The number of overweight horses in our stables is increasing year by year. By the end of the grazing season, many owners have to admit that their beloved horse has become a bit rounder than planned over the summer.
Rich grazing grass, often combined with less movement—thanks to summer holidays, insect infestations, and the “oh, it’s just too hot to ride” mentality—causes some horses to gain a bit more weight than is healthy in the long run. When the people on the horse scale raise an eyebrow in judgment, it’s time to consider a strict diet, right?
But don’t panic just yet! It’s important to stay calm and not immediately assume that the horse has EMS just because it’s carrying a few extra pounds.
Weight gain over the summer is, first and foremost, a completely natural process. In summer, horses build up an energy reserve so that they can draw on it during the sparse winter months.
Therefore, it is entirely normal for horses to be a bit rounder after the grazing season, as long as they gradually lose that weight and return to a leaner condition as they transition from winter into spring.
However, under our management conditions, it often fails because the horses do not lose this weight over the winter, meaning they start the next grazing season already carrying a bit of excess weight.
If action isn’t taken in time, the excess weight accumulates year after year, eventually leading to a horse with EMS in the stable.
The increase in overweight horses in our stables is not only due to the trend towards good doers and baroque breeds, and the newfound enthusiasm for small and large draft horses. The hay and pasture grass has also become more nutrient-dense over the past 50 years, in order to meet the demands of high-performance agriculture.
Hay for horses should have sugar content below 6%. In reality, however, it often ranges between 10-15%, which equals 1 to 1.5 kg of pure sugar in 10 kg of hay per day – that’s equivalent to one to one and a half bags of household sugar! At the same time, the workload of horses has continuously decreased. Much nutritious food + little exercise, combined with a slow metabolism, equals overweight.
What a Warmblood or Thoroughbred can typically handle well due to their higher basal metabolic rate when it comes to nutritious food, quickly becomes a problem for almost all other horse breeds, one that goes beyond just cosmetic concerns.
“Fat” is not the same as fat
When looking at all the horses around yards, it becomes evident that the horses most affected by weight gain are those that, by their genetic makeup, have inherited a higher proportion of the “native pony” or “original tundra horse” characteristics – such as native breeds, baroque breeds, and draft horses of all sizes, as well as crosses between these types.
Horses of the “native pony type” are particularly adept at storing fat to sustain themselves during snowy winters. Every native horse breed owner can attest to this.
Mildly overweight, they initially appear beautifully muscled; in some cases, the back muscles are so pronounced due to the stored fat that a groove forms along the spine in the middle of the back.
When fat accumulation becomes pathological (Equine Metabolic Syndrome, EMS), a sagging fat crest develops on top of the mane (similar to the fat crest often seen on Baroque stallions), along with a fat pad at the croup above the dock of the tail.
Horses of the “Prime-Tundra-type” often accumulate excessive lymph, which is primarily seen in a firm, swollen crest on the neck and “saddlebag”-like lymph pads on the flanks. When the lymphatic metabolism completely derails (Pseudo-EMS), the entire horse appears swollen, and muscle contours are no longer visible.
Such lymphatic horses are often found among the Clydesdales, Gypsy Cobs and other draft horse breeds. There are also mixed forms of fat and lymph storage, particularly common in horses of the Baroque breeds, but also in traditional native breeds such as Connemara’s and Dales pony’s.
For healthy weight management, it is important to first determine whether the horse is more of a fat-storage type or a lymph-storage type.
In both cases, the future feeding plan must ensure that the horses always have access to roughage while also balancing the ratio of energy intake and sugar/starch content (food) with energy expenditure (exercise) so that the horses do not consume more energy than they burn.
If the balance between feeding and training is managed correctly, the horse will lose weight or maintain its weight without gaining excessively during the grazing season.
However, this often leads to the next concern: you can see the ribs – is the horse too thin? Should I start supplementing again? When is my horse at the right weight, and when is it too thin? And how can I tell if it’s too fat before the metabolism completely goes off track?
What does my horse look like at its “ideal weight”?
This question is not easy to answer universally, as many factors come into play.
The most important thing is not to be influenced by the appearance of other herd members. Research shows that we are more likely to assess our overweight horse as “normal” if all the other horses on the yard are also overweight.
Since we now see many overweight horses, this is the worst possible criterion. Similarly, the comments from stablemates are often unhelpful – either they criticise the overweight horse (especially if they have a poor doer themselves…) or, out of guilt for their own lovingly overfed horse, downplay weight problems in all other horses.
For all horses, the hip bones should always be easily palpable, neither hidden under thick layers of fat nor protruding like a cow’s.
Additionally, when you flex the horse, ribs should be visible on the outside. If the horse is a “blood-breed” horse, such as a Thoroughbred or an Arabian, the last 2-3 ribs can also be slightly visible in a normal stance without the horse being considered “too thin.” The croup and neck are poor indicators, as they can vary greatly depending on the breed.
The popular Body Condition Score (BCS) unfortunately only applies to the body structure of Warmblood horses. A Welsh Cob with a breed-typical pronounced neck may appear to be an EMS candidate even at an ideal weight, whereas a Thoroughbred at a normal weight might appear “underweight.”
Therefore, it’s important to look closely to determine whether the horse is a “diet candidate” or not. The body weight alone or just the neck crest or croup shape doesn’t provide enough information.
Continuous feeding, but in moderation
If you have to search for the ribs when bending the horse, and you’re considering buying a longer girth because even the first hole is becoming difficult, then it is truly time to focus on weight loss.
However, drastic diets for horses are just as ineffective as they are for humans. The desire for quick results or the fear of laminitis often leads to horses being put on a nearly all-straw diet, with the thinking that “they’ll have something to eat but still lose weight.” However, since horses cannot derive significant energy from the fibre in straw, they essentially starve despite a full belly.
Such a feeding regimen causes the horses to mobilise fat reserves too quickly. This can trigger hyperlipidaemia, which can be fatal for the horse! Therefore, a strong warning is issued against these “radical diets” that are essentially based on straw, with little or no hay supply.
Even for overweight horses, it is important to ensure they always have something to nibble on and have access to cellulose for energy around the clock. However, the amount should be controlled. The guideline is to provide approximately 1.5 to 2 kg of hay (depending on its nutritional content, which can be determined through a hay analysis) per 100 kg of target body weight per day.
This means: if my pony currently weighs around 600kg, instead of the 500kg it should ideally weigh, it needs 5 x 1.5 (or 2) kg of hay per day, which equals 7.5 (nutrient-rich) to 10 kg (lean) hay. To prevent the horse from inhaling the entire amount right after breakfast and then starving for hours, the hay should be offered in haynets with small mesh sizes. With mesh sizes under 3cm, the eating speed slows down for almost all horses.
If you have a very clever horse that empties a fine-mesh net in no time, it’s effective to either place two fine-mesh nets inside each other (this often prevents the net from getting damaged by chewing) or alternatively, mix hay and straw 1:1 in the net. Even though the straw is not completely consumed, horses often take much longer to eat, as they tend to sort out most of the straw stems from the hay and spit them out.
It’s also beneficial to set up multiple feeding stations in the turnout. A fine-mesh haynet here, a hay box there, a forage ball, or a hay sack that can be dragged around on dry ground not only stimulates their play instinct, but also encourages the horses to move more between the feeding stations instead of standing idly at the hayrack all day.
On the internet, you’ll find many ideas for so-called “slow feeders,” which are ways to offer hay to horses in an engaging and simultaneously controlled amount, without creating periods of no forage.
During grazing season, weight management is particularly challenging for overweight horses and good doers. Grazing itself is incredibly important for the horses’ mental well-being, as this method of feeding most closely aligns with their natural behaviour: foraging slowly on the ground while being protected within the herd.
In addition, fresh pasture grass contains many nutrients, such as vitamins, which are diminished or lost during the drying process. Grass, therefore, also provides an important source of nutrition throughout the year. But, as is often the case, the amount is key, as too much grass can lead to an excess of sugar, which promotes weight gain.
If you put your well-figured four-legged friend out to pasture with the others, the pounds that you’ve worked hard to shed often come back quickly.
If such horses are only allowed on the pasture for a short time, for example, half an hour, you can observe that these horses quickly learn that they are only allowed on the grass for a short period. As a result, they greedily rush to eat as much grass as possible in the limited time.
In this short period, they consume the same amount of grass as other horses would in double or triple the time. This is, of course, not ideal. However, if overweight horses are placed alone on a sparse hay-and-water diet in the paddock, they experience stress because they are separated from their group.
An alternative to grazing is the use of “grazing muzzles,” which are designed in such a way that they allow the horse to eat grass, but only in a very controlled and limited amount per unit of time.
There are now various models available, and it’s important to try out which grazing muzzle works best for your own horse. The options range from the “rubber bag with a hole” to the “basket model.”
One of the most effective models is the AS from “The horse in view.” It is made of durable leather, comes in a well-padded version, and is quite “escape-proof.” The grazing muzzle can be adjusted according to the condition of the pasture and the skill of the horse through various inserts.
An elastic insert also ensures that the teeth are protected. Such a grazing muzzle is a good investment, as it allows overweight and laminitis-prone horses to graze with the group without consuming too much grass. This is how weight management generally works well over the summer.
© bennyartist / Adobe Stock
Easily accessible nutrients like the beloved muesli, pellets, or mash, as well as sugary juice-based treats like apples, carrots, or bananas, should also be avoided, along with “replacement feed” for the owner’s peace of mind, such as unmolassed sugar beet pulp or grain-free structured mueslis. Overweight horses are already consuming too much energy in their feed, so nothing extra should be added to their trough.
For those who still want to give their horse something, herbal mixtures (without the addition of pomace or fruit/vegetable pieces), such as OKAPI’s Seasonal Feed, should be the choice. This way, you can avoid stress during feeding time when everyone else is getting something, or you can still reward your horse after riding with a low-calorie treat.
Of course, a treat after riding is fine, but it should be just one, not a whole handful. Fibre-based treats like OKAPI’s “DeLight Clickerlis” are a particularly lean reward alternative.
Without exercise, it won’t work!
“After riding” is the second important keyword when it comes to weight loss: simply reducing the calorie intake for horses usually results in… nothing happening to the weight. This is because the body interprets this as a signal to switch to “economy mode.”
In nature, such periods of hunger occur from time to time, for example during droughts or when the population of herbivores in a region is too high.
The animals then have to make do with less food and adjust accordingly: thyroid hormones help during times of hunger to ensure that less energy is “wasted” on things like movement or generating heat. As a result, they don’t lose weight as quickly as you might expect based on the energy content of the feed.
It’s almost impossible to reduce a horse’s feed enough so that they can continuously nibble and still lose weight. Additionally, every calorie that isn’t strictly needed for energy will be stored by the body as reserve fat for hard times.
When such a horse is eventually fed normal rations again, one can observe – much like with humans – the notorious “yo-yo effect”: they quickly gain weight again and usually end up weighing more than before the diet.
In addition to the reduced feeding, it is essential to significantly increase energy expenditure during this time to bypass the “energy-saving effect” of the hormonal system. Many owners might think that since their horse is out in the open stable, it is constantly moving anyway.
However, with GPS trackers, it has been found that horses move less than we commonly think. In a good open stable system, horses typically wander around about 1-5 km a day between hay, resting areas, and water. In very good paddock track system setup with an active herd, it can even reach 10-12 km.
But even that is little compared to the distances wild horses cover daily, often needing to travel 30-50 km a day to find enough food and water. Especially since our horses usually move at a very leisurely pace most of the time, which hardly increases energy consumption above the basic maintenance level.
A lot of movement at a high pace is required to burn off the fat! Even though it gets dark early in the autumn and winter, and the weather isn’t always inviting for riding on some days – without more movement, achieving that bikini body by next spring will be difficult.
For horses with fat deposits, interval training is ideal: a stretch of canter (if the horse can’t canter because of its belly, a brisk trot will do at first), until the horse naturally slows down into a slower gait.
Then walk until the breathing rate returns to normal. After that, proceed to the next stage at a brisk pace again, until the horse requests a slower pace, followed by another walking phase until the normal breathing rate is restored. During the brisk pace, the energy in the muscles is used up, and during the walking phases, the oxygen and energy stores are replenished, thus “burning” the fat.
At first, they can only manage a few cycles, usually with short canters and long walking phases, as many horses lack stamina. However, if this interval training is done regularly (at least 3 times a week), most horses will show improvements, not only in their stamina but also in their enjoyment of movement.
If the horse remains persistently sluggish and doesn’t seem to get into the swing of things, a test for insulin resistance should be considered, as it can prevent energy from being properly transported from the blood into the muscles. Therapeutic intervention must be addressed first to ensure that training can then be effective.
For lymphatic horses, in addition to plenty of calm movement (Paddock Trail, long relaxed rides, or walks) and regular training at a faster pace, kidney function should be stimulated, for example through Detox Herbs (e.g. from OKAPI).
Movement stimulates lymph flow, allowing lymphatic congestion to be redistributed. Therefore, both fast and slow movement are important.
The stimulation of the kidneys ensures that the mobilised fluid is excreted, helping the horse return to a normal body condition more quickly. For lymphatic horses, it is also advisable to check for insulin resistance in advance, and additionally, testing for detoxification disorders such as Kryptopyrroluria (KPU) should be considered, as this is often associated with pseudo-EMS.
Working with a competent metabolic therapist and a good trainer is helpful for both overweight and lymphatic horses. When feeding, training, and management are in sync, healthy weight loss can be achieved.
🇬🇧 We are an experienced team of therapists specializing in feed consultation and integrated therapies for horses. With extensive experience in treating metabolic issues, we focus on natural, species-appropriate feeding and proven naturopathic remedies to enhance your horse's health. Benefit from our expertise to ensure the well-being of your horse.
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