Weight problems???

Question

well i have 5 horses at the moment and they are fat! at one point the vet said that mine could founder..this is how there schedual is: put them in there stalls in the morning and give them 1 handful of oats and 1 flake of hay and water, they are in the stalls from 10 a.m to about 6 or 7p.m., at that time we usually ride them, our ride is about an hour to an hour and a half, afer we ride we give them another handful of oats and then let them out into the pasture for the night.

How do we get them to lose weight? Can you maybe give me some tips on what to feed them and how much?

- the reason they are in all day and out all night is because it is so hott and to get them out of the flys.

please help!!! your answers are appreciated :) thankyou

Answer 1

First of all founder can be deadly and can make them lame so you need to get them treated. I would stop the oats and lower the amount of hay. Be sure you ride them EVERY day! Is your grass tall and lush, if so limit their time in the pasture, keep their stalls clean so it doesn't lead to thrush, a fungal infection in their feet. You can buy them fly collars, fly leg bands, fly masks, and fly sheets if the horse REALLY needs it. When they are in the pasture, they can run around and get enough excersize.

Answer 2

If you can, leave them out all day and muzzle them.  The muzzle will keep them from eating too much.  Leaving them out will give them the ability to run around or at least walk around all day which will give them more exercise.

When you ride, do you keep them at a good, quick pace?  If not, you should.

Can you do any hill work where you ride?  Riding up and down hills will helps to get the weight off more quickly.  When you get back from riding, try lunging them for about 15 minutes.  You can also lunge them before you ride for about 15 minutes.  This will help get them in shape as well as warm them up before a ride and cool them down after.

Stop feeding them oats.  They have enough fat on them already.  I know you probably like rewarding them for doing a good job while riding, but you are actually doing your horses more harm than good if they are so fat they could founder.

Answer 3

GRADUALLY! only give them oats at around noon and give a max or 2 treats a day. If you dont do this GRADUALLY the horse could get very sick or not want to eat

Answer 4

I would stop giving them the oats completely as well as any treats you may be feeding them. If you must give them a treat after you ride, limit it to one carrot apiece or one treat. No more. Also, is it possible to set up water for them outside? If so, leave them out all day. If they have shade and water, they will be happier outside and the flies can be worse in their stalls than out.

Answer 5

I'd cut out the oats AND hay.  When allowed to graze freely, horses generally graze about 17 hours per day.  So a few hours in their stall without food will not hurt them at all.  They don't have to have food in front of them 24/7.  Otherwise they will eat just because it's there or out of boredom (just like me!)

My horses are out about 15 hours a day, the rest of the time they are dry-lotted.  And right now they are the perfect weight (finally).  A friend down the road lets hers out about the same amount, but her grass is lusher, so hers are still fat.  So your turnout schedule might take a little tweaking to see what works for them but that is my suggestion.

Good luck!