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Feeding and Management of the Overweight Horse
Dr. Amy M Gill
Overweight horses are becoming more prevalent in the general horse population. The primary reasons horses are overweight are lack of exercise and consuming too many calories. Overweight horses are predisposed to a number of health issues:
- Many of obese horses can not tolerate starches and sugars (non-structural carbohydrates, NSC) in the diet and therefore should be maintained on rations that are low calorie, low NSC and contain higher levels of fiber than traditional sweet feeds.
- Some overweight horses may have metabolic conditions such as Cushing's Disease or Insulin Resistance. This should be investigated as medical and/or nutritional treatments may be necessary to control these disorders.
- Obese horses are at increased risk of 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, worsened symptoms of arthritis, less efficient cooling of body temperatures, fat build-up around key organs which interferes with normal function, reduced reproductive efficiency, greater lethargy and more easily fatigued.
To control obesity the following Dietary and Exercise Recommendations should be followed
- Horses in are easy keepers should be a fed lower calorie feed such as Triple Crown Lite but in sufficient amounts to meet dry matter and protein, vitamins and mineral requirements. Remember, if you cannot feed the amount of feed recommended on the bag because the horse gains weight from the required amount, you are using the wrong product and need to feed something else. Switch to the supplements - Triple Crown 12% or 30% supplements to meet all requirements for protein, vitamins and minerals without any extra calories from carbohydrates or fats. Triple Crown 12% supplement is best for horses on higher protein hay or for mature horses that are not in heavy training. Triple Crown 30% supplement is best for broodmares, growing horses and horses in heavy training that need supplementation but do not need to gain any weight.
- Grass hay is recommended over higher calorie legume hays
- Exercise plays a key role in reducing insulin resistance which is a condition that is prevalent in horses that carry a lot of weight.
- The best way to keep horses from becoming overweight is to control intake. Horses on lush pasture should be fitted with a grazing muzzle or placed in a dry lot and fed grass hay.
- It is important to know exactly how much hay and concentrate is being fed to an individual to avoid overfeeding.
- Access to a scale for weight measurement or use of weight tapes or calculations are a useful way to monitor weight gain or loss.
- Overweight horses who are insulin resistant could benefit from the supplementation of magnesium and chromium in the diet, which may improve sensitivity to insulin.
Triple Crown Feeds appropriate for overweight horses include:
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