Getting the ex-broodmare back to jumping...

[VarsityHero4]

So I've gotten my "ticket" to my future per-say. My old boss (to who's horses I am shamelessly addicted and have bought a few) has sent me a horse of hers to re-train and sell (hopefully). I've broken a lot of babies and brought many of them up to 3' stuff so I know what I'm doing, but this is the first one that's actually been sent to me to do 100% of the work on that isn't mine to take as much time as I want with. It's also the first one that's actually been under saddle before, though it's been 7 years.

So the question: She is EXTREMELY obese (pics later), as in multiple fat pockets and super cresty neck, because she's lived in a field for 10 years. She's actually a smidge off because she's so fat. I've put her on a major diet of a hf of pellets just to make her think she's being fed and small amts of hay. What kind of program have you put horses like this in that you found maximized their weight loss and muscle gain? I obviously don't want to work her too hard and have her little heart explode but she does need to be on the faster track to being fit since she needs to be sold.

[JB]

First, know that you cannot "starve" these horses. Small amounts of hay can kill an obese horse.

Multiple fat pockets and a super cresty neck reek of insulin resistance - a good place to start reading is www.safergrass.org and search through www.thehorse.com for some good information.

if you cannot give her hay that is tested to be lower than 10% NSC, then you need to at least give her well-soaked hay and keep her off grass. She's probably "a smidge off" because of laminitis, not simply being overweight. Many overweight horses are quite sound.

Hand walking, along with the low-starch diet, with additional nutrition (ie at least a vit/min supplement and added magnesium) might take the weight off faster than you think, or at least start progress that way. 20 minutes twice a day would be great.

Get some weight off, get her sound, get those fat pads reducing/gone, and then you can start riding her at a walk, progressing slowly to trot and canter.

There is no "fast track" to being fit. It's going to take a few months to get her to a normal w/t/c routine.

[VarsityHero4]

Thanks for your suggestions. She's been checked out by a vet and is just really fat, I wouldn't be assuming that nothing is wrong with her as I've seen quite a few horses with those issues without many signs even. She's definitely on watch but vet says she's fine. By small amounts of hay I meant a flake at a time in a rack, total she's probably getting 5 flakes per day. My flakes tend to be on the larger side as well. It's the same exact hay that she's been getting, we use the same hay guy.

I'll definitely be just walking her for now, 20 mins sounds good.

I didn't realize that mag can help, all of my horses get vita-plus and I've always found it to be a good supplement, I don't think it has mag in it though, I'll have to check. What do you find to be good mag supplements that won't quite them too much?

Thanks for your help!

[City Ponies]

While walking, ask her to extend to a working walk, then relaxed. So on and so forth. Once she builds up a little fitness, lots of walk/trot transitions, make her do "sets".

[VarsityHero4]

While walking, ask her to extend to a working walk, then relaxed. So on and so forth. Once she builds up a little fitness, lots of walk/trot transitions, make her do "sets".

Would incorporating side reins be a good idea to help her top line once she starts losing weight (I don't think they make a girth big enough for her right now!)? Her owner said that when she was under saddle as a youngster she preferred to work in a frame so I thought they might help her relax. Right now my biggest concern is making sure she doesn't work herself too much as she's obviously rather nervous being here, she was born and raised on the farm she came from so she didn't know there was a world outside before now. I don't want to drug her but it's starting to get colder here and I don't want her catching a chill if she works herself to a sweat outside. She'll nibble at her hay outside but is more interested in where all of her friends went. However, she does have plenty of neighbors and seems to get along with my gelding so perhaps she just wants a friend.

I supposed I'm just stressed out because I really don't want to deal with a colicky horse! haha Hopefully in a few days she'll settle down and I can start working with her, right now I'm just getting her ground manners solid, she's a bit too nervous to focus on real work right now.