How Do I Know If My Cob Is Overweight?

How to tell if your horse is overweight

1. The ribs should be visible or easily palpable.
2. There should be no, or minimal, crest.
3. There should be no fat parts over the shoulder area or the ribs.
4. There shouldn’t be a noticeable gully on top and between the horse’s hindquarters.

What do you feed an overweight cob?

We recommend feeding overweight horses a mature grass hay. Mature grass hay usually contains a relatively low number of calories, meaning you can feed more of this hay than a less mature, higher energy hay. You should always weigh your horse’s hay ration to make sure you aren’t overfeeding.

How fat should a cob be?

A healthy fat covering is a score of 2.5 – 3 out of 5 for most horses, unless your vet advises otherwise.

What happens if a horse is overweight?

HAZARDS OF OBESITY
Increased stress on the heart and lungs. Greater risk of laminitis or founder. Increased risk of developmental orthopedic (bone and joint) problems in young, growing horses. More strain on feet, joints, and limbs.

How do you slim down an easy keeper horse?

Confinement of the horse to a dry lot paddock and offering only moderate to good quality grass hay at 1 to 1.5% of the target (not current) body weight, free choice water and trace mineral salt, often is all that is required for gradual weight loss.

What weight should a 13.2 cob be?

Approximate weights (in kilograms)

What is a heavy weight cob?

Heavyweight Cob: mare or gelding 4 years old and over, exceeding 148 cm, but not exceeding 155 cm, capable of carrying more than 89 kg (196 lb). Maxi Cob exceeding 155 cm (15.1 h; 61 in): to be judged as Cobs. Judges must pay particular attention to type (i.e. short legged animals of Cob type).

What age are cobs fully grown?

By around 12 months old, the horse will have reached roughly 90 percent of their height. After this rapid growth period, the growth rate slows down substantially, typically taking another 4 to 6 years for them to finally reach their maximum height and weight.

How much should a 15.2 cob weigh?

905 to 1,215 pounds

Can you spot an overweight horse?

The ribs should be visible or easily palpable. There should be no, or minimal, crest. There should be no fat parts over the shoulder area or the ribs. There shouldn’t be a noticeable gully on top and between the horse’s hindquarters.

How much hay should an overweight horse eat?

Feed no more than 2% of your horse’s weight in hay per day, and if they actively need to lose weight, you can feed as little as 1.5% of their weight. One train of thought is to feed 2% of their ideal weight or 1.5% of their actual weight, whichever is more.

How much hay should I feed my horse to lose weight?

“Hay intake should be about 2% of body weight, if horses are receiving no other feed or forage.” If the horse requires weight loss for optimal health, less hay can be fed, about 1.5% of body weight.

Where do horses gain weight first?

Loin: A thin horse’s spine will stick up and he’ll have a ridge down his back. This is the first place you’ll notice weight gain or loss.

What makes a horse drop weight fast?

There are several potential causes of chronic weight loss in horses. These causes include poor quality or limited feed supply, health and disease problems, as well as social interaction and competition between horses. Chronic weight loss can also be the result of starvation.

How do I get my horse in shape without riding?

How can you exercise your horse without riding?

1. In-hand Walking. Taking your horse or pony for a walk in-hand can be helpful when you can’t tack up and ride.
2. Ride and Lead.
3. Lunging your horse.
4. Long reining horses.
5. Increasing your horse’s turnout.
6. Stretching.
7. Free Schooling.
8. In-hand Agility.

How long does it take horses to lose weight?

TLS agrees that weight loss should be no more than 0.5 – 1% of bodyweight per week – so 2.5 – 5 kg/wk for a 500 kg horse. Restricting calories excessively can lead to other health problems such as gastric ulcers and hyperlipaemia, and can increase insulin resistance – the opposite of what we want.

How often should I ride my cob?

If you are someone who likes to casually ride your horse, riding at least twice a week for 20-30 minutes at a time can help your horse be at the correct level of fitness. This should include some extended periods of trotting and cantering in order to get the horse’s heart rate up.

Can cobs do endurance?

There’s a common misconception that only Arabian horses are suitable for endurance riding, but that’s not the case. Other muscular horses such as draft crosses, cobs and robust ponies are all capable of completing endurance rides, but you should not push them to travel too quickly.

Do cobs need rugs in winter?

Many horses, especially breeds such as the native pony and cob types, can adapt well to winter weather and easily cope without a rug when they have adequate forage and access to shelter.

Should cobs be hogged?

Hogging is required to show cobs in certain classes and can also make a particularly rugged cob look much neater.

How should a cob look?

The cob should be well-mannered and ideal for nervous or elderly riders. Cobs should have sensible heads, (sometimes Roman nosed), a full, generous eye, shapely neck, well-muscled… and with a well-defined wither.”