Quick weight loss for extremely overweight horse?
September 3rd, 2010 | 
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PintoBean101 asked:
a friend of mine has a halflinger who is very overweight. It is very hard to feel her ribs and she has about a 3 inch crest. What and how much should she be fed? an how much should she be excersized and how often? If you have any alternative dieting plans that have worked I would love to know those!
Thank you so much!!
he is being fed 4 flakes a day. and 1 handful of oats. actually i mean a lot of weight needs to be lost. I have seen other halflingers and their crest is about half the size of this mare’s crest.
Tips To Lose Weight Fast
a friend of mine has a halflinger who is very overweight. It is very hard to feel her ribs and she has about a 3 inch crest. What and how much should she be fed? an how much should she be excersized and how often? If you have any alternative dieting plans that have worked I would love to know those!
Thank you so much!!
he is being fed 4 flakes a day. and 1 handful of oats. actually i mean a lot of weight needs to be lost. I have seen other halflingers and their crest is about half the size of this mare’s crest.
Tips To Lose Weight Fast
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Fat Loss Program
No one should EVER advise “quick” weight loss for anyone. Horse,Cat,dog,or human. It’s unsafe. Whatever he is eating…. well first I’d need to know HOW much.
But he needs food to work. The most important thing…exercise,everyday…but he’s out of shape so don’t pump it too fast.
Lunging,if he can,would be a good idea,20 minutes a day starting out,walk,trot,walk,trot. And then a cool down of stretching.
I’d do that until there is some slight improvement. Never work him past the point where he starts sweating.
After a few weeks.I’d start lunging/riding for an hour a day.walk and trot. Canter when he’s at a good weight to tone him up a bit.
I agree with the others,take him off the grain and minimize his grazing by putting a muzzle on for pasture. They are like ponies and seems to gain weight fast if not watched.
Diets For Weight Loss
I would suggest you talk to a vet or an animal nutritionist before putting your friend’s horse on a weight loss plan of any sort. For one thing, we can’t know how much to feed her unless we know how much she weighs now, not to mention her age! Underfeeding an animal for fast weight loss can be dangerous. I would recommend you change her diet and her exercise, but don’t restrict her food too much until you know how much she’s eating right now. Try observing her for a few days.
These may help you:
Fat Loss Diet
Quick weight loss is not a good thing. You have to make all changes with horses gradually. Please do not put this horse on a starvation diet to induce quick weight loss. Serious health problems can result. Cut back on the food gradually. Generally, Haflingers should not be getting grain, just high quality forage (grass and/or hay). If the horse is fat from too much pasture, you may have to use a muzzle or move the horse to a field with less grass. If you can provide more info about this horse’s feeding and living situation, we can better advise you.
Also, gradually increasing this horse’s exercise is important. You do not want to start working an obese horse very hard. Start with just walking. People underestimate the amount of exercise a horse can get from a nice active walk. As the weight gradually starts to come off and the horse gets more fit, you can gradually increase the workload.
Remember, small changes add up. A little less food, a little more exercise. Take your time and let the horse’s body adapt to the changes. You might also have your friend talk to her vet. Some metabolic conditions can cause a horse to be overweight and make it difficult to lose the weight.
Cannot Lose Weight
Halflingers do tend to have short thick necks, so a bit of a crest on one is normal and they are a heavy stocky breed. If I were wanting to thin a horse down I would just put them on hay. Hard to tell you how much since I don’t know how big the horse is. I would give a 14.h horse about 3 to 4 flakes of hay depending on the size of the flakes. I would start out with small amounts of exercise and build it up slowly. Grain is just added calories so I wouldn’t give any.
I guess I should be more specific about what kind of hay after reading Freedom Riders answer (duh) I would give a grass hay not Alfalfa
Lose Weight Really Fast
Has the horse been tested for insulin resistance, cushing’s, or equine metabolic disorder? If not, the vet should, as medication may be required. A crash diet is not good for a horse. Nor is rapid weight loss, though I completely sympathize with the press your friend must feel to get her obese horse healthy again, especially with the increased risk of laminitis and founder as well as other serious health conditions. Grazing needs to be restricted to 1/2 of what it is now, adding a grazing muzzle for turnout when you do, and the oats have to go.
What kind of hay are you feeding? My advice is to stick with timothy hay since it is the lowest in NSC/sugar/starch. Start with handwalking for about 20 minutes twice a day. Do that for about 2 weeks, gradually building up to handwalking about 30-40 minutes twice a day then move on to riding. The first week or 2 of riding should be about 15 minutes total, with no more than 5-7 minutes of trotting.
It’s great to get ideas on here, but it is the horse’s vet that should determine the origin of the problem, develop a specific weight loss plan, and devise an exercise regimen that is safe and appropriate for both a medically sound weight loss schedule and overall health.
Rapid Weight Loss Diet
Food:
What type/quality hay do you have? Give grass hay with little/no alfalfa (1 flake per feeding). No oats, not even a handful. Grazing muzzle if she’s on any grass.
Exercise:
Longe daily. Warm her up, then have her trot/canter for long periods of time. Watch her breathing/respitory. Time with stopwatch how long she trots/canters going both directions. Each day add a minute to each gait/each direction. Make sure you cool him down well. I’d also suggest using polo wraps for leg support.
EDIT: I agree with everyone else regarding no quick weight loss. GRADUALLY cut down her food & increase excersize. Also riding up/down hills will help work his muscles.
Fast Fat Loss
I would reccomend feeding Purina Wellsolve Weight Control. Here is the link: