About the Author: Kate is a Registered Animal Nutritionist with the Association for Nutrition1. Kate has, for over twenty years, been the Senior Nutritionist at NAF, where her passion for targeted nutrition can be seen in her peer reviewed published papers, magazine articles and regular university guest lectures.
Just as much of the Western world is seeing an obesity epidemic in people, and their pets, so equine obesity is also one of the biggest challenges to our horse’s health, here and across Europe. Studies show the incidence of overweight and obese equines can be as much as half of the population2. The issue is not just limited to horses in light or no work, as research in Swedish Riding Schools found that even when horses are in regular work, 25-32% of those assessed for general health were found to be overweight3. All horses and ponies are at risk, so it’s important to act early, but how can owners be aware of the signs and put in suitable management to control weight gain?
Firstly, monitor your horse’s weight regularly, as when you see your horse daily it can be difficult to spot gradual changes. A weighbridge gives an accurate measurement, but few of us have easy access to one. Therefore, a weigh tape is a good alternative; they don’t always give a strictly accurate measurement, but if the same person uses the same tape weekly it will show up any changes. Also, try Body Condition Scoring your horse. There are two accepted systems, the 1-9, where 1 = very poor and 9 = obese, developed by Henneke et al, and 0-5, where 0=very poor and 5=obese, developed by Carroll and Huntington4,5. It doesn’t really matter which you choose, so long as you always state which one you’re using. We advise the 0-5 system, as it’s simple to visualise and more commonly used across Europe.
Look too for fat pads, which are areas where excess fat are deposited. In horses those are typically along the crest of the neck, at the shoulder, over the ribs and at the tailhead. In particular, assess the neck. With the exception of stallions, no horse should have a cresty neck, and recent research shows that a crest, particularly when present without excess weight elsewhere on the horse, can be an indicator of insulin dysregulation, such as seen in Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS)6.
Adopting suitable management regimes can help with maintaining a healthy weight in horses prone to weight. Dependent on grazing management, the horse’s turnout will either provide all, or a significant amount, of the horse’s daily energy intake. Therefore managing grazing is key to controlling weight gain. Simply reducing the amount of time at grass is not the best approach, partly as it means longer time spent stabled, which is not ideal for many reasons, and partly because it’s unlikely to actually work. Research shows horses, particularly ponies, can learn to increase their bite rate in response to reduced grazing time, such that actual intake is little reduced even if they can only graze for a few hours7. Essentially, they pile their plate high when they get the chance! However use of a grazing muzzle does significantly decrease intake, while allowing them to stay out at pasture and trickle graze, so is a more preferable option for most. Alternatively, if possible, look at using ‘paddock paradise’, where a track with limited grazing is available around the edge of the field, leaving the centre for forage production or riding. Good track systems suit all horses in the herd, as they encourage horses to keep moving around naturally, so are worth the investment required to set them up, where they are possible.
For all types of horses and ponies it’s important that forage and fibre remain the predominant part of the diet, and either fed ad-libitum, or as close to that as possible. Of course, this is a challenge for owners of horses prone to weight gain. Therefore, especially when they are stabled, we need to consider the both source of forage, and how to provide it.
Hay-nets, particularly those with small holes, can be useful for extending feed time, keeping the horse trickle eating as nature intended, so are ideal for some8. However hay-nets don’t replicate the natural feeding position and, particularly small hole nets, can increase both signs of frustration and physical strain on the neck in some horses; so for these animals consider floor based slow-feeders as an alternative9,10. When choosing forages ideally choose a low NSC (Non-structural Carbohydrates) hay, of around 10-12% NSC, or if this isn’t possible, soak hay to reduce sugar levels.
Targeted nutrition can also be useful. The use of oral magnesium is known to support insulin sensitivity, such as diabetes, in people, and this relationship is now becoming established in horses11, where on a practical level differences in the mid-neck circumference when supplementing with magnesium are observed. Similarly, key herbal support can also be supportive. Marine extracts are particularly interesting, with both brown algae and spirulina showing promise for weight loss and insulin support, with spirulina showing evidence in equines12,13. However it’s not all about seaweed, with natural compounds like curcumin, found in turmeric, and leucine, found in sunflower, also showing evidence for metabolism support14,15. Of course, targeted nutrition alone is not the answer, but is recommended as part of good management and a suitably designed diet for horses prone to weight gain.
An undergraduate placebo controlled trial of a magnesium and herbal based supplement for horses, found overweight horses lost more weight and more quickly than those on the placebo, with an observable change and average weight loss of 24.2kg over nine weeks16.
In conclusion, for those managing horses prone to weight gain the spring and summer grass growth can be a particular challenge. However working together with a suitable management regime, and an energy controlled diet, NAF Slim Pellets can be recommended to provide essential phytonutrients to the diet, and to support a healthy weight in horses prone to weight gain.
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