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Post by marianne on Jan 6, 2013 12:58:47 GMT 1
Lose the carrots and increase the exercise ;D
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Post by iceberg on Jan 6, 2013 12:59:07 GMT 1
Fat natives are con artists - do not trust them! Mine would have you believe he is dying of starvation! Do not fall for it! Totally agree with this, Archie is still strip grazed with a bit of hay cos Im too soft, and has put weight on!!! Looking round his paddock yesterday, there is plenty for him to nibble on, but he stands at the gate neighing how starved he is- so I move his fence a bit just before I go home, that way I can disappear and he wont notice! Stand firm lol!x
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marsay
Intermediate Poster
Posts: 124
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Post by marsay on Jan 6, 2013 15:30:40 GMT 1
No rugs, but it has been a mild winter, perfect paddock the way to go, plenty of poop thats for sure.
Thanks again folks, I will only have this problem for a while until the land has been used, just was worried i was doing something wrong with them being so desperate.
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Post by sandy on Jan 6, 2013 16:58:30 GMT 1
I am embaressed to admit to this but feel its a tale of caution. My 6 yr old gelding got overweight in the summer as he found ways of removing his muzzle within minutes and I had no other way of restricting his grazing apart from being stabled. So the muzzle was put on before he was turned out, but never stayed on for long and then he was brought in for time off the grass. He ballooned - he put on 100 kgs last summer/autumn and on Bank holiday monday last year he got laminitis. The vet was called immediately and she said we had caught it very quickly and he was sound again after 3 weeks off the grass. I then tried to get the weight off him but it was hard going. Vet came out again to do his vaccs and teeth and said he was a timebomb waiting to go off and his next laminitic episode would be catastrophic. So drastic times call for drastic measures. He was kept off the grass completely for 3 weeks and fed only hay soaked for 12 hours and a half a scoop of happy hoof with his magnesium in. YM sectioned off a small tarmac area for him so he wasnt confined to his stable 24/7. He has a bib clip and is not rugged at all. About a week ago he started to stress due to the lack of turnout so he now goes out with his mates for 2 - 3 hours a day on sparse winter grazing and then it's in on soaked hay. He has no more than 6kgs of soaked hay in 24 hour period. His weight has gone down from 570 kgs to 530 kgs but I still cannot feel a rib so the diet continues. He has fat pads over his shoulders and on his rump and he has a cresty neck. He is being tested for IR/EMS in the next couple of weeks. He is ridden or longlined as often as possible.
So, its been hard work. Visiting the yard 3 times a day every day. Soaking hay and having a horse who appears constantly hungry but it was either be hard and he lives or let him stay fat and eat what he likes and he dies. He is not going to get laminitis again if I can help it. The lesson I have learned is to treat every horse as a potential laminitic and try and avoid them ever getting the horrid crippling disease in the first place. I think I am a careful owner - always worrying about my horses welfare but he still got overweight and laminitic and I will feel guilty about that forever. If your horse is overweight do something about it now - don't let them go into spring carrying extra weight or you may have lost the battle before it begins!
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Post by iceberg on Jan 6, 2013 17:47:49 GMT 1
Sandy, dont be embarassed, when you have horses that do well on fresh air it is so hard to keep the weight off. Its a constant worry, and a guilt trip most of the time - guilty for letting them eat, and guilty for restricting them - you cant win with your emotions!! I know, I had to move yards because Archie got severely fat, and its so insidious - creeping on and you dont notice until they are huge and then panic because you know its potentially fatal.
So 3 years on, restricted grazing all the time, and he is still larger than I would like, its still a constant battle, but an under control one, weighed every fortnight and monitored all year round. At the very least you are aware of the risks and so should feel pleased that you are dealing with this, a lot of people are just totally unaware or dont even care.xxx
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Post by mjcssjw2 on Jan 6, 2013 17:51:07 GMT 1
If my garden is anything to go by the grass has not stopped growing, the grass actually wants cutting in there, but of course its too wet!
My horse usually gets hay in the field, but as they are wasting it this year, i have stopped, the grass is short, but it is still there. He gets 6lbs of soaked hay in an evening and then a soaked straw net, he also needs to lose weight, but I am just allowed to trot for 3 minutes a day, so hoping we get some weight of.
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Post by mandal on Jan 6, 2013 18:14:02 GMT 1
The problem isn't just the struggle to get weight off it's keeping it off to avoid the yo yo effect. I have had to radically alter my management and thank heavens I have a grass free big yard. Sadly the grass most of us have appears just too calorific for our horses.
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