Sorry to post this again..

[Bren]

I know I have posted this before but I am at a loss. I am new to minis and am having a really hard time with them. One in particular is just way too fat. I have had the vet out 2 or 3 times now and she has examined them and found them healthy but fat. She ordered a diet. We tried the diet for 3 months and now my minis are even fatter! HELP! I am really worried that they could founder they are so huge. They look like a barrel with a face to quote my farrier. How do I keep minis who are basically lawn ornaments or pets from becoming obese? I feed them less that I do my dogs and they are still fat! I have no pasture so it's not grass. I have 3 minis and they only get like 2 small flakes (or less) of hay to share per day and a half a cup of mini horse grain once per day. I give no commercial horse treats at all. Maybe once a week they all 3 split one large carrot. I am putting the fattest mare up for adoption now as I just don't know what else to do. I am hoping someone else can do a better job with her than I have. I have had her for a little over a year with no weight loss results. Any ideas? Any safe weight loss aids out there?

 

[lildrummer]

I am sorry.

If you have the time, lunge them a few min. twice a day.

If you have some kids or can run yourself, put in a field and let the kids chase them in a fun way, to get them playing.

good luck

Lildrummer

 

[Bren]

We have tried using a bike or the quad runner to get them moving but I guess we need to do it more. They also have become so used to it they just stand there when we move toward them. They are not easily spooked horses. I have asked my hubby to design a mini hot walker to make sure they are moving even if I am not home to do it. I work 7am to 7:30 PM these days so it's tough to make it happen during the week. Especially now that it's dark when I get home. My daughter can hook them together and just walk them around our pond a few times after school. I hope this helps because I worry about how "fluffy" they are getting. The chestnut mare acts like she is just half starved all the time. I rescue animals and always worry about getting the diet right so they are rehabbed in all ways. I need to figure out how to get them moving more often because I just can't imagine feeding them any less. I will do anything I have to though.

Thanks

 

[minimom1]

Are the 2 in the picture the ones you are calling barrels with faces ?

They do not look THAT obese to me. I understand your concerns, I constantly

fret about mine getting too fat for their own good but I don't see it here.

 

[chandab]

I have a mare whose weight is a struggle, but for the most part we now have it under control. She did founder, but it wasn't due to her obesity, but rather contaminated feed; she is recovering nicely from the founder and is sound. Her current diet consists solely of grass hay (mostly crested wheatgrass as that's what's available here) and Progressive Nutrition ProAdvantage grass formula (a ration balancer for grass hay - other companies make ration balancers); she actually gets a fair amount of hay, at least 1.5% of her BW (upto 2% in winter) plus 1/2# ration balancer (she's 38" tall and weighs 390#, she's a little heavy now, but not bad). [she's heavy now because I tried to an another horse to her pen, and she ate all the hay, he got skinny and she got fat, so I've pulled him and put her back on her regular diet.] Oh, and I do give a little bit of soaked beet pulp in winter to help with hydration, she gets 1/3# dry measure then soaked.

I've had her for 4 years; here are a couple picture from when I got her:

One week before I brought her home (she had been largely on alfalfa hay which doesn't agree with her):

3 weeks after she arrived (I fed her limited grass hay approximately 5-7# (1.5% BW) and the ration balancer):

I don't have any current pictures of her on-line, but hope to change that next summer.

It is possible to get their weight under control, but you need to be sure they get the nutrition they need. You may also need to separate all three for awhile til you get their weight under control; you may have one that is hogging feed.

Its important to weigh the feed, especially if you have weight issues. A flake of hay is very different from bale to bale and from hay type to hay type. In a pinch, if you know the weight of your bales, and the number of flakes per bale you can get a rough estimate of how much a flake weighs.

 

[Horse Feathers]

What kind of hay are you feeding, grass or alfalfa?

 

[Bren]

It's just grass hay alfalfa is too rich. Usually Timothy Orchard mix. The bales are small and I don't think they are getting but 1/2 pound of hay at a time. Yes, the girls in the pic are mine. the white mare is new and not too fat. She may be in foal so we don't want her to diet. She was seen by the vet but he said it was too soon to tell if she is preggers. The people I got her from had her with a stallion sooo ???

Ginger is my main concern. She is the chestnut mare. She is sooooo wide across the butt. You can't see it in the pic but she is a total shelf back. She waddles and cannot run as well anymore but can still run to me if she thinks I have food. ; ) I have to stand between Ginger and the other mares or Ginger will mow them down to eat theirs. As you can see in the above pic Gracie the bay mare is not hurting for groceries either. Now that they are fuzzy they really look bad but I know it's the fur. My vet used a weight tape and said Ginger was about 400-500 pounds at 32 inches. I have to wonder if this was right? I have stopped the diet she gave me when I found out she called a feed guy to ask how to feed my horses. This was all based on what my feed guy suggested and of course was the most expensive he had. 18% protien. Then I have had people say just give a little sweet feed and hay but isn't that worse than grain made for minis which is low starch and fat? I just wish I knew what to do so I could keep them healthy.

What kind of hay are you feeding, grass or alfalfa?

 

[rabbitsfizz]

I know it is worrying but, really, I don't think they are that fat!!

My mares, who I have just weighed for worming, average around 320 lbs, and they are about 30 - 32"...ish!! (some are smaller, one is bigger but she weighs a lot!) They are on 24/7 turnout on good grass, all year round, but I do not grain them at all. They have mineral licks, nothing else. Six of them are in foal. Some look so fat I am sure a lot of people would have a fit, you need to feel the crest, though, and if this is not hard and fat they may well be fat (I do understand your worry) but they are not obese!!

Could you post better pictures, the one you have put up are so tiny I cannot really see them.

 

[Bren]

Thanks I feel a little better. I have been so worried and I am even changing my farrier because mine comments on how fat they are so much it's distressing and embarrassing to me. I tried to post bigger pics and if I got any bigger than those it would not post them. It will only take it when I change the size to thumbnail. I can send bigger pics to an e-addy but can't seem to post them here. I will see if I can get some better pics today. It's raining so they will not be as fuzzy and you can see the chub.... My mares of concern are Ginger 32in Chestnut and Gracie 28.5in bay paint. Angel is new and I don't think she is fat I think she may be in foal. I have to give her enough food and then guard her when she is eating so Ginger will not push her aside and eat hers too. Ginger is a piggy when it comes to food. She even broke down my chicken's gate once to get in and eat chicken feed! Thankfully we caught her in the act and she did not get much.

I know it is worrying but, really, I don't think they are that fat!!My mares, who I have just weighed for worming, average around 320 lbs, and they are about 30 - 32"...ish!! (some are smaller, one is bigger but she weighs a lot!) They are on 24/7 turnout on good grass, all year round, but I do not grain them at all. They have mineral licks, nothing else. Six of them are in foal. Some look so fat I am sure a lot of people would have a fit, you need to feel the crest, though, and if this is not hard and fat they may well be fat (I do understand your worry) but they are not obese!!

Could you post better pictures, the one you have put up are so tiny I cannot really see them.

 

[minimom1]

People not familiar with miniatures quite often make comments like your farrier.

Mine are portly but not obese and I get comments like

"My Goodness they are as wide as they are tall are'nt they"

Dont worry so much. As for them always acting hungry, mine will beg anyone

for a tidbit of hay or grass even if they have some in front of them lol.

That seems to be the nature of the beast.

 

[disneyhorse]

Hello... I think it was you who e-mailed me but here is some information to share...

How much do your "flakes" weigh? First of all, get a scale (I bought a 22 pound scale from WalMart online for $25) and make sure you are consistent with their food. If needed, make sure each one eats separately. It's impossible to have a horse on a specific diet when they share... one may get more or less than it needs, particularly if you are cutting back to a strict diet.

At any rate, here I measure a "flake" to be seven pounds... our bales are 110 pound three-wire bales.

Second, get a weight tape. They are available for under $5. Weigh each horse and feed them 1% of their weight per day, but DO NOT go under that percentage.

Third, what type of hay are you feeding? I would recommend to NOT feed alfalfa to easy keepers. Instead, feed a good quality grass hay (Orchard or Timothy is probably the best nutrition wise). Bermuda grass is okay but too low in nutrients, if you want to feed up to half of their hay ration as Bermuda that might be okay. But they really need nutrients.

Fourth, don't give them ANY grain. It won't do them any good. You can give them a little bit of soaked hay pellets or beet pulp soaked, and add a good multivitamin dosed per manufacterer. (Example, take half a cup of beet pulp per horse, and soak it. Then give them Grand Vite supplement... bucket says one scoop per 1000 pound horse, so add 1/4 of a scoop to the soaked beet pulp.) The grain is probably made to provide vitamins, but if you don't feed the recommended dose (which may be too much of the grain) then it's basically no good. When I give grain for vitamin content, I just use a vitamin supplement (I like Grand Vite but almost any will do). They don't need the carbs from the grain, even if its low carb.

Fifth, really DO try to exercise them more. Diet won't do any good without a good workout. Yep, it takes time and work but that's what you signed up for when you got horses.

I hope any of this helps. I personally wish I had a personal trainer... my own horses are always weighed, have their food weighed and monitored... but the more you work them the more food they can have. My horses easily get 2% of their body weight and sometimes even a little more than that... and a lot of grain and beet pulp too! But, they are worked almost every single day until they are hot and/or sweaty.

If exercising, the key is to start out slow and don't overdo it.

Good luck

Andrea

 

[Bren]

Thank you. My farrier raises minis for show and keeps his really thin so my lawn ornaments compared to his look pretty fat. I still don't need his comments. I just want him to trim them and leave. He won't so I am finding someone else. Thanks for your support.

People not familiar with miniatures quite often make comments like your farrier.Mine are portly but not obese and I get comments like

"My Goodness they are as wide as they are tall are'nt they"

Dont worry so much. As for them always acting hungry, mine will beg anyone

for a tidbit of hay or grass even if they have some in front of them lol.

That seems to be the nature of the beast.

 

[bfogg]

Have you pulled a thyroid test on them? I have found a lot of minis have thyroid issues. Once they are on the medicine they start coming down. The med is very very cheap and can make a huge difference.

Also make sure you feel for their ribs once a week that coat can be deceiving.

Also make sure they are not pregnant.

Bonnie

 

[Sandy B]

I know I have posted this before but I am at a loss. I am new to minis and am having a really hard time with them. One in particular is just way too fat. I have had the vet out 2 or 3 times now and she has examined them and found them healthy but fat. She ordered a diet. We tried the diet for 3 months and now my minis are even fatter! HELP! I am really worried that they could founder they are so huge. They look like a barrel with a face to quote my farrier. How do I keep minis who are basically lawn ornaments or pets from becoming obese? I feed them less that I do my dogs and they are still fat! I have no pasture so it's not grass. I have 3 minis and they only get like 2 small flakes (or less) of hay to share per day and a half a cup of mini horse grain once per day. I give no commercial horse treats at all. Maybe once a week they all 3 split one large carrot. I am putting the fattest mare up for adoption now as I just don't know what else to do. I am hoping someone else can do a better job with her than I have. I have had her for a little over a year with no weight loss results. Any ideas? Any safe weight loss aids out there?

As a new mini owner myself, I have had trouble adjusting to their feeding needs. I have 3 mares (32'-34") on dry-lot and they are on the portly side too but I am not too worried as it is coming into winter. I have changed my feeding to this. As a group they get 4 pounds of Meadow Grass hay twice a day, that is just over 1% on their body weight), and they each get 3/4 cup of Purina Enrich 32 ration balancer and a probiotic. The ration balancer is for horses that are easy keepers and will give them the vitamins & nutrients that they need. The Meadow Grass hay is a very nice hay that is the lower end of the calorie scale. The scrounge around in the dry turn-out looking for any crumbs or acorns that fall off the tree too. Now my 2 - 2 yr old mini boys that are in training are fed different. They were getting about 1.25% of their BW in Alfalfa/orchard hay and the ration balancer but started eating their manure. They were fit looking but still could have used some "belly exercises"

Any way, I posted on here my concern about the eating of their own manure and was told to increase their hay a bit. So I added the Meadow Grass to their diet for a lunch snack and before bedtime snack. That has taken care of the manure eating and they have not gained much weight, if any. I encourage you to but a scale. What I thought was 2 pounds was double that. Good luck and I would not be too worried.

 

[Bren]

I asked my vet about thyroid because I have dealt with this in my rescued dogs. They can be over weight and mentally unbalanced. She did not feel testing them was needed. I may have to call in a different vet.

Have you pulled a thyroid test on them? I have found a lot of minis have thyroid issues. Once they are on the medicine they start coming down. The med is very very cheap and can make a huge difference.Also make sure you feel for their ribs once a week that coat can be deceiving.

Also make sure they are not pregnant.

Bonnie

 

[End Level Farms]

I would get the vet to run the test anyway. Its your money and if you want the test they should do it.

Also I understand getting a new farrier. I have had a few ones like that that think they need to comment on everything. Suggest something that has something to do with the feet Im okay with that but start going on and on. I dont want to deal with that. Luckily after trying multiple farriers I have found a GREAT farrier who loves to do my horses (even my bad ones)