My Horse is Too Fat. What Should I Do?
- Topics: Basic Care, Body Condition, Horse Care, Nutrition, Nutrition Basics
By Fernanda Camargo, DVM, PhD; Laurie Lawrence, PhD; and Bob Coleman, MS, PhD, PAS, of the University of Kentucky Department of Animal and Food Sciences
As we understand more about the impact that obesity and emaciation have on animal health, it is imperative that we strive to keep our horses at an optimum body condition. We’ve learned how to body condition score (BCS) our horses, so let’s take a look at what horses with a BCS of 6 and higher might look like:
Now, here are some tips you can use if your horse could stand to lose some weight.
Be patient.
Depending on how fat your horse is, it could take several months to arrive at his target weight and condition score. Look for small steady changes and don’t be surprised if after some initial improvements, your horse appears to plateau. If that happens, revisit the feeding program and the exercise program and evaluate whether additional changes are necessary
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