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Post by cally on Mar 26, 2013 7:42:28 GMT 1
Read yesterday that a horse should only carry 10% of it's own body weight- that includes rider and tack. Star is around 400 kilos top weight, and I'm 66 kilos at present so I'd have to starve myself down to at least 35 kilos!!!
I went down to 57 kilos when I was working at the stable, but thanks to menopausal misery and my heart and breathing problems the weight's been creeping back on. I can't walk or do any weight bearing exercise because my feet are stuffed so I basically have to restrict my diet to shift weight. Swimming's out unfortunately due to a chronic shoulder injury and weight are a problem due to having rheumatic wimpy wrists that can sprain turning on a light switch. Horse riding was all that I had left and now I feel GUILTY because I'm too much of a heifer, apparently.
I want to lose weight anyway and I was wondering if anyone else is in the same boat? I don't want to give up my 14.2hh teddy bear for a 16.3hh Dumblood (which is what charming Warmblood owners call them).
Fellow floppy friends who want to be firmer and fitter, your suggestions and inspiration are VERY much needed.
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Post by trixiepony on Mar 26, 2013 8:14:05 GMT 1
Shorly that will depend on what sort off riding you do, if your horse is happy and healthy with you up then your fine.
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Post by Claire on Mar 26, 2013 12:40:00 GMT 1
How did we manage in our youth before all these rules and things appeared? 66 kilos is hardly a heifer and 35 would be anoerexic! If that 10% rule was followed half the population of riders would have to be riding draught horses! (No disrespect to Daren ) Also it depends on the type of horse, a lot of quite small M & M ponies can easily carry adults. As trixiepony said obviously it depends what you are doing too. Strenuous competition riding is a different thing from hacking gently about the lanes the rule could possibly apply to that sort of riding but its just silly for everyday. So I would not be worrying about your weight! And certainly don't let it put you off riding. That said I do understand how hard it is to lose weight/keep weight off/keep fit when you have health probs. Sometimes I can't exercise for days through health, so I have to be on a pretty low fat diet all the time. Pity swimmings out as its one of the least stressful exercises on the body/joints etc. How are your knees? Could you manage cycling or an exercise bike? I have an exercise DVD which has a 'workout' you can do sitting in a chair. A few years ago I could barely walk and I started exercising with that DVD and it really helped my body get used to exercise again. Its vital you keep moving in some way tho or everything will sieze up!
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Post by rallycairn on Mar 26, 2013 15:27:20 GMT 1
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Post by Claire on Mar 26, 2013 16:36:20 GMT 1
This 10% thing seems to have come about by some vet research in cornwall with a very small sample of horses. Actually they say that up to 15% is OK and 10% optimum. Like Rally I think I have heard about 20% is right in the past. I do cringe when I see huge beefy women on stringy TB crosses but the average or even a little overweight woman should be OK on most horses. If they weren't three quarters of our horses would suffer from permanent back pain and chronic lameness! IMHO a decent owner can tell if their horse is fit and healthy and it wouldn't be if you were too heavy for it. Here's an article in our Telegraph about it: www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/9950467/Easy-rider.-Why-horses-are-feeling-the-strain-of-Britains-obesity-crisis.html
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Post by kunuma on Mar 26, 2013 20:40:45 GMT 1
It really depends on two things, the amount of bone a horse has, never mind how tall or short it is, and what you do with it! Having worked in trekking stables, horses often have to carry heavy riders for long hours, but they are doing it at a steady constant pace and it does not cause nearly as many problems as getting on and galloping about and jumping for a much shorter time. How fit the horse is is really important too. A horse will tell you if you are asking too much of it, if they tell you it's OK, then it is!
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Post by cally on Mar 29, 2013 2:00:27 GMT 1
Ta for all the links and info: I agree the study that suggested 10% maximum was deeply flawed: look at Arabians- they look scrawny but can carry men for long distances.
I am just back from the paddock where my fab farrier has trimmed Star up and we were talking about weight. Brad (farrier) is your typical bush character who's as wiry as a piece of rope and can talk the hind leg off a donkey- great chap. So I got out my weight tape and measured Star and he is WAY overweight- over 400 kilos so he is now officially on a DIET. Even his head looks a bit more 'Araby' 'cos his forehead's puffed up a bit and what with the sugar in the Autumn grass and rotating to their other paddock, it's token rations only!
Won't be able to ride him for another couple of weeks when the groin swelling and bruising goes away so lunging it will have to be and getting the OH on him for trail rides. It is a PERFECT Autumn day here- first of the season- and I feel queazy and weak so have to spend the day in bed. Youngest has tonsillitis...it's Good Friday here and everyone for miles around is mowing their lawns. Want to garden but can't- boring!!!
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Post by cally on Apr 7, 2013 5:25:51 GMT 1
Yesterday evening Star seemed really flat and depressed as well as slow. One of the herd left on Friday which is always unsettling, but I've noticed he has fatty pads above his eyes so I am concerned about the possibility of him developing Cushings. I'll put him on a glucosomine joint supplement and keep up the Devil's Claw and rose hips, and I've got to exercise him on the ground. This is a problem with my health the way it is- no way I can walk up a hill and with daylight savings ending last night, Phil won't be able to help in the evenings. It means I've got to drop weight quickly too- hard since I can't really exercise or eat any less than I already am. I'm so worried. Still, I'd rather die out at the paddock looking after Star than do nothing and have him die on me.
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Post by rallycairn on Apr 7, 2013 14:42:14 GMT 1
Cally, one of our Connemaras is IR/Cushingoid, and we manage it with diet (low starch pellet in tiny amounts, mostly hay diet (grasses, not anything rich like alfalfa)) and magnesium supplementation. It's a little extra work but try not to be too overwhelmed at the possibility -- with management I believe many Cushings horses can do just fine, and of course there are meds as well if a horse is really bad with the IR or Cushings.
With just magnesium supplementation even Chai's fatty deposits really melted away. He was getting the typical cresty neck and fatty croup but the magnesium worked wonders. And he's been on the low starch diet for years, as has our halfbred Connemara, and although I know they wish they could have something more starchy to eat they seem quite energetic and healthy this way.
I hope Star feels better, and you, too! Maybe we should diet together as I am VERY VERY overweight.
Anyway, I realize I wrote this long post and you don't even know if Star has Cushing's -- hopefully he doesn't but try not to worry too much if he does. Again, hope you both feel better ASAP.
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Post by Claire on Apr 7, 2013 21:04:15 GMT 1
I hope Star is OK, hopefully you are just worrying about him as you understandably have health on the brain lately! Also do you really have to lose much weight? How tall are you? 66 kilos doesn't sound a lot to me. I'm around 60 and no-one would call me fat. And I would have no qualms about riding a 14.2hh pony!
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Post by cally on Apr 7, 2013 21:34:17 GMT 1
I'm only 5 ft 2 and unfortunately my weight is distributed around my torso, probably due to the back issues and also the medication I take AND the high levels of the stress hormone cortisol that I produce WAY too much of! I have no arse to speak of- none whatsoever. I've decided to get the vet out to see Star and get him started on peroglide if he has Cushings and I'm off to the chandlers today to get some Speedi Beet and a glucosamine supplement and rose hips. Have to take Tom to the GP- 2 courses of penicillin and he still has a sore throat and a cough, 2 courses of anti biotics for me and I still have an infected toe. It's 6.30am and I've just had a naughty coffee, better get some food into me and get cracking.
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Post by Claire on Apr 7, 2013 22:51:36 GMT 1
I'm the opposite to you Cally, typical pear shape with big child bearing hips! I think I've read somewhere its easier for women to lose it from their stomach than thighs and butt. Hopefully thats true for you. I know I can never get rid of it on my thighs no matter what I do! I sympathise as its hard to keep your weight down when health probs stop you exercising. The good thing tho is that diet is more important than exercise in losing weight. Its scary how much exercise you have to do to burn off just a couple of hundred calories! Maybe we should all start a ponymad booklovers weight watchers programme, never mind a reading programme! ;D
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Post by kunuma on Apr 8, 2013 14:44:45 GMT 1
Cally I've had a couple of old ponies (always seems to be ponies) with Cushings and IR - mind you, back in the old days no one had heard of Cushings and it was thought of as quite normal for ponies to get 'funny' coats as they aged!
When my first pony showed symptoms of it, I had umpteen blood tests etc and the vets had no clue - nowadays everyone runs around testing for it before they even get it! It's actually very common and my current little Welshie has Cushings/IR.
She has the funny coat and the eye pads, and has to be watched for laminitis - with her it came on quite fast and she is only in her teens so quite young for it.
Added to say that I think Magnesium is a very good idea, and I have heard good reports of it's effects. I can't give it to my girl as she is on grass livery - but if I was able to have her at home I'd put her on it.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 8, 2013 15:11:51 GMT 1
We have an old pony at RDA who has cushings. He's on Pergolide which seems to keep it under control. He has hardly any teeth either bless him so he gums his hay to death and has lots of high fibre nuts well soaked. He's a little character too and quite a monkey sometimes
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Post by cally on Apr 21, 2013 10:01:07 GMT 1
We decided to assume that Star does have Cushings and he was on the verge of foundering but we caught it in time. Mind you we've been going out to him 3 times a day, applying ice and keeping him in a yard! He's on Pergolide and I think we can stop the icing tomorrow- the hind feet are back to normal already. No riding for a bit though.
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