Need some help

[Alisha514]

So I joke about my baby and I get it from everyone about how chunky she is. She has lost a lot of weight since I bought her in Sep. But she is now at a plato (sp) and i cant get her to loose any more. We have a show in two weeks and she just is not ready. It sooo frustrating as she is in my mind the best looking mare in the world but she wont do good if she dont loose some more weight. I have been working her, trying to sweat her neck but it just dont seem to be working. What else can I do? here is a not soo good picture of her as she still needs to be shaved and shes dirty and she was being a butt and would not look pretty. LOL.

btw these pictures were taken the same day. I realize she looks not so big in the one pic but there are times she decides to suck up her belly. LOL

Alisha

 

[Leeana]

Hi there,

I think its her build, i think she is just built bigger. If you want to shape her up a bit, what i would do, is roundpen with weighted bell boots on and cutt back on hay and grain (slightly) until you see a difference. Is she on grass? No grass

 

[Sixstardanes]

Do you use psyllium on your girl?

When we added Saber to our family in August 2007 he looked like this

Now he looks like this (pix taken yesterday)

 

[nootka]

To me, she's not overly fat, she's at a good level for you to start working her. Depending on her age, you can start at ten minutes and work up from there.

Hard to help any further when I don't know what she's currently eating.

She is just a short and stocky-built mare, and likely will never look like some of the minis winning in the ring at the bigger shows, even if she were starved down to bones (which I know you wouldn't do, just making a point). It's a proportion thing (her legs are a little short and her bone structure a bit thick for her height, but she does have a cute topline and look to her).

I have a girl kind of like her that I almost got too thin while I was trying to slim down her body. She is fairly refined in her bone structure, but has a very "sprung" body, and I would never be able to get her to look like an overall National or World champ. What I am doing now, is seeking stallions to cross her with that have a more refined body build to see if I can balance it out!

Your girl, though, is not obese, she is just not "toned."

She will look different once she does get toned up.

Clipping her will also help make her look less fluffy. (pun intended)

Liz

 

[The Simple Life Farm]

I agree with Nootka. You really should body clip her, then you know exactly what you are dealing with. I have a 2 y/o filly that I just knew was going to be fat with a thick neck, until I clipped her. I was very happy with her weight and condition.

Before clipping:

After clipping, there really was a horse under all that hair!!!!

 

[hobbyhorse23]

I agree with Nootka regarding her build but have to be a little different and say I think she is a bit overweight too. And I mean overweight by health standards, not potentially unreasonable show standards.

It's hard to tell with the bright sunlight across her rump in each photo but I know if any of my horses were looking that filled in through the flank and, hmm, shall we say "dimply" in the hindquarters I would certainly expect to see fat pads on the top of the rump and neck area to match.

If she is that plump than she needs work and a lot of it. If it's simply that she's a bit jiggly from lack of tone, well then she needs work for that too! Either way, cut the grass if she's getting any and put her in a roundpen five days a week and let her sweat it off to the oldies.

Nothing like good old-fashioned exercise! Definitely do not expect to starve/work her down to model proportions however; the best way to get this horse looking good is to feed her well and help her learn to use her body and tighten/tone all over until she's a little powerhouse. She should be dynamite to drive!

Simple Life, you need to clean your x-ray glasses!

If I had one that looked that way in the fur I'd be thrilled to death with their condition.

You can't hide that kind of trim OR that kind of neck. Wow.

Leia

 

[Basketmiss]

Do you use psyllium on your girl?

When we added Saber to our family in August 2007 he looked like this

Now he looks like this (pix taken yesterday)

Rachel how much do you give Saber?? Is it powder? Put in his grain?? He has really slimmed down!! He looks so studly!! LOL

 

[Sixstardanes]

Thanks

The psyllium we use is in tiny pellet form.

He gets a small pinch of it almost every night...

he definately gets it on days he's been indulged with people snacks...

he loves the apple fritters at Starbuck's.

But of course this wasn't all that did it.

His food was changed when we got him and portions were watched.

He was given more natural fruit snacks like carrot tops, carrots & apples

and was exercised more frequently which consisted more of just getting out for walks at different places.

 

[Alisha514]

I guess the pictures are miss leading. She is 33" she is not that short. As for her built yes I do agree what she is a little on the stocky side but she does have fat pockets. Her butt is getting a little better but she still has a lot of fat over her withers and were her neck and shoulder meet. You can actually see a little of the fat on her thighs in the second picture. She gets half a flake of hay in the morning and half at night. She gets about a large handfull of grain in the morning and night. She is on no grass. I do think when i body shave her she won't look as huge in the stomach but her hair is not that thick or long. She gets worked about 15-20 mins a day, well almost every day as it depends on the weather.

here is what she looked like when i got her. She was even bigger then those pics really show. She was very obese.

Alisha

 

[Keri]

I also think its her build and she needs round penning. If you plan on showing your horses, you should at least start conditioning them 30-60 days before a show so that they are tone. Work her over trot poles. I do trot poles and leg weights for about 15 minutes and mine are tired. But with her, I would do at least a half an hour.

I have one that I was trying to get weight off of. I put him on Remmission. Its just minerals, but forces his body to use his excess fat. He had rolls on his withers and his flanks were just huge. He's much better now and at a healthier weight. I give him a 1/4 of the tiny scoop that's in there. You start them out at about a half a scoop for a week and then cut them down. But be careful to just watch for hyperlipidemia when you force the body to work the fat off.

 

[Marty]

Alisha listen to Liz.

Your horse has come a long way already. She looks good. She is going to look even better with a clip job and conditioning. Don't mess with the recipe. You're ok. Matter of fact, there are a lot of horses showing first shows of the year that are a little on the beefy side so not to worry. Sweats take months to work.

Leave your program alone as far as feeding and just continue to exercise as you are. Don't get her all

overworking and try to rush her fitness. It will come in time. I have a mare built just like that and when I try to fit her too much, she looses her top line so watch out for that too. I'd also let her have some grazing rights on grass too a little bit as long as you are exersizing too. It should not go straight to her gut with your conditioning program in place the way it is. Put her in a color class too. She's very attractive. Best wishes.

 

[Alisha514]

Thank you Marty.

I have only been working her for about a month. Not every day as I said because the weather has been crapy and for the longest time we were flooded. I guess I'm just going nuts as I'm going to be taking her to a AHMR show in two weeks and I have never been to such a large show and I don't want her to go and people think she looks like crap. I defenetly have her in a color class as I think she will do very well in it but I'm so afraid all people are going to see is a fat mare. I hope they can see what she can be like and how pretty and correct she is.

Alisha

 

[Marty]

What people think she looks like crap? Want me to beat 'em up fer ya?

Alisha I promise you.... your pig

will not be the only horse at the show that is not fit.

It has been a very long cold hard winter for many and most horses are in the same

boat with you not being able to condition the horses as they would have liked. A little

blubber is not going to hurt your pig

VS when you consider what would happen to your horse

if you tried to rush her into fitness. The results could be disasterous. I know some people

will withhold food and grazing etc. work their horses to death, soreness and lameness to rush a horse into the ring; not my style. I have a lot more respect for the ones that put the horse's welfare up there first. As you were already told, clippers, bathing will do wonders and you could even dye the mane and tail to get the sunbleaching out if you want. Go slow, do it right, do it safely and above all, keep things happy and upbeat for you and your pig

I want to see tons of pictures on show day! Good luck lil buddy.