Weight Management

Overweight horse eating hay from a haynet.
Smart Feeding Strategies for the Overweight Horse
Helping your horse lose weight requires decreasing calories in the diet and increasing exercise.
Senior pinto gelding with brown and white coat standing outdoors in soft autumn light
Research on Senior Horse Health Offers Insights Into Best Management Practices
Discover what the latest science reveals about providing appropriate care for senior horses.
Pretty but very fat pony enjoying eating the grass in her field on a sunny summers day, risking getting laminitis or other illness related to overweight horses
Survey Reveals Emotional and Practical Challenges in Managing Horse Weight
A recent study explores the attitudes, beliefs, and barriers owners encounter when their horses are overweight or obese.
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Body Condition Scoring: Body Condition Index and Other Techniques
Different ways of monitoring body weight as well as condition are described in this article. For example the new body condition index (BCI) might provide a better way to judge your horse’s fat for some...
Benefits and uses of strip grazing
The Benefits and Uses of Strip-Grazing Horses 
This arrangement allows owners to control the amount of grass and calories their horses consume on pasture.
White and brown horse on field of yellow flowers
Medical Management of Hyperinsulinemia in Horses
Medical management of hyperinsulinemia with SGLT2 inhibitors is indicated for some horses, but it should be combined with appropriate management changes.
woodchip paddocks
The Benefits and Uses of Woodchip Paddocks
A woodchip paddock is a great turnout environment for horses at risk of laminitis or sand colic or recovering from lameness or pastern dermatitis.
forage woman feeding hay to stalled horse
My Senior Horse Podcast: Forage Substitutes
Forage is the foundation of all horses' diets, and it is especially important for senior horses that might have physical issues.
Defocus hand touching brown horse. A female hand stroking a brown horse. Tenderness and caring for animals concept. Psychotherapy, wellness, reiki
A Guide to Equine Body Condition Scoring
Practical tips for using equine body condition scoring to assess your horse's external body fat.
restricting feed donkey overweight
Ethically Restricting Feed Intake for Horses
There are many reasons an equid might need its feed intake restricted. Here are tips on restricting feed intake while still meeting the animal's behavioral needs.
donkey in dry lot
My Senior Horse Podcast: Donkeys
Veterinarian Emilie Setlakwe talks about senior donkeys and donkey care in this podcast and article.
losing weight thin horse
Help! My Senior Horse is Losing Weight!
There's a myth that old horses lose weight and get skinny, and that’s just the way it is. Nothing could be further from the truth!
horse weight thin horse in field
Tips For Equine Weight Gain Through Increased Body Fat
Check out these practical tips for senior horses that need to gain weight.  
horses weight gain thin horse in field
Feeding Horses for Weight Gain
Helping horses with weight gain is more than just adding calories. You need to determine the cause of weight loss first.
horse weight tape
How Much Does My Horse Weigh?
There are several methods to determine how much your horse weighs. These include scales, weight tapes, and weight calculations described in this article.
horse weight donkey and horse in pasture
My Senior Horse Podcast: Weight Loss Part 3
There are many health issues in senior equids that are the same, but how the animals respond to the problem can be different.
grazing muzzle on gray horse
Top Tips for Using Equine Grazing Muzzles
Grazing muzzles are tools that can be useful with equids that are overweight or have some issue that require they have restricted intake of fresh forage.
horse weight how to measure
My Senior Horse Video: How to Measure Horse Weight
Bryan Cassill of Mars helps you understand how to measure your horse's weight and offers tips and advice to reaching a weight goal.
British ponies laminitis risk
Assessing Your Animal's Risk of Laminitis
Laminitis can affect any age or breed of horse, there are many potential causes, and there are things owners can do to help.
overweight horse
My Senior Horse Video: Overweight Horse Management
In this video, Bryan Cassill, MS, MBA, gives us tips and advice on everyday management of overweight horses. Cassill is the Commercial and Formulations Manager for Mars Horsecare and BUCKEYETM Nutrition. (Editor’s...
feeding donkey
Feeding the Donkey
The donkey can be a loving equid to own, but they are not just little horses. Learn about body condition and get feeding tips.
donkey in group
Donkey Body Condition Score
Our friends at The Donkey Sanctuary help us understand the basics of body condition score for a donkey.
tips help horse gain weight
Tips on Helping Your Horse Gain Weight Video
There are many reasons that your horse might need to gain weight. Here are some tips from Dr. Yvette Nout-Lomas.
loss of appetite horse laying in stall
Senior Horse Loss of Appetite
Loss of appetite in your horse can be a sign of other issues, so you need to get to the root cause of the underlying problem.
READER FAVORITES
gray horse foreground wildfires background
Prepare and Protect Horses from Wildfires
Horses grazing
My Senior Horse Podcast: Transitioning Senior Horses to Summer Feeding
Portrait of beautiful old black horse with white star and long mane in rays of winter evening sunset
How Owners and Veterinarians Recognize and Manage Chronic Pain in Senior Horses
Horse's soft gaze expressing profound connection, highlighting mutual trust and understanding developed through patient equine training and compassionate interaction
Senior Horses Might Face Greater Risk for Certain Eye Conditions
POLLS & QUIZZES
FUN STUFF
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My Senior Horse Awards to Be Presented at 2026 APHA World Championships
senior horse galloping around pasture
Do Senior Horses Require Surgery to Manage Musculoskeletal Pain?
Hand stroking horse
My Senior Horse Podcast: Owner Recognition of Equine Emotions
Horse hock wrap
How to Wrap Your Horse's Hock
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