Getting rid of a big belly

My 14.3h arabian gelding looks like he is over weight and could possibly have a haybelly, when i got him he was like this. I work him 2-3 times a week and he is outside with constant hay. No matter how much I work him the belly neer goes away. He looks like he is 'pregnant' xD Is there anything i can do to make him more slim. In the winter he can get over 1000 pounds and it is incredibly hard to wrap my legs around him and place them in line with my 'butt'

Tags: feeding, hay belly, horse care, horse health, over weight

Attachments:

Dawson in Paddock.jpg, 61 KB

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Mary Ginn on March 31, 2010 at 10:08am

I hope someone can give you an answer to this, because I have a similar problem. My 14.2 arab gelding gets really round over the winter. His spine and ribs are still at the "feel but can't see" stage, but like yours, he looks pregnant! Usually with more work and pasture he trims up in the summer, but last year he got too thin. It'd be nice to find a balance!

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Stephanie Blanchard on March 31, 2010 at 5:03pm

My guys fat all year long xD Though I hope someone can help us

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Jackie Cochran on March 31, 2010 at 5:52pm

When I used to have Arabs I always watched their weight. The ones with "well sprung ribs" kept in good weight in winter (in NC) with about 6 lbs of concentrates (oats, corn, and alfalfa pellets) and around 12-20 lbs of hay a day (feeding more hay when it was real cold, 25 F at night got some more hay, down in the teens I fed more hay.
I had a rangy Arab mare who did NOT have well sprung ribs (she was deep through the heart, though), and at 14.1 hands, I was feeding her as much as my old Anglo-Arab gelding at 15.2 who had well sprung ribs and was deep through the heart.
In the summer I only fed a pound or two of concentrates a day (oats), just enough to put loose salt in, and around 12 lbs. of hay and 2 hours of grazing. I tried to keep them at a weight where in the summertime I could barely see their front ribs.
The good point about constant access to hay is that it may protect against getting ulcers. The bad point for Arabs is that the ones with well-sprung-ribs who are deep through the heart tend to put on the pounds unless exercised regularly.
If your horse feels real wide between your legs, you might try scooting your seat forward in the saddle. Just behind the withers and down through the girth area is the narrowest part of the horse. There is sort of a groove there that is narrow. This is easiest in a hunt seat saddle.
I hope this helps.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Stephanie Blanchard on March 31, 2010 at 9:46pm

I would move my leg forward... if i didn't get yelled at for it! xD

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Jackie Cochran on April 1, 2010 at 11:57am

It is more the knee and thigh that I'm talking about moving forward, not the lower leg.
It took me a while to get my knee into the knee roll of the saddle. When the knee is in the knee roll instead of an inch or two back (like I used to do for sooo long), your seat HAS to be further to the front of the saddle. So try getting your knee into the knee roll all the while keeping your knee as far down as possible. I do this from two-point, getting my knee down into the knee roll, then I sink down (not back) into the saddle.
Be patient with yourself, old habits can be hard to break and you may get some muscle soreness until your body gets used to this. It won't make a huge difference in the stretch, but on some horses every little bit helps.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Stephanie Blanchard on April 1, 2010 at 4:30pm

i have spurs in my kneecaps so it is quite difficult. his weight also doesnt let him jump as high and makes him look un-arabian like. he is in a 46 inch girth which is supppose to go on 15.3-16.2h horses

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Jackie Cochran on April 1, 2010 at 5:11pm

Part of the problem is that small Arabs with well-sprung-ribs who are also deep through the heart often seem to live fat and sassy on the amount of feed that would starve another type horse of their size. Its not just Arabs, Morgans, ponies and Paso Finos can also have this problem. The only way I kept their weight down was by feeling their ribs every time I handled them, and when the ribs started getting more fat on them I cut their feed down by a quarter until they lost some weight. Of course the horses would think they were starving to death, but better some hungry horses in good weight than founder.
I am sorry you have bone spurs in your knees. A sort of expensive solution (if you have excellent balance) would be going to a side-saddle.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Stephanie Blanchard on April 1, 2010 at 6:22pm

Im only into hunter/jumper and slight western. Plus i cant cut his hay down since he is constantly outside. He does not recieve grain at all, only when i go up and feed him in the summer and that is only once a week if needed

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Jan Jollymour on April 15, 2010 at 10:14pm

Hi, Stephanie:

Hi, Stephanie:

Ditch the grain altogether - you risk a bout of colic if you feed him grain once per week. His gut flora will not be what's required to digest the grain well, and it will upset his internal balance.

What's the status of his de-worming program? I'd look there first. Often people tell me their horses are fat, based on their bellies, but the horses are in actual fact too thin, so their middles look bigger in comparison to their necks, shoulders, and hindquarters.

If you think he's just too fat, then try using a grazing muzzle (unless he's with other horses). You can't leave it on for 24 hours per day, but 12 hours per day will cut his hay intake drastically, and keep him busy and satisfied at the same time.

Besides rationing the hay intake to some degree, WORK is the best bet for dealing with his tummy. 2 - 3 times per week is not optional, 4 - 5 times per week would do a lot more for both of you. Your hips and adductors would be looser and stretched if you rode more, and his topline and abdominal muscles would be better developed, giving him a slimmer outline.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Stephanie Blanchard on April 17, 2010 at 10:41pm

He is wormed exactly when he is suppose to be.

I'm not at the barn all the time so he cant use a grazing muzzle since he's with other horses and no one will put it on and take it off.

His hay is only a round bale because there are 5 other horses with him and he needs retraining for riding since he developed a bucking issue and refuses to put the bit in his mouth... He doesn't get work as often as I also have another horse i'm try to retrain to ride.