Nutritional Considerations When Dealing with an Obese Adult Equine

Are Horse Owners Able to Estimate Their Animals’ Body Condition Score and Cresty Neck Score?

“…The prevalence of overconditioning and obesity in our population (29% and 2% according to the owners and 24% and 1% according to the vet) is similar to what can be found in the literature [ 10 ], but a comparison is made difficult by the different scoring systems used and the diverse definition of overconditioning and obesity used in the papers. Obesity, though, seems to be less present than in other equine populations, but this could be related to the different breeds included in our study: the low number of ponies (18/259, 7%), considered more at risk for obesity and overconditioning than other breeds [ 10 , 13 , 28 ], can influence the number of obese animals in our population. In other studies, ponies represented a higher proportion of the number of animals evaluated [ 12 , 13 , 14 ], but in our cohort, the BCS of ponies was distributed among all grades, and not limited to the higher ones.…”

“…In other studies, ponies represented a higher proportion of the number of animals evaluated [ 12 , 13 , 14 ], but in our cohort, the BCS of ponies was distributed among all grades, and not limited to the higher ones. At the same time, other breeds commonly considered overweight, such as Quarter Horses and Arabians, were used for light work, making them less likely to increase their body weight [ 10 , 28 ].…”

“…According to the literature, generally in various populations and areas of the world, more than 18% of horses are overweight/obese; this could be due to an imbalance between energy intake and expense [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ]. Excessive bodyweight (BW) can prompt medical problems including insulin resistance and equine metabolic syndrome, both of which can cause poor thermoregulation, laminitis, and impaired athletic performances in horses [ 7 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ]. To avoid this, numerous approaches for evaluating the horse’s stored energy reserves, both subjectively and objectively, have been developed.…”

Nutritional considerations for the management of equine pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction

“…every 2 -4 weeks) under identical conditions. Once the target body condition (ideal BCS 5/9) and weight (Catalano et al, 2016(Catalano et al, , 2019Shepherd et al, 2021) have been achieved, an appropriate weight maintenance programme is recommended to avoid a return to weight gain or loss. This should include monthly assessment of body condition and weight to ensure that not only is the feeding programme appropriate to the current level of physical activity and other influences on energy requirements (e.g.…”

“…General considerations for weight management are discussed in more detail elsewhere (Argo et al., 2012, 2015; Geor & Harris, 2013; Rendle et al., 2018; Shepherd et al., 2021). The key practical management strategies for obesity include the following: (1) promotion of weight loss and improved insulin sensitivity via dietary restriction and, where possible, an increase in physical activity; and (2) avoidance of feeds that may exacerbate insulin dysregulation (feeds rich in non‐structural carbohydrates [NSC; starch, sugars and fructans] such as grains, high starch containing feeds and ‘lush’ or stressed pasture forages).…”