Toooo Fat!

trackgal · Postby **trackgal** » Tue Jun 17, 2008 2:16 pm

I have a horse that needs to lose weight, he is a 7 year old draft cross that is in a 1\2 acre dry lot and gets ridden every day for an hour, but he is still huge, my vet suggested soaking the hay and switching to alfalfa? I thought alfalfa was used to help them gain weight, he also gets no grain he is now on 6 to 8 flakes of 1st cut grass hay a day, does anyone have any suggesions as to how I can trim him down? I also suspect he is insulin resistant.

Strategic Maneuver · Postby **Strategic Maneuver** » Tue Jun 17, 2008 4:26 pm

You might have his thyroid level checked.

trackgal · Postby **trackgal** » Tue Jun 17, 2008 5:13 pm

I am going to try thyroid L has anyoune used this before?

Strategic Maneuver · Postby **Strategic Maneuver** » Wed Jun 18, 2008 4:40 am

I've used Thyro L for years on some of my mares that were problem breeders. They get one scoop in their am and pm feed. I always run a blood panel first though, I think it's called a T-7, to make sure they have a deficiency first.

trackgal · Postby **trackgal** » Wed Jun 18, 2008 10:26 am

o.k. my vet said suggested the thyro l not because he thinks he has a Thyroid problem, but as a way to "jump start" his metabolism to help him lose the weight. ?

Strategic Maneuver · Postby **Strategic Maneuver** » Wed Jun 18, 2008 1:32 pm

Gotcha Trackgal, and good luck. Also, if you live in the southern steambath like I do, keep an eye out for him to tend to get warmer than usual.

KamiBrooks · Postby **KamiBrooks** » Wed Jun 18, 2008 3:51 pm

Are you in an area where you can get oat hay? I think its basically oats cut green before seed. I think its among the lowest calories/lb.

Also look at IR boards for suggestions, I know epsom salts and cinamon are used to help IR horses. the espsom salts helps melt cresty necks and control weight, the cinamon helps clear insulin response from the blood stream faster. Can't remember rest of IR stuff off the top of my head.

Alfalfa when cut at the right time would be high calorie, but low IR response (alfalfa cubes even lower)... alfafla cut too late gives same nutrition profile with far fewer sugars, so if you have a farmer that couldn't get to his field fast enough, that would be a good type of alfalfa to use.

Beet pulp is also low IR response and when rinsed, might be low carb/sugar.