[sher327]

For lack of a better word I say diet. Eddie has been in little work since his 2 injuries late winter/early spring. He is better now but heavier than I think he should be expecially for a horse who has injured 2 seperate legs I'd like to see him carrying less weight,more muscle etc as we get him back into full work.

My questions are-

I don't have a weight tape, is there another way to measure to get a general idea of his weight at this point?

How little is TOO little to feed? Right now he gets 1 flake grass and 1 flake alfalfa in the a.m. and 2 flakes grass at night. Occasionally I throw a snack in the afternoon if they are going to exercise alot etc or I'm just being a spoiling mom

I have been told that there is no reason why I can't cut him back farther.That it is in his best interest to pull that weight off of him so it's easier on his legs/joints as he gains back his strength and conditioning.

I was told to cut him back to 2 flakes of hay a day, and all the people who have told me this have successfully done just that with no ill effects and yet I can't seem to bring myself to ration him that low.

Am I just being paranoid? Eddie is about 1100 lbs, 15.2 or so.

What would be an average good weight for a horse his size and what sounds reasonable to feed a horse that size who is in little work that needs to lose weight?

[Jess!]

I have a weight tape. If you can put a string around him and then measure it in inches, I can then measure my tape in inches and tell you a *range* of how much he weighs.

[Jess!]

Oh, and 2 flakes of day a hay sounds fine.

[sher327]

cool, I'll go measure him if I can find my soft sewing tape! Really? 2 flakes doesn't sound like cruel starvation to you either? lol The people that have told me this are GOOD horsemen who have done this to their own chubbers.
I guess I am just a guilty momma who sees her horse nicker all the time and like an Italian granny or something, I feel the need to feed LOL

[Jess!]

Originally Posted by sher327

cool, I'll go measure him if I can find my soft sewing tape! Really? 2 flakes doesn't sound like cruel starvation to you either? lol The people that have told me this are GOOD horsemen who have done this to their own chubbers.
I guess I am just a guilty momma who sees her horse nicker all the time and like an Italian granny or something, I feel the need to feed LOL

If I gave into those nickers and faces my horses would be beyond chubby. I have to tune them out. "LALALA. You're not begging for feed!" haha

[sher327]

maybe I'll start doing that too lol I can't sing so maybe if they associate my voice with begging they'll quit!

[JBandRio]

For starters, no alfalfa.

Second - how much do your flakes weigh? If they are in the neighborhood of 3lb each, then 6lb of hay a day is much too little roughage for an 1100lb horse. Even if he needs to lose 100lb, 6lb is too little for a 1000lb horse.

Feed more of a junkier hay. Last year's hay at least. You will likely want to make up the nutritional difference with a high quality vitamin/mineral supplement like Dynamite pelleted product.

[sher327]

thanks JB. I'd say the flakes are roughly 3-4lbs(3 for the alfalfa) so currently he is roughly maybe 13-15 lbs a day??

I don't have access to last years hay at all. I have 1st cutting on straight grass and Alfalfa and my shed is full so I have to figure something out with what I have to work with.

I only added the Alfalfa the last 2 weeks so it would not be a big deal to eliminate it again for awhile. I could add a vitamin supplement, is there a fairly affordable one? They get no hard feed so I'd need one I could feed without if possible??

I really should go get a pic of him, maybe he doesn't need to be cut back but everyone is telling me he is a porker and it'll be healthier for him and I do want him as healthy as possible which is why I considered following their advice.

My biggest concern with that little feed was whether or not it would bother their tummys eating so little ya know.

[sher327]

Eddie

Casey

so do they (Eddie in particular) need to be on a diet. I assure you that while Casey may look thicker, he is solid and his ribs can be felt with featherlite touch.

[MissBandit]

Look at this link on how to guage your horse's BCS
http://ohioline.osu.edu/b762/b762_2.html

Honestly, I think both your horses look terrific. I would sit them at a 5 each based on the pics shown. Eddie might be a little softer than you like, but once he gets back into regular work, he'll tighten up