What exactly does stored fat do to a horse’s body? It wreaks serious havoc on at least 11 vital body functions. Nat Messer, DVM, Dipl. ABVP, an associate professor of equine medicine and surgery at the University of Missouri (UM), presented a
The International League for the Protection of Horses (ILPH), a U.K. equine welfare charity, has organized a campaign to help horse owners accurately measure their horses’ weight and design nutrition plans to keep the pounds in check.
Experts at the 2006 AAEP Convention discussed obesity in horses in depth, addressing topics such as adipobiology, insulin resistance (IR), laminitis, glucocorticoids, pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (Cushing’s disease), and the seasonality of hormones.
Adipobiology (The Study of Fat in the Body): An Emerging Field
A group of veterinarians gathered at the Land O’ Lakes Purina Mills headquarters in St. Louis, Mo., last fall to participate in discussions on subjects that ranged from Cushing’s disease to proper nutrition for horses young and old. Nicholas Frank,
An archive of Pet Columns from the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine is available online at www.cvm.uiuc.edu/petcolumns/. Requests for reprints of this article may be directed to Mandy Barth,
Q: My 14-year-old mare has severe obesity problems. The veterinarian ruled out Cushing’s disease because she does not exhibit the typical Cushing’s traits. I am afraid to work her for fear that any
Some horses present special challenges, such as being too thin, too fat, or sick. Some horses are finicky and are hard to keep weight on, especially when working. The first option is to increase the feed’s energy density by adding grain or fat to the
Equine nutritionists and wise horse owners have long known that obesity in horses is not a good thing.
Keeping a close eye on your horse’s body condition and weight is perhaps the best way to gauge the effectiveness of a feeding program. We all want our horses to be in tip-top shape, well-muscled, and neither too fat nor too thin. The problem?
When preparing a horse for athletic events and sporting activities, whatever the discipline or level of difficulty, an important consideration is finding the horse’s ideal body weight. This concept is well recognized in human athletics. For”P>When preparing a horse for athletic events and sporting activities, whate
The genuine pony displays the traits of centuries of pony progenitors, distinguishing himself from small horse breeds. In general, the pony is the same animal as the horse, yet he has many traits that make him unique.
Is your mare looking a bit rotund lately? Does her gait have a waddling roll to it? Has her spine disappeared in a dimpled groove along her back? Has she outgrown her girth, her winter blanket, and the stall door? If she’s not due to foal, then
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