The health of horses carrying extra body fat may be affected in a myriad of ways, including systemic inflammation, metabolic issues, and osteochondrosis. Like their human counterparts, obesity is becoming a more-pressing concern for horses in developed countries.
Of particular concern is the effect weight has on horses metabolic function: it can cause insulin dysregulation, which has long been associated with laminitis, a painful hoof condition caused by failure of the laminae.
Dr. Magdalena Senderska-Płonowska and researchers at the Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences wanted to determine whether obesity itself could cause laminae failure, or if insulin dysregulation was required for the condition.
They investigated the forelimbs of 12 draft horses, six of which were obese and six of which were of a healthy weight. Blood samples showed that insulin concentrations were higher in obese horses, but no horse had insulin concentrations associated with equine metabolic syndrome.
The team found that the lamellae of the hooves did differ between the obese and healthy horses, but that damage was found in both groups. The researchers concluded that obesity itself does not encourage laminae failure: 89 percent of the primary dermal lamella were considered “standard” in the obese group; 58 percent were standard in the healthy group.
In general, they reported, the lamellae of the obese horses were healthier than those of the lean group, which is difficult to explain. They suggest that the care the horses received may play a role: as meat horses, they were fed more and had less ability to move about than other sport- or pleasure-oriented horses. They also suggested that the healthy weight horses may have been heavier at some point in their lives, causing lamellar changes.
The researchers said they cannot conclude whether the results were laminitic-related or physiological. The scientists also noted that they could not exclude insulin dysregulation as a factor, but that they were unable to perform a dynamic insulin test.
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