While you’re making plans to finally get that gym membership or cut calories, fat, or carbs from your diet, don’t forget to include your four-legged friends in your new year’s resolutions. Maintaining a healthy weight and diet is just as important for our horses as it is for us. To that end, we’ve consulted with equine nutritionists and compiled a list of the top five resolutions to keep for your horses in 2014.

Resolution #1: I will become an equid weight watcher. Many of us are regretting that extra piece (or two) of holiday pie we couldn’t resist last week, and this resolution fits right into that theme. Resolve to be proactive about maintaining your horse at a healthy weight (generally around 5 on the 9-point body condition scale), rather than being reactive after they have gained or lost to the point of concern. Monitor his body condition weekly, and adjust his diet or management plan as needed.

Also, resolve to predict when a diet-related management change will be needed, rather than waiting for the consequences. For example, know that once lush spring pasture begins to emerge, horses prone to obesity or those that have experienced laminitic episodes in the past will need to be monitored daily for changes in condition. Then, put a plan in place to reduce or eliminate pasture intake, such as employing a grazing muzzle or turning out in a drylot.

Resolution #2: I will focus on “forage first.” Grey Parks, MS, an equine science lecturer at the University of Tennessee, stressed that increasing the forage (hay and grass) portion of your horse’s diet is the single most important thing you can do to increase his physical and mental well-being. Horses with access to free-choice forage have lower rates of colic, gastric ulcers, and stable vices. And the best part? “Pound for pound, hay is cheaper than grain,” said Parks. This resolution is a win-win proposition for both you and your horse