How to get gelding to lose weight?

Question

He is very overweight, and is starting to look pretty unhealthy. And they told me when I got him that he was an easy keeper. He gets a flake of hay in the morning/night. Gets half scoop of grain (they took off the other half to try and trim him down, which hasn't made much of a difference.) in the morning/night. He gets turned out every day -- no grass, just round bails -- and is worked or ridden every day, practically. What can I doooo?

Answer 1

Hay only, if he is worked a lot use coastal and alfalfa for protein. If he has a grass belly long trotting by getting ponied trims my horses (even broodmares). What kind of grain? Do not feed sweet feed or plain oats, and I never feed corn unless it is processed in a pellet. I feed my horses a scoop of strategy and free choice hay, they don't get worked at all. If I were to need them to loose weight I would take them off of strategy slowly and put them on the track for 20 minutes at a time 4 - 5 times a day. Ponying is better than longing because it keeps the stress off of joints (horses don't naturally make circles). My performance horses get worked until they are lathered and breathing nice and heavy then slowly cooled down and get fed smaller portions multiple times per day. I would slowly try to build a fat horse up to that fitness level, the protein in the alfalfa will give energy without the calories of feed.  

Answer 2

lunge ,ride

Answer 3

i have been riding a horse that fat so rode him every day for a hour or longer, but he was a lesson horse (he rode three hours every day plus when i rode him) in about a month or so he got skinny he look great!

Answer 4

To begin with, he doesn't need the grain.  Does he have salt/mineral block in front of him, is he drinking plenty of water?  He gets hay in his stall, twice a day, then runs on a big bale all day?  He's on a self feeder now!  He doesn't need to stick his head in the big bale all day, or at all, for that matter.  Feed him his hay in the stall, forget the grain, and turn him out on grass and keep riding him.

Answer 5

Put a grazing muzzle on him.

Answer 6

If he is turned out with round bails then drop the flakes of hay in the morning and night. Drop the grain to night only.

David

http://gentlenaturalhorseman.blogspot.co...

Answer 7

Much more exercise. I don't know how long you ride this horse each day, but you need to double it.

Answer 8

Our mare is slightly overweight and what we do is exercise her, limit her hay, limit her feed (i know u've already done some of that) and just working them out is the best. If you can ride your horse work on doing stuff on the flat.