Help me with my fat mini =/

[Lucy&romeo]

Hi I'm new here and im seeking advise on my overweight mini gelding Romeo! I got him when he was 6m old and he will be 5 this summer. The first couple of years he was growing, he looked pretty nice & lean...of course wld gain weight for winter, and lose it in the summer, but the past 2 yrs I havn't had much time to spend with him and he has sat in the pasture ballooning up literally!! I've had him at a boarding barn with my Appy Mare...he stays out front with 4 other minis & a mini donkey & a full size mule mare. I became pregnant summer of 09' plus was concentrating on the training of my Appy mare so he just was hanging with his buddys for the most part for the past couple of yrs....and boy I'm worried he might have something wrong with him now....I did finally measure him and he is about 30"...how much should a 30" mini weigh?? The other minis he is out with do not look anything as big as he is! The pasture they are on is actually in really poor shape...not much to it at all...the owner feeds then just grass hay plus a handful of grain for all of them. He is not losing the weight and what makes me think there is something wrong, is his neck is soooo thick and cresty...it has to be 8 to 10" thick! So basically my question is how to get weight off a mini horse??? Just exercise and cut back food or what??? I am actually bringing him home to my house finally and I have a small area by the barn I'm going to put him in, just to watch and limit food intake for now. It's not a pasture lot but more of a concrete feeding floor where we had pigs at, at one time. Do you think the concrete would bother him much? He had his feet done a cpl of months ago, and the farrier said they were fine and he is not foundered...but afraid he will if I don't get this under control. I do have plans on getting him a friend too here in the near future. I will eventually put him out in the small pasture I have made for him...and there isn't a whole lot of rich grass there...cattle have previously been in the lot and have mowed it down pretty good. Do you think I should have the vet check him out and do blood tests on him to see if he is insulin resistant? What other ideas does anyone else have?? I will try to post some pics but not sure how to.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Could you put up some photos?

If you do not know how you can send them to me and I will do it for you.....

 

[Lucy&romeo]

Could you put up some photos?

If you do not know how you can send them to me and I will do it for you.....

I;m trying to figure out how to upload photos to the gallery...and everytime i do it and submit it....it takes me to a blank screen and when i go back the photos aren't there! How do i upload, or i guess send them to you?

 

[targetsmom]

First off, welcome to the forum! From the description of your boy's neck, he sounds like he might be insulin resistant (IR) so a blood test by your vet would be a good start. That would help explain the weight gain and not being able to lose. If he is IR he should be on a diet low in non-structural carbohydrates (NSCs) which means NO grass, a low NSC grass hay, and if getting grain, that needs to be low NSC too. A supplement such as Remission that has Magnesium and Chromium can also help. The real danger is not just looking fat, but having a high risk for founder which the Remission is supposed to help.

I have an IR show mare that is managed quite well on a dry lot, low NSC hay (measured at each feeding), Blue Seal Carb Guard grain, plus Remission.

ETA: just saw the note about the concrete floor: rubber mats would be a huge help.

 

[Taylor Richelle]

Hi I'm new here and im seeking advise on my overweight mini gelding Romeo! I got him when he was 6m old and he will be 5 this summer. The first couple of years he was growing, he looked pretty nice & lean...of course wld gain weight for winter, and lose it in the summer, but the past 2 yrs I havn't had much time to spend with him and he has sat in the pasture ballooning up literally!! I've had him at a boarding barn with my Appy Mare...he stays out front with 4 other minis & a mini donkey & a full size mule mare. I became pregnant summer of 09' plus was concentrating on the training of my Appy mare so he just was hanging with his buddys for the most part for the past couple of yrs....and boy I'm worried he might have something wrong with him now....I did finally measure him and he is about 30"...how much should a 30" mini weigh?? The other minis he is out with do not look anything as big as he is! The pasture they are on is actually in really poor shape...not much to it at all...the owner feeds then just grass hay plus a handful of grain for all of them. He is not losing the weight and what makes me think there is something wrong, is his neck is soooo thick and cresty...it has to be 8 to 10" thick! So basically my question is how to get weight off a mini horse??? Just exercise and cut back food or what??? I am actually bringing him home to my house finally and I have a small area by the barn I'm going to put him in, just to watch and limit food intake for now. It's not a pasture lot but more of a concrete feeding floor where we had pigs at, at one time. Do you think the concrete would bother him much? He had his feet done a cpl of months ago, and the farrier said they were fine and he is not foundered...but afraid he will if I don't get this under control. I do have plans on getting him a friend too here in the near future. I will eventually put him out in the small pasture I have made for him...and there isn't a whole lot of rich grass there...cattle have previously been in the lot and have mowed it down pretty good. Do you think I should have the vet check him out and do blood tests on him to see if he is insulin resistant? What other ideas does anyone else have?? I will try to post some pics but not sure how to.

This sounds SO much like my first min which I still have! Got him at 5 months old and he's going to be 6 this summer...same thing first 2 years nice and lean. Then he started to get really fat! I gelded him 2 years ago but of course he still has the thick and cresty neck. I will be interested to see what people say about yours...

 

[Sandee]

I;m trying to figure out how to upload photos to the gallery...and everytime i do it and submit it....it takes me to a blank screen and when i go back the photos aren't there! How do i upload, or i guess send them to you?

The only way I've been able to place photos on here is from another website. So I set up an account at photobucket and uploaded the pictures I wanted to use there. From there the web address [http:/] can be copied and pasted here using the little "picture" above where you're typing.

Or Jane (rabbitfizz) offered to post them for you. You just need to email them to her.

 

[Lucy&romeo]

okay put some on photobucket...lets see if it works. The pics of Romeo start out when he was 2rs and skinny, he was still a stud then too...i got him cut when he was about 2.5ys. You will see how he progressively gets fatter and the last pics of him was taken on 1/31/11. I also don't think the pics do him justice unfortunetly on how fat he is in person and how thick he feels

I also have pics of my appy mare lucy and her filly ethel...some of the other minis are his friends where he is boarded. the buckskin yearling is Ada, that was Romeo's girlfriend for a couple of years

Then i also have a cpl of pics of my dog Bud

http://s1116.photobu...k580/peachq358/

http://i1116.photobu...58/IMG_0812.jpg

 

[Lucy&romeo]

 

[Lucy&romeo]

 

[Lucy&romeo]

 

[mydaddysjag]

I would have him tested for IR, personally. Also, I know you didn't ask for advice on this, but you might want to try to get his feet trimmed more often than every few months. Normally about every 6 weeks is good for the minis. His feet look a bit long in the more recent pictures. I personally wouldn't keep him on concrete 24/7, can you make a drylot for him instead? even with mats, concrete would be hard on joints if he was never able to get off of it.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

He is a nice boy, and yes, he is too fat, but you must not do anything without a blood test. It is very possible that he just is an air fern, but, if he is IR or have something else wrong, you could kill him, it is as simple as that.

Also, I do agree about his feet, although I accept he may well have been due a trim and is fine now.

You need to train him to drive, once everything is sorted. Even if you still do not have enough time to do anything much yourself, people will come out of the woodwork to drive the cute pony!

Also he is born to drive, nice length of stride, acceptable shoulder, pretty pattern, pretty colour.....are you still sitting there? Go look on the saleboard for a cheap cart and harness, woman!!

 

[Jill]

My hunch is he would do better on a dry lot with limited or no grass turn out and a low carb / low starch pellet (no sweet feed or senior feed), and a good grass hay. Good luck with him. He is hefty, but not as bad as I imagined from the first post.

 

[wingnut]

I'm too new at this to offer feeding advice to trim him down (but the carting advice sounds dead on to me!).

He is a lovely boy, I agree with that too.

And is that Malamute? One of my top 5 favorite breeds!!! I can't ever see myself owning one for many reasons, but I do think they are some of the most beautiful dogs out there!

 

[maplegum]

I don't know, he seems over weight but not too bad...not as bad as I thought he was going to be. Although if he has that cresty neck, you might want to take on the advice of getting bloods taken,

 

[Lucy&romeo]

Thanks everyone for the advice & opinions! Thanks for all the compliments as well

I do know he is due for a foot trim, the farrier will be out in the next couple of weeks.... I have to keep up on my mares trimming, and shoes, which makes it hard for me to afford romeo's feet everytime. The farrier charges same for trim on him as he does the big horses...wish i knew how to do it myself! And also I don't plan to keep him on the concrete lot for more than a couple of weeks, just so I get to know his habits and routines more...also do a lil poo watching so I know whats normal for him

I've never personally taken care of him....he was at a barn with full care board so the owner did daily feedings & things. Also I know you guys might think Im exaggerating on how big he is, but seriously the pics do not do him justice on how BIG he is in person!! I put a weight tape around him and I know those things aren't that accurate, but it said he was 650lbs.....no way!! So I have called the vet today to get prices on the testing so I have to take my mare in for some chiro work next friday, so prolly gonna take him with us. What do I ask a hay person about their hay if I'm wanting low carb hay??? I don't want to use the hay we have here cuz its more "cow" hay than horse hay ya know

There is a local guy we know, but he has alfalfa/ orchard grass hay...i shldnt feed that right? I've seen some ppl say the poorer the quality of hay, the bigger they just bloat....and to feed more protein type hay??? what does that mean? The barn owner where he is at now, has just some grass hay...its pretty green for the most part...i doubt she even knows about the carbs & stuff in it thou. @ Rabbitfizz...i do plan on getting a cart & harness as soon as I can... I would luv to putt around the farm with him hitched to a cart =) @ Wingnut...yes Bud is a Malamute

He is the light of my life and its been so much fun having him! I've had him since he was 6 weeks and he is 10yrs now...he thinks he is still a pup sometimes, but he does have some arthritis that slows him just a lil

I don't recommend his breed for everyone, you must be a strong willed person and show them the way and control things, or they will control you. But he is my cuddley bear & just luv him

:wub:wub

 

[AnnaC]

You already have some great advice given here - and I would like to add that I also think he is a super little chap!

The one thing I haven't seen mentioned is exercise. At the moment he has friends to play with and space to move around. If you return home with him, it will not be good for him to be kept, even for a short while, on a 'small' concrete space or in a 'small' dry lot, he will not show you his 'habits' while being contained - actually you will be able to count/see his droppings if you dont have other horses on the place. If using a dry lot then put a little of his hay round the edge in several small piles so he at least has to walk about - he might be one to just stand at the hay pile all day and EAT! LOL!! But without plenty of movement/execise he is going to balloon!

Get your blood tests done, trim his feet and take him out walkies - best way to get to know/bond with your mini is to go exploring the countryside/local roads, they love it! And remember, you will be taking the place of his friends - he is going to miss them for a while, and the walkies/your attention will mean a lot to him.

Good luck, you have a lovely boy there.

Anna