My horse got fat!

[Bloopie]

I have a 2yo half Arab and we have an in-hand show in a few weeks. I noticed late last week that he was looking a little round but when I went out there today he is ROUND. I suspect he’s gorging himself on the hay bale in the pasture during turn-out. I’ve requested a (gradual) grain change to something lower calorie but I’m torn on using a grazing muzzle. There is zero grass in the pasture right now due to drought but a grazing muzzle might slow him down on the hay? He already uses a slow feed hay net in his stall and it doesn’t deter him much. I’m also nervous about cutting his calories too much in case he’s prepping for a growth spurt. What would you do?? Are there any exercises I could do to help him lose weight? I was going to incorporate some small hill work to help his top line but now I’m not certain that will be sufficient 🫤 He is due for a deworming but no way is that belly 100% parasite related.

He is not working under saddle and is just learning long lining in a halter so any exercise suggestions are limited to groundwork that can be done on a lunge line.

[CHT]

I assume you live somewhere that is now fall. A lot of horses pack on weight going into fall, so that could be all it is. A grazing muzzle (assuming you don’t live somewhere with snow), might be great - I have used them to slow hay consumption before. Perhaps in his stall, you could try doubling up his net to give him more of a challenge? I wouldn’t worry about a possible growth spurt - that will happen regardless, and I have never noticed a horse get chubby as a precursor to growing.

[JB]

It would help to know what grain, and how many pounds, he’s eating now.

If he’s eating 6lb of a regular feed, you don’t need to wean off that. Start tomorrow with 1/2lb of a ration balancer, mix in a little of the old feed for taste if necessary (like 1/2lb), and over a few days or so, get him on the 1-2lb of the ration balancer that’s appropriate for his weight.

A long 2yo may indeed be ready to grow again, and in 3 days it’s possible he’ll look normal.

Or, he’s decided he’s going to be an easy keeper and this is your struggle from here out

Either way, hand walking 20-30 minutes, at a good marching pace, can do a lot more good than you might expect, and it will also be good for incorporating manners training, and the training pertinent to the in-hand show requirements

[Bloopie]

Haha, he’s actually a very “short” 2 yo so I know he has more growth in there somewhere. He’s supposedly going to top out at 15.3-16 hands per the vet and he’s just above 15 at the moment. He did tend to bloat before a growth spurt as a yearling but not this much

He’s on 4lbs per day of grain/balancer that’s 10% protein and 3% fat which is listed as maintenance on the label. He’s moving down to about 2lbs of a lower calorie balancer the BO uses on easy keepers lol + a supplement. I’m not sure what hay blend he’s on now as the BO just switched but he gets 2 flakes in his stall and free choice in turnout. He can go through the 2 flakes in about 3 hours with a 1.5inch hole hay net. He has always been a chow hound.

[Bloopie]

It is fall here and his fuzzy coat isn’t helping appearances but I can’t deny he is legitimately fat My only concern with the grazing muzzle, and I’ll check with the BO, is that they use automatic waterers and I need to make sure he can still drink! And I like your idea of double bagging his hay net. He can go through 2 flakes in 3 hours with 1.5 inch holes. I keep telling him he’s a grazing animal but he doesn’t seem to care

[JB]

@Bloopie

Haha, he’s actually a very “short” 2 yo so I know he has more growth in there somewhere. He’s supposedly going to top out at 15.3-16 hands per the vet and he’s just above 15 at the moment. He did tend to bloat before a growth spurt as a yearling but not this much

The closer he is to 24 months, the more you can reasonably expect another 1h growth, so that lines up And being closer to 24 months makes an upcoming growth spurt even more likely. It seems they like to grow a bunch in late Fall to early Winter for some reason.

@Bloopie

He’s on 4lbs per day of grain/balancer that’s 10% protein and 3% fat which is listed as maintenance on the label.

that’s a regular feed, as opposed to a balancer, but that’s good to know

@Bloopie

He’s moving down to about 2lbs of a lower calorie balancer the BO uses on easy keepers lol + a supplement.

what product? 2lb is a reasonable feeding rate for an actual ration balancer, like Purina Enrich, Nutrena Empower Balance, Triple Crown Balancer, etc. And yes, the lower feeding rate, combined with lower cal/lb, is a good start, assuming it’s an actual ration balancer.

@Bloopie

he gets 2 flakes in his stall and free choice in turnout. He can go through the 2 flakes in about 3 hours with a 1.5inch hole hay net. He has always been a chow hound.

what size bales do those flakes come from? typical small squares, with 12-ish flakes ,means flakes of grass hay are generally in the 3lb range.

Yes, double bagged, 3/4" hole nets, those are all options to slow his intake in the stall.

[CHT]

If it’s a bowl waterer I would worry, but a regular stock waterer they should be fine, although I found my shetland used the waterer to clean her muzzle, so I had to stay more on top of cleaning!