July 2009

The second one, Chyanne, I got in May 2009. I've just started driving her in the cart a couple times with in the last two weeks. She's built like a bulldog, with a stout front end and deep chest cavity. She has gained some weight over the winter and now I would like to get it back off of her. I know once I really start working her in the cart she'll lose some weight.

May 2009

June/July 2009

Front end shot - she's a built like a bulldog!

What would you do to get the weight off of these girls? I did try using Cinnamon last summer as well and they didn't want to eat their food with it on there. I know that some people have had success with the Quiessence and/or Remission.

Sorry to make the post so long but to help you see what my girls look like you needed the pictures. Thanks in advance for any help and ideas!

Becky M.

 

[mydaddysjag]

I know a lot of people have trouble with their mini's on a lot of grass. Maybe since they are getting 24/7 grass you could cut the hay way back?

 

[krissy3]

Take them off the grass, at least by 5 pm until the next day.....or let them graze in the night and in a dry lot for part of the day when the sun is hot and the grass is full of sugar. This will work for you.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

I have no problem with 24/7 turnout on acceptable length grass but I have to query why you are also feeding hay and grain??

My broodmares are all out 24/7 with no detriment to their weight whatsoever, but they are not fed any supplements at all, apart from their mineral lick.

I am a great believer in feeding "by eye" and, if the horse looks OK, which all mine do, I do not add anything at all.

Unless you know your soil to be greatly deficient in something (which some areas are) I would not be supplementing them at all.

Allowing a horse limited access to good grass only causes the horse to attempt to stuff 24 hours worth of grass into five, and this is far, far more dangerous than allowing the same horse 24/7 access to limited grass.

In the pictures you grass looks to be an acceptable length, so I would cut out the hay, (and ignore the big brown eyes telling you they are starving) and leave them to do what horses do best, process grass!

 

[barnbum]

I have the same trouble here. Mine are stalled at night--so that helps get them off the grass. Now that my herd of five is all together I can rotate pastures. When it was super hot and dry--all pastures were open--so little grass. It rained over an inch and the grass grew like crazy--so now I have three pastures shut down to them. I hate that they can't walk further distances though. I give them 1 lb each hay in the morning out in the pasture--if they didn't eat it I wouldn't give it to them--but I'd rather they get a belly of hay before grass. I've cut grain out and only feed 1 oz of a supplement. I'm exercising more--that should help. They do get 1.5 lbs hay to cover them for the 10 hours they're in

But--mine are still getting too much food.

You could cut out their feed.

And decrease their hay?

Grass fat is much easier to get off than grain fat.

At a horse clinic I went to, the vet said the best idea for minis is dry lot. I'm not willing to do that... so will have to pay attention to the rest.

Sometimes I feel like spraying Round-Up in wide strips everywhere!

 

[denny10012]

I agree with rabbitfizz keep them on the grass and take away the hay

aleast while your grass is good, no need for both....why do people say take them off the grass.....

!!!!!!

 

[HGFarm]

Holy moly, I also agree- mine would blow up if they had that much food. Cut back on the grazing time or the hay. Nice girls though- they are lovely!!

In regards to the cinnamon, I used it on a thyroid imbalance mare and had to start her out on just a crumb in her beet pulp. Since it is very aromatic, they will not want to eat it if you just dump it on there. You must start out small and build up to a spoonful a day. However, it is not going to magicly remove fat when the horses are eating round the clock. It sure worked on my mare with a good diet and just adding that! She was more than fat, she was obese!

 

[barnbum]

My farrier says folks think of grass as salad when it's actually ice cream.

 

[Matt73]

Mine are not on grass at all and get waaayyyy less than two flakes of hay/day (alfalfa/timothy) Why are you giving them hay when they have grass 24/7? Cut out the hay (and maybe even the Strategy)

 

[Marty]

I think you are stuffing way too much grass in them. 24-7 grass is just way out of the question in my humble opinion. I couldn't possibly have my horses on grass like that or we'd be having big trouble here. I'd get them off of the grass and limit that grazing time way way way down. Then dry lot and supplment them with some hay and you should see a big difference by the end of summer.

My baby Chrissy used to look like the Goodyear Blimp complete with fat pads and was actually the joke of the barn being all short, squatty and short legged looking. I began to really cut her grass time down very seriously, ad more dry lot, some light exercise and you cannot tell its the same horse. She even has really nice legs now that are very much in proportion. She feels fantastic now and looks it too. She's styling pretty well but I have to keep a handle on that one or she will blow back up in a heartbeat.

You've got some very pretty girls there. Its very obvious they are much loved and very well taken care of. Best wishes to you all.

 

[fourluckyhorseshoes]

I know a pony that probably has a thyroid issue and she uses D-carb which is available from smartpak equine without a prescription. I know older minis and ponies are prone to an underactive thyroids. I would cut the grass back, eliminate hay, add more exercise and get a grazing muzzle.

 

[roxy's_mom]

Thanks everyone for the replies. I'm guessing most of you are thinking that my pasture grass is really tall. The "pasture" here at my house is very very short yard grass and in the one area is very weedy and almost a dry lot. We do have part of the "pasture" separated/fenced off and give them limited turn out on it for just about 2 hours a day. This is why I give them the Orchard/Timothy hay because I really don't have the right "pasture" for them to really graze on. The "pasture" is almost 3/4 of an acre but like I said it is fenced off so they only have access to that when I let them on it.

Please keep in mind that there is also two other horses on this small lot. One aged retired riding horse and a Laminatic mini that has limited grass turn out.

I will be cutting the their feed back to once daily now that summer is here. They will also be getting some exercise a couple times a week when I drive them. They both have alot of speed and energy when I hook them to the cart to go driving. Hopefully with the feed cut back and the exercise they will lose some more weight this summer.

Thanks again everyone!

Becky M.

 

[Sixstardanes]

When we added Saber to our family (almost 3yrs ago) this is what he looked like (including the halter he came with)

We don't have a pasture so no grass for him unless we go places that has some. (Like his Auntie Karen's)

For Saber what we did was feed him smaller meals more frequently than he was getting at his previous home and in less that a year with exercise he looked like this

Saber is still fed 4x a day and has a mid day snack.

His diet consists of alfalfa/bermuda pellets & Platform in the AM

Beet Pulp or Oats (rotated; with Red Cell in them) later morning

Midday an apple

alfalfa/bermuda pellets in PM

some loose hay late night (alfalfa/orchard or alfalfa/bermuda or sometimes timothy)

 

[chandab]

When we added Saber to our family (almost 3yrs ago) this is what he looked like (including the halter he came with)

We don't have a pasture so no grass for him unless we go places that has some. (Like his Auntie Karen's)

For Saber what we did was feed him smaller meals more frequently than he was getting at his previous home and in less that a year with exercise he looked like this

Saber is still fed 4x a day and has a mid day snack.

His diet consists of alfalfa/bermuda pellets & Platform in the AM

Beet Pulp or Oats (rotated; with Red Cell in them) later morning

Midday an apple

alfalfa/bermuda pellets in PM

some loose hay late night (alfalfa/orchard or alfalfa/bermuda or sometimes timothy)

He looks great, what a transformation. Wish hay pellets were more readily available around here, as I know they help; our hay is pretty coarse, and there is little to no choice as to waht you can get.

 

[krissy3]

My farrier says folks think of grass as salad when it's actually ice cream.

so does my vet. Kathy Watts says "dont feed your horses like cows"

 

[krissy3]

He looks great, what a transformation. Wish hay pellets were more readily available around here, as I know they help; our hay is pretty coarse, and there is little to no choice as to waht you can get.

OMG...what a HUGE difference. I have learned a lot over the last 3 years about feeding...I use to think that 24 /7 on pasture was healthy....then couldnt understand why my horses didnt look like show horses....DUH... oh well thats what life is all about ..LEARNING..

I now limit my pasture time , up the work load , and feed a complete feed ,and Hay as a side dish... pasture is more or less for the exercise and NOT as a food source. Poop looks great , horses look better then they ever have , and I get compliments on how they look , not told that they are fat.I have had similar results with my heard this year, but I am not there yet. Congrats , Saber looks GREAT !! probably feels great too.