Equine Obesity - why it matters and how to tackle it
Our consultant nutritionist Jennifer Little has recently conducted her own research into obesity. Read on as she delves into the growing world of equine obesity and metabolic disorders including EMS and laminitis:
Supporting the overweight horse
As an Independent Registered Equine Nutritionist and PhD researcher (investigating the impact of equine obesity), I am painfully aware that managing an overweight horse is no easy task. I’m hoping to highlight why it is so important to address the issue of equine obesity and share some support.
What is Equine Obesity?
Equine obesity occurs when the accumulation of fat tissue (adiposity) has reached a level that negatively impacts a horse’s health and wellbeing. Creating a chronic inflammatory state associated with diseases such as Insulin Dysregulation, Equine Metabolic Syndrome, Arthritis and laminitis, as well as reduced athletic performance.
How common is Equine Obesity?
If you think your horse maybe overweight, you are not alone. Equine obesity is now the most significant welfare issue effecting over half of the horses and ponies in the UK (Furtado et al 2021). It has become so common that if an owner considers their horse to be an ideal weight, it is more probable that it is overweight (Knowles & Grieve 2020).
How do we recognise it?
Body Condition Scoring is used to determine if a horse is overweight. This scores the fat coverage at specific points, grading them from emaciation, through ideal and up to obese. There are multiple videos freely available online, but it can take practise to become competent and confident in identifying overweight horses. Additionally, you could also raise the question with visiting professionals such as your vet or farrier.
Why is it a problem?
In horses’ excessive weight isn’t an aesthetic issue, it is a health and welfare issue. Fat tissue produces molecules (adipokines) that control metabolism, immune responses and produce pro-inflammatory molecules, increasing oxidative stress. As the levels of fat increase so too do the levels of these detrimental molecules, whilst weight loss reduces them (Tumpa & Baric-Rafaj 2019). My own PhD research has shown certain markers for pain and stress increase with fat levels, even before the development of diseases such as laminitis. Again, achieving weight loss in overweight horses reduces these pain and stress indicators.
How do we correct it?
If a horse has become overweight the diet is unbalanced, as it is providing energy (calories) in excess. This could be from excessive fibre, protein, carbohydrates or fats (oil). To achieve weight loss, fibre or forages should be controlled down to 1.5% body weight per day. At this restricted level it is likely measures will be needed to ensure that it lasts long enough, so as to prevent periods of 4 or more hours without forage which could lead to development of gastric ulcers. This could include the use of strip or restrictive grazing, small holed haynets, grazing muzzles, or spreading out the allowance of hay or haylage over small amounts fed multiple times a day. The calorie content provided by that forage can also be managed by using lower energy sources such as a later cut hay, by soaking of the hay to reduce the water-soluble carbohydrates and fructans (sugars), or by replacing a proportion of the hay (up to 1/3) with the introduction of straw.
The challenge is then to ensure that all the required vitamins and minerals, missing from this forage, is provided in a low energy (calorie) format. There are many low energy balancers commercially available, but these typically have a feeding rate of 100g/100kg body weight. Resulting in half a Kilo of feed, per day, for the average horse, which may still be excessive. In such cases a preferable alternative would be to provide a suitable vitamin and mineral supplement, typically fed at just 50g per day for an average horse. This can be mixed with a little low energy fibre-based chaff or a small amount of soaked sugar beet. Ideally such a vitamin and mineral supplement should provide high levels of antioxidants to support with the oxidative stress, and a pre-biotic to support digestive health, all of which are contained in Equell UltraMet.
12.8.25
Jennifer Little BSc Hons MSc RNutr PgCert
Equinutrition®
References
Furtado, T., Perkins, E., Pinchbeck, G., McGowan, C., Watkins, F., & Christley, R. Exploring horse owners' understanding of obese body condition and weight management in the UK leisure horse. Equine Vet Journal 2021; 53; 752-762
Knowles, E., Grieve, L. Clinical insights: Equine obesity. Equine veterinary journal 2020; (10) 1111
Tumpa, A., Baric-rafaj, R., Metabolic disorders and inflammation in obese dogs, cats, horses and cattle. Veterinarska Stanica 2019, 50 (x), 491-494
