03/12/2025
Why is it important to be conscious and aware of what your horse is putting into their bodies? Especially coming into spring; Many horses suffer from a multitude of weight related health problems.
Primary causes of this are green grass, grain over load, and excessive hay.
Though these are not all the causes, many of these things can lead to things such as Mechanical (such as colic or choke), systemic illness, endocrine complications, and laminitis (or in plain terms founder).
What are some things you can do in order to negate these potential problems arising?
Dietary regulation - Know how much sugar and carbohydrates are in the food you are feeding, knowing how much your horse’s healthy weight is, and feeding appropriately for their weight class size is a great way to ensure your horse stays healthy. Soaking hay and getting low sugar grains are some of the easiest ways to help regulate sugar and carbohydrate intake.
Exercise - Just like in humans, exercise can be used to burn extra calories and keep them fit and in shape!
Limiting grazing- Similarly to humans every horse will digest their calories differently. Often green grass can lead to a multitude of weight related health concerns. If your horse is prone to, or having trouble with weight it could be due to the fresh green grass, in which case you will want to look into options such as dry lot, or a grazing muzzle for your equine partner!
As an example of weight related complications, we have a photo of a mare who was not being kept on a restricted diet and therefor heavily at risk of foundering. Due to the diligence of her owner and a complete dietary turn around, she is looking like a totally different, happy and healthy horse!
We encourage all horse owners to be aware and diligent coming into the spring, and as always call us if you have any concerns or questions regarding your horses health!
Happy horsing!
