Researchers from the Equine Studies Group at the Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition in Leicestershire and the University of Bristol suggest that pasture, not supplemental hay or grain, may be to blame for obesity in equines.
The research team created a study that followed 96 horses from February through August of one year. Every horse had access to pasture for at least six hours a day; many had 24/7 access to pasture grass.
Each horse's body condition score (BCS) was determined at the end of the winter and again at the end of the study in August. The owner of each horse was also sent a questionnaire so the scientists could better understand how the horses were managed, including exercise, amount of hay or grain fed (if any), and deworming strategies.
The data showed that the percentage of obese equines rose from 27 percent at the end of the winter to 35 percent at the end of the summer. Interestingly, the team found that horses fed hay and grain (in addition to pasture) were not necessarily more obese. This meant that the calories ingested from grass were the main driver for weight gain.
The horse's breed was the biggest predictor of obesity. Native ponies, like the Welsh pony, were most at risk of obesity, followed by cob-type horses. The scientists suggested that being aware of a breed's propensity for obesity may encourage owners to be even more diligent in monitoring a horse's weight, possibly engaging an equine nutritionist early. Preventative measures are more effective than allowing a horse to become obese in the first place, they note.
The study team also found that the fatter a horse was at the beginning of the study, the less seasonal weight fluctuations he would experience. This is likely because of the additional metabolic changes associated with obesity: a heavier horse has a reduced caloric requirement to maintain his weight.
Read more at EQUUS magazine.
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