Posted 2018-07-14 11:05 AM Subject: Easy Keeper-Suggestions for losing the belly?
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 564 Location: Texas
I have a little 14 + hand 10 yr old gelding that I cannot get the belly off of. He is an extremely easy keeper. I think he can look at food & gain weight:-) He is ridden a minimum of 4x per week and that is all long trotting & loping. He doesn't get an easy workout. He is turned out 24/7 in a pasture that has no good grass to speak of. He only gets about 1 lb of Strategy Healthy Edge in the am & pm. He is UTD on worming. Does anyone have suggestions to help him lose the gut??
Posted 2018-07-14 12:51 PM Subject: RE: Easy Keeper-Suggestions for losing the belly?
Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
What’s he get for forage other than the not good grass? Some grass hay can take longer to digest causing more gut microbes to build up and cause a “belly” look.
I’d look into adding a digestive supplement like Forco.
From an exercise standpoint making sure he’s lifting his shoulders and ribcage and using himself will help. Trotting over ground poles is a good exercise to encourage that.
Some horses also just have a belly. My husbands heel horse is an air fern and his natural shape is round...but he works his butt to the dirt too.
Posted 2018-07-14 1:40 PM Subject: RE: Easy Keeper-Suggestions for losing the belly?
A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354 Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas
Do you give any hay at all? If he's only eating pasture grass and its not good that could be causing the hay belly look, good forage is important to me so they can digest better, sounds like your pasture is just emptied calories and hes filling up on this. I would get a better feed to be feeding him and good hay. Edit to add here, I'm with Oh Max try the forco with a better feed and good hay..
Posted 2018-07-16 1:35 PM Subject: RE: Easy Keeper-Suggestions for losing the belly?
Nut Case Expert
Posts: 9305 Location: Tulsa, Ok
I think a lot depends on how the horse is built. I have a foundation bred type gelding that is short backed with a very wide-sprung rib cage. He just does not lose the belly no matter how he is fed and conditioned. When I first got him I kept him dry lotted with a rationed amount of grass hay and small amount of grain. He was rode every single day for a year including ponying race horses to condition them and running barrels on the weekend. At the end of that year he was rock hard, his weight had virtually maintained ( lost from 1210 to 1197) and his belly had not shrunk more than a couple of inches. I had to accept that he looks like he does and there is no changing his basic conformation.
Posted 2018-07-16 3:34 PM Subject: RE: Easy Keeper-Suggestions for losing the belly?
The Bling Princess
Posts: 3411 Location: North Dakota
I have a super easy keeper; can survive on wind and water type horse. For years I fed him Heiro because he was metabolic; it was the only supplement that took the belly off. He got very little grain and no extra fat supplements. I fed him alfalfa pellets.
Easy Keeper-Suggestions for losing the belly?
