Winning at winter

With the horse obesity crisis in full swing, owners must act now to manage their horse’s condition — and reap the rewards in their performance

THE equine obesity crisis should be on every owner’s radar, whether they own a hairy native pony or a sleek, competitive warmblood. In fact, leading practitioners and equine charities state that obesity is the biggest welfare issue currently facing horses in the UK.

Horses are especially prone to weight gain during the summer season, and the winter months provide ample opportunity to combat this, with poorer grazing and colder weather meaning horses burn more calories to keep warm. But, once the cold, dark days set in, it can be difficult for owners to take full advantage of the season.

“The obesity situation is getting worse,” says Lizzie Drury, senior nutritionist at Saracen Horse Feeds. “There is more awareness of the risks associated with equine obesity, but it is concerning that we don’t seem to be making enough of an impression with people when it comes to getting the epidemic under control.

“The reality is that for most owners, their horses are doing less work and have less turnout in winter, and so require fewer calories from hard feed.

“However, there is an emotional side when it comes to feeding in cold, wet weather,” she adds, warning that it is all too easy for owners to overfeed in an effort to keep their horses comfortable in adverse conditions.

“First and foremost, make sure you’re feeding optimum levels of forage and fibre, before you even think about hard feed,” advises Lizzie. “If you have a horse who easily loses condition you can feed this on an ad lib basis, but for horses who are good-doers, aim to feed about 1.5% of their body weight in forage per day, to encourage weight loss.