Little fat pony :)

Re: Little fat pony :)

katie clarke — Wed, 18 May 2011 13:46:34 GMT

my little welsh a got to the ripe age of 21 without laminitis or being over weight just with good management , i understand you have taken on a fattie

we used to have him out all day but in a very small pen ( ie 10x10ft max 15 x 15 ft square ) and had our other horses eat it down first, he was then muzzled when out. he did live out over the summer but when his pen was bear we would do the same and keep moving him about the field, he liked this as he was out with the others but not stuffing loads of lush grass as were lucky to have 9 acres between 4 horses who all dont eat much grass. but the down side is lots of lush grass.

he was crafty at making the holes in the muzzle bigger so watch for that and he didnt get much of a feed no carrots - due to the sugar in them he just had literaly a hanf dul of happy hoof with water to dampen down when the others got fed and he was suh a happy little monkey , if he wasent in is pen there was no way we would have catched him plus hes able to go out for the day!

hope you get on alright with the new addition.

Re: Little fat pony :)

lavetnurse — Wed, 18 May 2011 09:35:53 GMT

There is no problem with him wearing a muzzle all day in the field and coming in at night, however if the grass is very lush then be carefull that he still doesnt get too much.

I have left my pony with his muzzle on 24/7 before now but only for a couple of days as they had to stay out while I was away as my mum couldnt lead my mare and foal. He was absolutley fine, but they were checked on twice daily and our farm staff are on site during the day and also kept an eye on any problems. When my pony chewed the whole in the bottom we repaired it with tractor tyre inner tubing and doublr layered it. It still works and I still have a slim pony. As he comes in at night slightly hungry he is happy to be caught as he wants his dinner.

Hope this helps.

Re: Little fat pony :)

Nicola Smith — Wed, 18 May 2011 09:32:06 GMT

I would muzzle in day and bring in at night as dont think good for them to be muzzled 24/7. My pony always gets a token small feed when coming and comes in ok s she knows she is getting something. She is alwasy easier to catch with muzzle on though.

Re: Little fat pony :)

Kylie Jones — Wed, 18 May 2011 07:07:13 GMT

Hi, We are possibly going to move him to a new yard. The grass is very lush :( and the ponies are out 24/7. I was going to wait for a while before he went out, after the rest of the herd ate down the grass.

So if I sort him out with a muzzle, would it be best to muzzle him so he can go out all day and stable him at night.

Or is it possible/ok for him to have the muzzle on all the time? day and night? The only thing is when he is out now for his restricted 2 hour grazing we can not catch him!!

Re: Little fat pony :)

lavetnurse — Mon, 09 May 2011 17:47:00 GMT

Dod son and horrell's Equibites are just perfect for your pony. They are vitamin and mineral biscuits and provide all the essential vits and mins they need without having to feed them. Small ponies only need a couple or so biscuits a day.

I have a native companion pony for my arab mare and her yearling colt and as they both need grass he is muzzled all the time he is out in spring, summer and autumn as he is a pig and as we are farmers are grass isnt suitable for small natives, he is also very smart and has worked out how to chew the hole in his muzzle bigger so we have to keep patching it up with tractor tyre inner tubing

. Stabling him on his own isnt an option as that is defeating the object of being a companion. Also if he has free access to grass he is a nightmare to catch.

My pony isnt fat by any means and is kept on the slightly under weight side so that he is able to have a feed at night.

Having been an equine nurse I have seen too many cases of crippling and fatal laminitis in ponies and horses that are too fat. Hope this helps. I find it much easier to have my horses slghtly under weight and be able to feed them than ones that are too fat.

Re: Little fat pony :)

marieeccles — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 21:32:42 GMT

And you will probably find the more weight he loses the more energy he will have I know mine is always like that. If she is a bit tubby she will do as little as possible!!

Re: Little fat pony :)

marieeccles — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 21:31:27 GMT

One of the other things to watch if you are worried about laminitis is to try to keep away from heavily grazed fields. They may look like they only have very little grass but that grass is very high in sugar they are actually best on the nost poor quality grazing and a little feed of a broad spec vit and min supplement instead. Sounds like you are doing all the right things though. Its sometimes a long process!!!

Re: Little fat pony :)

Nicola Smith — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 16:23:08 GMT

Muzzles certainly help but only cut them down and some ponies can be very nifty at removing one,. My pony wears one the whole time she is out and still cannot be turned out all day but she is seriously sensitive due to EMS. I find the best ones are the best friends type ones.

Also just checking what sort of bedding he is on as if they are greedy will eat all their bedding if its straw which doesnt help!!

Re: Little fat pony :)

littlehays — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 13:37:33 GMT

perhaps consider a muzzle for the time he is out at grass. there was a recent study which suggested horses on restricted grazing learn to increase their intake for the period they are turned out:

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/397/306541.html

i personally would prefer to muzzle something and have it turned out than have to cope with the possible development of stereotypical behaviour due to stabling for long periods.

Re: Little fat pony :)

Kylie Jones — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 07:50:42 GMT

Hi, thanks for the info. I will have a look on there now.

Re: Little fat pony :)

Nicola Smith — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 07:42:18 GMT

I have a pony with weight issues, she is on a very similr regime. The hay soaking will be leaching out the vitamins etc in the hay so you do need to et a broad spectrum into him. My pony has a small meal of happy hoof, hi fi lite is also fine - with some top spec comprehensive supplement - by no means a cheap supplement but was recommended for my pony specifically due to her strict regime - it doesnt work out as costly for the smaller ponies like yours. Mine is also on extra magnesium supplememnt as many small ponies are deficient and this can lead to laminitis.

As he is high risk laminitis and is being managed like a laminitic would be have a look at 'the metabolic horse' site which does many good supplements including magnesium, and have alook at top spec too.