Is Your Horse Obese?

Like all other animals as well as humans, too much fat is never a good thing. Horses may be obese, too. And like any other disease or ailment, obesity also poses many damaging effects to horses, risking its ability to work and perform its tasks better.

Obesity may trigger harmful effects to the horse such as low-grade colic and other digestive disorders, and it disrupts the balance of bacteria in the gut. Cancer is also one of the major effects of obesity. Respiratory problems may also arise because as the body mass of the horse continues to increase, his need for higher amounts of oxygen also increase, which is difficult to attain.  Also, because of too much accumulated fat, obese horses might have a hard time coming down after work. This may lead to dehydration. Joint strains are also one of the effects of obesity, especially affecting young horses, because excess fat may cause laminitis, lameness, as well as deformities. Most importantly, heart diseases and cardiovascular complications might arise from obesity, wherein the cardiovascular system works harder than normal since there is an increased demand for blood supply.

Obese animals, horses in this case, may also suffer from a lower physical energy and activity, resulting to low performance levels. Obese horses get fatigued very easily because it is unable to cool down quickly and properly after a task. Lethargy is also a problem caused by obesity, because obese animals, especially horses prefer staying in than working out. Obesity also poses a higher risk of getting infectious diseases, because obesity makes it difficult for horses to produce antibodies that fight off these harmful bacteria. For mares, obesity might cause a lower milk production. To solve or prevent this dilemma, one must regularly check the horse’s weight. 

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One of the most important thing in weighing your horse is a weigh tape. Every week, at a given time, weigh your horse. Keep a record of his weight every check-up to identify significant weight gain or weight loss. An objective eye is also important: observe if your horse has significantly changed in shape: if your horse seemed to get fatter or slimmer. Aside from doing these steps yourself, having a veterinarian to help you would be best. Prevention is always better than cure. Be careful on the amount of food you feed to your horse and help your horse exercise regularly. Being fit and active makes him do his tasks better.