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Post by Deleted on Jul 22, 2014 10:10:56 GMT 1
I'm afraid to say both Talin and Henry are back on Diet Club. I've got a friend's two horses living with them and one of them is a poor doer who has spent far too many years being fed inadequate amounts of food. He arrived with all the symptoms of gastric ulcers and they've all gone since he's been here on ad-lib soaked hay. The downside of this is that Talin and Hen have also been on ad-lib soaked hay and Talin is distinctly more round than he should be and I'm slightly ashamed to say Henry is really very fat. After trying double netting and separating the pairs at night I've had to give in and separate them completely so Talin and Hen can go on a diet until they've lost some weight. The situation isn't helped by Talin and Hen being a good 100kgs smaller than the other two, and them being the bosses of the field so they get more than their fair share. I'm off to weigh tape them - Henry'd better suck his belly in  |
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Post by portiabuzz on Jul 22, 2014 10:19:48 GMT 1
Hehe cheeky ponies  Sent from my GT-I8160 |
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Post by janwilky on Jul 22, 2014 12:48:06 GMT 1
Good luck with the diet Michelle. Lucas is a bit porky at the moment too so you have my sympathy. Coco and Bambi are both a perfect weight, even slightly on the light side as neither of them are good doers and Bambi is a very restless girl, always in a hurry to go somewhere whether ridden or just in the field - she doesn't mooch around like the boys, she marches hither and thither looking for the best bits of grass and she moves about far, far more than the geldings do. Needless to say she doesn't have any weight problems, unlike Lucas who if you give him a haynet will stand and eat it until every last scrap is gone, then slouches reluctantly off to top up with grass.... Luckily he isn't too horribly fat, and I'm trying my best to find time to lunge him in the mornings before it's too hot. I keep missing my chance though, it was unbearably hot and horribly fly-ridden by 8.30 this morning and neither of us fancied going down to the sun-baked paddock. I promised him a walk in the cool of the evening instead........  |
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Post by mags on Jul 22, 2014 13:33:11 GMT 1
I've also let things slip a bit. Or rather, the weather and vacation have conspired against the waistline! I was off on holiday for two weeks, during which time the sun/rain made the grass grow pretty generously. We haven't moved the fence in weeks, it just keeps growing through. So, Oskar ended up a bit more porky than I like him. Then I had not quite a week before my niece came to visit (pony-mad!), so he got away with daily gentle work instead of the fitness program he needs.
Amazingly, the weight tape says he's only put on 10kg, but it definitely lies. He conveniently puts his fat pads right behind the shoulder and further back along the ribs, leaving the weight-taping/girthing area slimmest. I have to dig for ribs now.
The action plan consists of making the paddock smaller (fence already moved back) and getting on with the riding. Not very convenient that the weather is hot and the ground hard though.
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Post by antares on Jul 22, 2014 14:42:42 GMT 1
Antares is a little porky too (and me) after my hol - I'm going to up his workload a little and hopefully this will be enough, otherwise he's back on the fat paddock!!
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Post by amandap on Jul 22, 2014 15:22:44 GMT 1
I'm off to weigh tape them - Henry'd better suck his belly in Use a stretchy wrap and measure it against the tape!  Good luck and here's lots of energy to keep at it, those prone to gaining weight easily are hard work 365! |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 22, 2014 17:19:26 GMT 1
Well I taped them and they're not tooo bad, Henry 458kgs, Talin 451kgs. Ideally they should be 451 and 438 respectively but like Oskar they've both laid it all on behind the weigh tape - it's all on their bellies, lower ribs and hind quarters.
I've calculated how much each of the four horses needs to meet their 2% bodyweight (I've usually found this a good starting point) then weighed it out and I'm slightly horrifed at how much too much I've been giving them! These new bales I've got are far heavier than last years. I think Talin and Hen are going to be rather disappointed with tonight's rations!!!
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Post by cookie on Jul 22, 2014 22:48:10 GMT 1
It's a really difficult year. My boy is working harder than ever but I felt this weekend he's starting to show a bit of x weight gain. A week ago I'd have said he's a perfect weight. We have so much grass with all this heat and rain.
I know what you mean about hay being different weights, I thought his net looked measley the other day, until I weighed it. So its all about work for us. No hard feed to cut, double netting a minimum amount of hay over night. Next step will be to take him off grass completely for chunks of the day... meantime we are doing as much canter and trot, pole work as we can and jumping once or twice a week. I've even stepped the tempo up on hacks so we're powering along... its not even August yet and I usually find that the hardest month, not spring but I think that depends on facilities too.
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Post by mags on Jul 23, 2014 8:55:26 GMT 1
Hm. I wonder if my weight tape is stretching? I taped Oskar tonight, and even in his current state he comes up pretty slim (364kg). Considering that I normally consider anything around 370kg on this tape to be "good", it just doesn't fit with the fact that I can't feel his ribs! The tape is paper with a bit of cotton thread along the side, and I've had it for years. Makes me wonder if it's stretched over time? I'll have to dig out the other tape (a plastic-type one) and see what that one says. Or maybe it's a winter vs. summer coat thing? We're currently enjoying our 2 weeks of summer coat. Usually, he's much more fluffy, which would add a few cm I guess.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 23, 2014 9:47:34 GMT 1
Talin's helpfully decided that since I'm now STARVING him he's going to top up on holly and give himself the runs. Deep joy!
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Post by marychick on Jul 23, 2014 9:53:05 GMT 1
I really feel your pain!! Mols was doing so well through spring and then riding other peoples horses started to take over and then I went and got broken so she's just getting fatter and fatter! Doesn't help that I had started bringing her back into work and she now has to have 2 weeks off due to an injury from over extended shoulder (still I shouldn't complain because it could have been a lot worse!). Dreading putting the weight tape on her but I think it's time I did!  |
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Post by crazycolt on Jul 24, 2014 10:15:34 GMT 1
It's awful, isn't it? I've had to battle with Tally ever since we got her, she's one who lives on fresh air. About 5 years ago I discovered that hay and oat straw mixed gave her more to chew, but kept the calories down. Since then she's looked really well. However, when I went to Moor Wood (beg. of June) I left daughter and ex. in charge - knew it could mean disaster, but didn't have any option. When I came back she was enormous! Last time she got so big she swelled up everywhere, her crest, under her jaw, her kidney area, the top of her legs, her bottom and her udder, and all the 'fat spots' were horrendous, the vet said borderline EMS! And she's just the same again now. So she's now off grass completely, and on hay and straw. It's slowly coming off, but so upsetting. It took 3 weeks to put on, and will take 6 months to get off! Still, every cloud...as they say! The upside is that Morgan is going out at night on his own, and is quite happy to do so! Ah well, that's life! |
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Post by nich on Jul 24, 2014 22:57:02 GMT 1
Brio has exploded the last few weeks, struggled to get the girth done up two nights ago for the first time ever. I think a lot of it is gas though.
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Post by celinesmum on Jul 24, 2014 23:41:27 GMT 1
Ahh this is def. The club we need to be on . Celine and me. After reading your posts. I feel the same.mine is very nearly 3 ( end sept).and all ready busting at the seems. I've started 1 silce of hay and 1 straw.she wouldn't touch the straw. Cut the paddock right down.I have no more hay left. I can't use new hay and there isn't any old around!! Or oat straw I'm using barley straw. I know she will need bulk. :-( it so sad for them isnXxs
it. Xxs
This picky was her in the spring, the slimmer version.!!!!
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Post by cheekychops on Jul 27, 2014 21:47:24 GMT 1
DG Fat Club is back!
Cheekychops was one of the original members, and has been rather up and down. He was looking amazing recently as we moved off then huge field I had with far more grass than ideal for a cob. He was in a smaller paddock and coming in for some of the day with hay, and I had a rider to help out during my pregnancy who is brill. He was looking the best I've ever seen him :-)
And then within 2 weeks we're back to square one! Rider gone on holiday so no exercise, plus moved into a paddock with more grass whilst ours is weed sprayed. Despite a muzzle he is porky again ggrrrr. Takes so long to get it off, and it comes back again so quickly!
Hopefully within a few weeks I'll be back in the saddle so he'll get plenty of work between 2 riders, and the grass is dying off in this heat wave, so there is hope!
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