by Peter Waller

Created on: February 20, 2007   Last Updated: June 25, 2009

Some horses gain weight easily, even under conditions where other horses will lose weight if not fed additional feed. These horses are commonly called easy keepers or "good doers". They are a joy to own because it takes less feed to keep them in good condition, however the dangers of obesity are a real concern. The challenge of maintaining such horses is to meet their nutritional requirements while managing to avoid obesity, and therefore the medical conditions that result from the horse being in such a forward condition.

Webster's Medical Dictionary (1992) defines obesity as -
"a condition of the body in which an abnormal
amount of fat accumulates beyond body requirements," or, "overweight."

Horse owners differ in their perception of what constitutes an abnormal amount of fat in their horses. A horse that one person would consider obese, another would call pleasantly plump. Even in human medicine, opinions differ as to what constitutes obesity, ranging from 5 to 20% over the "normal" weight for age and sex in weight tables (Anderson et al, 1982). Unfortunately, there are no such tables that define ideal body weight in horses.
There are however several condition scoring systems (Henneke et al, 1983, Carroll and Huntington, 1988)in which 4 to 7 areas of the horse's body are scored on a scale of 1 to 5 or 10. The lowest scores are for thin or emaciated horses, the highest for fat or obese horses. It is important to assess more than one area since individual horses may distribute their fat deposits differently. If your horse has more than 1 or 2 of the signs listed in Table 1 when you feel/look at the various parts of its body, it's time to think about weight reduction.

Ribs are difficult to feel even with firm pressure.
Neck is "cresty" and bulging.
Withers are rounded with only the very top of the spinous processes palpable or covered with fat.
Girth has fat build-up around the lower area such that the girth makes an indentation when tightened.
Loin has a distinct crease (indentation) in the area behind the saddle position and in front of the croup.
Tailhead area at both sides of the root of the tail is bulging and feels very soft.
Inner thighs rub together more than of the way down when the horse is standing square.

The Dangers of Obesity
Excessive fat deposits adversely affect horses in a variety of ways. While some body fat is essential as an energy source during prolonged exercise, excess reduces the horse's stamina. Extra weight requires more effort to move and the

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