As horses move further away from their natural way of living, we see higher numbers of horses that are classed as overweight or even obese. Equine obesity comes with a multitude of health risks that compromise the horse’s welfare, and so part of being a responsible horse owner is monitoring your horse’s condition and implementing preventative and reactive management of their condition to maintain good health. The starting point of this monitoring and management is being able to body condition score your horse – a visual assessment of whether they are in poor, moderate or fat condition.
Body Condition Scoring, or Fat Scoring for horses, is a system developed from a study by Henneke et al conducted in 1983 which looked at the relationship between condition score, physical measurements and body fat percentage in mares, with his theory equally applicable to horses and ponies that are geldings and stallions. The scale goes from 1 to 9, with 1 describing a horse in a very poor (emaciated) condition, and 9 denoting that the horse is obese. If an equestrian professional such as a physiotherapist, chiropractor or vet has ever given you a number in relation to your horse’s condition after examining them, then they will be referring to the horse’s body condition score. Be aware that there are two commonly used systems, with the other system using a scale from 1-5, with the ideal lying at 2.5-3. This picture from Bailey’s Horse Feeds provides a visual example of the scale we are discussing today.
A score of less than 4 according to this scale would indicate that the horse’s minimum calorie requirements relative to their age, health status and workload are not being met. A score of higher than 6 indicates that the horse is consuming excess calories – more than it needs – resulting in weight gain.
A healthy horse has a neck that blends into the body without a dip at the withers, and should not have a cresty neck (unless they are a stallion or a late-cut gelding). The ribs should be felt easily and faintly seen, and the rump should be rounded with no obvious indent down the back, or bony points. Obvious fat pads at the shoulders, withers, and at the tailhead indicate that the horse is overweight.
One of the most common consequences of obesity in horses is laminitis, a debilitating condition that could ultimately be irreversible and require euthanasia. Aside from laminitis, carrying excess weight puts stress on the horse’s body – increasing the risk of degenerative wear to the joints (arthritis), stressing the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, increasing the risk of fat tumours developing in the abdomen which may cause colic, and increasing the risk of metabolic problems and insulin resistance. Ponies and native breeds can be more prone to becoming overweight than warmer blooded breeds, but any horse can become overweight or obese with the wrong management.
Getting weight off an overweight horse or pony is not easy but is achievable with the right knowledge and dedication to improving your horse’s condition. Horses that have become overweight have consumed more calories than their body needs – these calories come from their hard feed and forage such as grazing and hay or haylage. Consider what type of hard feed your horse is consuming and whether they need as much of it, or whether they could eat something less concentrated. A handful of non-molassesed chaff will enable you to feed them a supplement or necessary medication – there may not be a need for a sugary feed full of calories. Avoid feeds that are marketed as being conditioning, and feed minimal quantities of whichever hard feed you choose. Forage can be restricted by using small holed haynets with soaked hay in and a grazing muzzle for turnout. Remember that a horse should not go for longer than 4 hours without forage lining their stomachs or we pose a risk of gastric ulcers, so starving the horse or leaving them without forage for lengthened periods of time is not a safe way of implementing weight loss.
A horse being underweight can meanwhile compromise their immunity, tolerance of exercise, and increase the risk of disease and injury. It is important to help the underweight horse to gain condition in a safe way. Horses can end up underweight for a variety of reasons. Consider whether the horse has problems with their teeth which are preventing them from chewing and swallowing forage – a qualified equine dental technician or a vet will be able to help and advise. It may be that the horse is feeling cold and using their energy to heat themselves – consider whether they are adequately rugged? A problem with a worm infestation can also lead to a horse becoming underweight, and this will not get better without intervention in the form of an appropriate wormer. The horse also needs to take in adequate calories for those lost during exercise – if the horse is in heavy work, the calories and electrolytes lost need to be replenished by adequate feed and supplements. Some horses simply do not hold weight as well as others, and it may be with some types, particularly hot-blooded ones, that they need feeding concentrated feeds in higher quantities.
An underweight horse should be well-rugged in the colder months and fed ad-lib (unlimited) forage that they can eat when their appetite demands. Haylage is richer and will help with weight gain in comparison with hay. The underweight horse should be left unclipped in the winter where possible so their natural coat can keep them well insulated. A conditioning hard feed fed multiple times a day will also help.
management moving forwards. Even the most underweight horses do generally gain condition well when the underlying causes have been identified and treated. Likewise, there are many success stories of grossly overweight horses who have reached a perfect body condition score with hard work and dedication from their owners, including strictly following a weight-loss exercise regime and limiting calorie intake. Remember to make any changes to your horse’s workload and/or diet gradually – sudden intense increase of exercise is likely to cause injury, while changing the diet suddenly poses a risk of digestive upset including colic, as a horse’s digestive system relies on routine.
If you are concerned that your horse’s body condition score is at an extreme end of this scale, consult with your vet, who will be able to determine the cause and advise appropriate management moving forwards. Even the most underweight horses do generally gain condition well when the underlying causes have been identified and treated. Likewise, there are many success stories of grossly overweight horses who have reached a perfect body condition score with hard work and dedication from their owners, including strictly following a weight-loss exercise regime and limiting calorie intake. Remember to make any changes to your horse’s workload and/or diet gradually – sudden intense increase of exercise is likely to cause injury, while changing the diet suddenly poses a risk of digestive upset including colic, as a horse’s digestive system relies on routine.
