Prevalence of Overconditioning in Mature Horses in Southwest Virginia during the Summer

Abstract

Background: The prevalence of obesity in horses in the eastern United States is not well documented. Objective: To determine body condition and risk factors for obesity in horses in Southwest Virginia during summer. Animals: A sample of 300 mature (4-20 years old), light breed horses (140 mares, 151 geldings, and 9 stallions) from the VMRCVM Equine Field Service practice equine database. The horses were from 114 farms and 138 owners.Methods: Horses were evaluated over a 60-day period in this cross-sectional, prospective study. A questionnaire was completed for each horse. Body condition score (BCS) was assigned using a scale of 1 (emaciated) to 9 (obese) by 2 independent scorers. Morphometric measurements included average neck circumference (ANC), girth, body length, and height at the withers. Horses were categorized based on BCS as underconditioned (BCS < 4), optimal condition (BCS 4-6), overconditioned (BCS 7), and obese condition .Results: Five horses (1.7%) were underconditioned, 142 horses (47.3%) were optimally conditioned, 97 horses (32.3%) were overconditioned, and 56 (18.7%) were obese. Estimated body weight (EBW) (r = 0.14, P = .015), body mass index (BMI) (r = 0.46, P < .001), and neck circumference to height ratio (NCHR) (r = 0.50, P = .001) increased with increasing BCS.Conclusions and Clinical Importance: The prevalence of overconditioned and obese horses in this population was higher than reported in previous studies and indicates that obesity might be an emerging problem in horses.

Risk factors associated with health disorders in sport and leisure horses in the Netherlands1

“…The horses in the study of Ireland et al (2012) were mainly retired horses (> 30 yr of age) and hence a lower percentage of overweight horses could have been expected because geriatric horses in general require more nutrition or a diet adapted to their wearing of teeth and increased incidences of diseases such as pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPId; 34% of the horses older than 30 yr suffered from PPID in the study of Ireland et al [2012]) and chronic lameness (97% of the horses older than 30 yr had at least decreased range of motion in one joint [Ireland et al, 2012]), which makes it even more difficult to maintain an acceptable BCS. As was shown in other studies, smaller horses, ponies, and socalled "easy keepers" are more at risk (Frank, 2009), as are recreational horses (Thatcher et al, 2012).…”

Estimation of Actual and Ideal Bodyweight Using Morphometric Measurements and Owner Guessed Bodyweight of Adult Draft and Warmblood Horses

“…Many researchers have estimated that ≥ 14% of horses are overweight as indicated by a body condition score (BCS) of ≥ 7 [1][2][3][4][5][6]. Most instances of obesity are the result of an imbalance between energy intake and expenditure [7].…”

Development of an index based on ultrasonographic measurements for the objective appraisal of body condition in Andalusian horses

“…Considering previous descriptions (Thatcher et al, 2012) but also the phenotypic characteristics of the Andalusian horses, the following four body categories were established: thin horses (if BCS ≤ 4.5), normal body condition (if BCS 5-6.5), overweight (if BCS 7-7.5) and obese horses (if BCS ≥ 8).…”

“…Although BMI has also been applied in horses and ponies (Donaldson et al, 2004;Carter et al, 2009a;Thatcher et al, 2012;Banse & McFarlane, 2014), the main system to assess body condition in horses is based on assigning a subjective body condition score (BCS). This method consists in evaluating the deposition of subcutaneous fat in specific body regions and the subsequent assignment of a score considering established criteria through a palpation and visual assessment (Carter & Dugdale, 2013).…”