Is My Horse Obese and Should I Be Worried About It?

forage. However taking steps such as soaking hay in water before feeding it to reduce sugar and starch content using smallholed hay nets and slow feeders to slowdown intake introducing more exercise if the horse or pony is sound appropriately using wellfitted grass muzzles to allow some access to pasture after training the horse to wear and use one and removing rugs so they can spend energy keeping themselves warm can all help.
Dr. Harris stresses that prevention is better than cure and the need for owner education on the subject is vital. Once horse owners understand the dangers of obesity they better appreciate the reasons why horses should not be allowed to become obese in the first place and therefore recognise the need for them to be able to regularly monitor the condition of their horse or pony.
To produce consistent reliable results when routinely monitoring condition requires both experience and skill. Dr. Harris stresses that it would be very helpful for all owners to learn how to assess their horses Body Condition Score BCS correctly by feeling and palpating the horse as well as observing their appearance.
In a useful practical demonstration Dr. Harris outlined how to correctly assess the BCS of several horses using the Henneke horse body condition scoring system. This 9point scale uses a combination of visual observation and palpation in six areas of the body neck behind the shoulder withers ribs loinback and tailhead. A numerical value is assigned based on the fat accumulated in all six areas
Firstly an initial observation should be taken from both the side and back of the horse at a distance of approximately 2 5 metres. This provides a general overview of the body shape and enables the assessor to look for the possible presence or absence of key bony landmarks e g. the hips or ribs.
Whilst a visual inspection can give an indication of the BCS anatomical differences as well as variations in hair coat mean that the assessor must run their hands over the different areas of the horses body to determine the correct final condition score.
Palpation of the fat storage sites at the six key body areas neck withers shoulder ribs back and tailhead should be performed in a consistent way for example starting with the neck and then moving to the tail. Each area is assessed and independently scored against the 9point scale to take into account individual