Overweight horses can suffer from health problems like laminitis and foundering. And studies show that about 50 percent of American horses are overweight.
But there are things horse lovers can do to protect their livestock.
“Many of these overweight horses are just getting too much to eat, especially if they are on lush pasture. However, there are a group of these horses that get fat because they have a condition called insulin-resistance and have equine metabolic syndrome,” Dr. Bob Judd, host of Texas Vet News on the Texas Farm Bureau (TFB) Radio Network, said.
Horses with insulin resistance and equine metabolic syndrome are not eating too much feed in general and gain weight on almost no feed.
“These are the horses that we are really concerned about as they are more likely to founder,” Judd said.
To help overweight horses, there are several options.
One is to use a grazing muzzle, which is effective in some cases depending on the amount of grass available and the severity of the horse’s condition.
“Grazing muzzles do a fairly good job at reducing consumption of pasture, but are also difficult to keep on the horse 24 hours a day, which is required,” Judd said.
Many vets recommend placing overweight horses in a dry lot, which can sometimes be the better option.
“The dry lot is not a bad option considering the alternative of founder, but the lot does need to be large enough for the horse to walk around,” Judd said.
Since hay is going to be fed in a dry lot, he recommends it be fed at about 1.5 percent of body weight. That’s about 15 pounds of hay per day for a 1,000-pound horse.
“The hay needs to be tested to make sure it contains less than 10 percent non-structural carbohydrates or NSCs. If not, the hay will need to be soaked in water to decrease the NSC amount,” Dr. Judd said.
It’s also important to provide ample water and salt in the dry lot, according to Judd.
He reports the horses need to be on a good vitamin-mineral supplement to aid in balancing the ration unless the horse is also being fed a low-starch grain.
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