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 Born not Made
Posts: 2931
   
Location: North Dakota | I've gotten a solid 2 months of riding on my horse now. He gets ridden around 5 days a week and we either do pattern work (he's still seasoning) or we do a good 4 miles on the trails; sometimes farther. A couple weekends ago, I started taking him to barrel races on the weekend, although those have kinda been shut down now because of the virus scare.
He's looking pretty good, but I feel he could slim down just a tad bit more. He still got a tiny pocket of fat right below the shoulder blade, and it's pretty difficult to feel ribs with my fingers. I know he is the type of build where he is never going to look like a running Thoroughbred, because he is a stocky Quarter Horse, but I think he could look a bit better.
During the winter (and right now) he has 24/7 access to hay and pasture. Probably in May, we will quit offering hay because there will be plenty of pasture for grazing which he will be in 24/7.
Now I know that's part of the problem = being able to eat 24/7. I think it's really healthy for their body to have that natural grazing environment, but of course they keep weight on eaiser.
Where I board him, it is pretty much self-care board. Once my 3-year-old comes back from the trainer in the beginning of May, and my two horses go into their own pasture, my idea was to put them in the corral at night after I get done riding, and then let them out into the pasture in the morning on my way to work. They'll still be eating a solid 10 hours while I am at work, but I do not have time during lunch at my job to do anything with them at lunch.
I thought I might try that and see if it helps slim my horse down a bit more. I don't know how much it will help because I'm not sure how much they are grazing at night anyway, or if they are just standing around.
Anything else I could be doing??
He only gets a very small amount of Purina Omolene 200. Just enough that I can mix 1 scoop of Platinum Performance CJ with it.
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 Swiffer PIcker Upper
Posts: 4015
Location: Four Corners Colorado | A grazing muzzle on a break away halter? |
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 Good Grief!
Posts: 6343
 
Location: Cap'n Joan Rotgut.....alberta | as long as his cardio is ok..........i dont mind mine having a bit of extra weight on................i was told once that horses that pack a bit more weight.........that the oxygen travels through the system better................could be a load of crap but who knows..................lol
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Born not Made
Posts: 2931
Location: North Dakota | Anyone have experience with grazing muzzles?
I guess I'd be scared it'd rub the hair off his nose or head if it was on all the time??
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 Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | I was just posting about this on another board. I've had to cut grain completely and keep my gelding dry lotted half the day because he got too fat on spring grass again. Riding him right now is like dealing with a person on a diet who has been watching others eat donuts all day. He is CRANKY! |
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 Total Germophobe
Posts: 6437
Location: Montana | My mare is a really easy keeper...so easy that she looks at a bale of hay and you can see the weight go on. So I've cut out almost all grain except as a treat once in a while, and I have her on a dry lot right now with little grass and am feeding hay. And if it would quit raining long enough I'll be back to riding her soon to keep her in shape. |
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Born not Made
Posts: 2931
Location: North Dakota | He's not really so overweight that I would need to keep him dry lotted and off grass completely. 
Maybe a day or two during the week, but not the whole week. Tricky part there is that I would only want to dry lot him 1/2 the day, and not the whole day. If I would have time to run out to him during my lunch break, that would work. But I don't. I always worry about ulcers and empty tummies, sitting around in a dry lot with no food if he doesn't have to be. I guess I'd rather have a teeny bit extra weight on him being in the pasture, than be dry lotted.
Hmmm. Just curious if anyone else had any grand ideas on what else I could do.
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Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | Grass hay in a slow feeder when you've got him penned or stalled. |
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 Firecracker Dog Lover
Posts: 3175
| Pictures? |
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 Miss Laundry Misshap
Posts: 5271
| My main gelding doesn't ever really get slim and trim. The only time he's been slim is when he was 5 when I bought him and he was still a gangly "teenager" His 6 year old year he filled out and never looked back. He also has a pretty dang short back, so his belly has to go somewhere! LOL
He is in great shape, but he looks like he could lose about 100 lbs.
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Rad Dork
Posts: 5218
Location: Oklahoma | http://www.thehorse.com/articles/33744/truths-and-fallacies-about-equine-weight-management?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=lameness&utm_campaign=04-23-2014
Here is an article about weight management that just came across my e-mail from The Horse and I thought of you. |
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Born not Made
Posts: 2931
Location: North Dakota | He does have a very short back. Doesn't have a "sucked up" flank.
I will have to take some new pictures.
This was about 3 or 4 weeks ago. (He was literally called fatboy by someone ... while I don't necessarily let things "get to me" I think that's part of what is stuck in my mind, that people keep telling me he is fat.)
And this was even before that. Winter hair always seems to add "pounds" too.
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Firecracker Dog Lover
Posts: 3175
| It is difficult to tell from the angle of the photos but he does not look fat to me. Looks like a good healthy weight. Coming out of winter - I prefer them to have a few extra pounds anyway. |
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Regular
Posts: 61
Location: Missouri |
Location: Montana | As others have said, I can't tell well from the pictures, but I would wait until he is shed off before making too many changes. They can look extra fluffy with a good winter coat. :)
My mare, the reason she is on a dry lot is it is a lot closer to town. It is actually more like a pasture as there is some grass on it, but not enough, so she gets fed hay. |
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Sock Snob
Posts: 3021
| He doesnot look too fat to me. My 1-d retired mare she could get a little piggy. She was 15hands and 1250 i would just long trot,her more, i used to do 2 miles when she was heavy when i would be 3 miles. I rode the heck out of her. More i rode faster she went. Fat girls can run also.
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