Because of the early cutting of her hay, it probably has a higher than average DE. Assuming a DE of 1 Mcal/lb. from the hay, for a total of 15 Mcal for the day, and another 3.6 DE from the beet pulp and bran, Peppermint Twist was getting 18.6 Mcal for these sources alone. Her maintenance need is about 12.8. But, even at that, for her to be as heavy as she is, she must be taking in quite a lot of grass when on the pasture. This is what many people forget to factor into their calculations.
A completely sealed grazing muzzle is the first stop for her weight-loss plan, since it's impossible to know, or control, how much she is eating on pasture and the pasture is energy dense. If the owner drops the amount of hay, beet pulp and bran down to a total of 12.8 Mcal, that alone will over a 25% drop. If this is combined with not allowing grass it would be a drastic calorie cut, which we don't want to do.
The plan devised for Peppermint was to:
- Divide turnout into one four-hour turnout during the day, and an eight-hour turnout at night, always with a sealed grazing muzzle.
- Keep her on a dry lot the rest of the time and feed a 25% reduction in calories, which would be 13.6 Mcal, which she can get from 12 lbs. of hay and a pound of beet pulp with 6 oz. of flax, used as a carrier for her minerals.
- Once she gets down around 900 lbs., can shave her calories down to the 12.8 Mcal she should need to hold a normal weight of 800 lbs. by giving 12 lbs./day of her hay, with a total of 0.5 lbs. of beet pulp and 3.5 oz. of flax, divided twice a day.
Bottom Line
The most important thing is to add exercise or increase the amount the horse is already doing. Turn out does not count as exercise. Aim to get the horse moving for a minimum of 30 minutes a day, no breaks, no stops to enjoy the scenery or chat, definitely no munching along the way.
If the horse is unfit and heavy, walking may be all that he can handle at the start. Shoot for a pulse of between 80 and 100 beats per minute during the exercise. Make sure the horse's feet are correctly trimmed and balanced (he's putting a lot of weight on those feet!), and keep a close eye on the legs for any filling or heat as you go along. You can hand walk, longe, pony from another horse or ride. Just get him moving!
