In 2009 according to the Health and Social Care Information Centre, statistics showed that almost a quarter of adults in England were classified as obese. This problem has spread to the animals in our care and in recent years we have become accustomed to images of domestic animals suffering the same fate. The sight of a waddling Jack Russell terrier or that of a cat too fat to groom itself is no longer a shock or surprise.
Obesity in One in Five Horses
A pilot study carried out by The University of Nottingham’s School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, has discovered that at least one in five horses kept for leisure purposes are likely to be obese.
Owners of horses which were not kept for breeding, livery, competition or on riding stables and who were registered with a veterinary practice in central England were sent questionaires by third year veterinary student Helen Stephenson and she received back 160 completed questionnaires.
Owners were asked to assess their horse’s body condition and a follow up assesment by the researcher of fifteen randomly selected horses found that eight had their bodyweight underestimated by the owner.
Health Risks Associated with Equine Obesity
The research was supervised by Dr Sarah Freeman who linked obesity in horses with diseases such as laminitis, arthritis and equine metabolic syndrome. Although grass was the main source of forage for half the horses and coarse mix the main source of concentrate, only one in ten horses was not fed any concentrate. The study was published online in the journal Veterinary Record on 17th January 2011.
Too Much Food and Too Little Exercise
In 'Medical Implications of Obesity in Horses—Lessons for Human Obesity' it is explained that high energy feed associated with inactivity is causing an increasing obesity problem. Even paddocks, pastures and hay tend to be based on genetically enhanced grassland species rich in sugars and starch and developed for feeding food animal species.
Horses have developed over thousands of years to have a requirement for grass forage and for a winter lean period in which fat stores are depleted ready for the fresh spring grass. This process is particularly important for ponies and it has been noted that pony breeds are more predisposed to develop laminitis compared to horse breeds.
The Blue Cross Fat Pack
There has been growing concern about horse obesity for several years and this is now becoming a serious equine problem. In 2009, as reported by the BBC, the animal charity The Blue Cross said that about a third of all horses that came into its care were overweight and that our perceptions of a healthy horse have changed. We now seem to want them to look rounder and have a thicker covering of fat.
The charity now provides a ‘Fat Pack’ that can be orderd from the Blue Cross at a cost of £9.50, all of which goes to support the work of the charity. However, there is a great deal of helpful information on their website on how to determine whether your horse is a healthy weight, overweight or obese in the section Fat Horse Slim.
Equine Obesity Leads to Expensive Veterinary Treatments for Chronic Diseases
In modern developed countries we have changed our image of the healthy horse from the lean to the chubby. We feed with enhanced grass, high-energy rations and many horses and ponies get little exercise to burn off these excess calories. This is leading to illnesses and chronic diseases in our equine population and the need for expensive veterinary treatments. If you want to keep your horse healthy and your wallet full, follow the Blue Cross body check regime or get advice from your veterinarian.
Frances Williams - Frances is an Autism specialist with post graduate qualifications but has had to take a career break. She is now a freelance writer. ...
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