Get tips on how to feed your overweight horse in this video. Bryan Cassill, MS, MBA, helps us understand the science and the management of feeding overweight horses. Cassill is the Commercial and Formulations Manager for Mars Horsecare and BUCKEYETM Nutrition.

(Editor’s note: The content of this video is the expert’s approach to the topic. Please consult with your practitioner if you have questions.)

Where to Start?

“Feeding and overweight horse can be complicated,” said Cassill. “It can take a long time to get to the point that we want. That’s the first thing we are going to talk about is how to develop a plan.”

He said you need to honestly evaluate your horse as to what condition it is in now. Is it a body condition score of 8 and I’m trying to get to a 6? Is it a body condition score of 7 and I’m trying to get to a 5?

“Where am I at currently and what will my end point going to be that will define success,” he said. “It also could be that the horse has some sort of condition and I’m trying to decrease weight so the horse can live a happier, healthier life.

“We need to attack those problems through a multi-faceted approach,” he concluded.

Steps to Take

The plan to help the overweight horse might have several management steps.

Exercise. We might be trying to increase calories out and decrease calories in through exercise, he explained. “Diet is complicated, but we still want to decrease those calories out. It doesn’t have to be complicated; it might just be more walking.” He said it can be can be low-impact but create more activity for that animal.

More turnout where the animal isn’t eating all the time could be another way to increase calories out. Cassill said managing the turnout might mean time in a dry lot or putting a muzzle on the animal.

“Activity outside is better than staying inside with no activity,” he noted.

Nutrition. “How are we going to decrease calories but still provide what this animal needs to have a happy, healthy hind gut and provide the micronutrients that horse needs?” Cassill asked of feeding the overweight horse.

His recommendations start with feeding a forage that is more mature. That means the forage has higher fiber and lower calories.

“We still want the horse to eat,” said Cassill. “So we don’t want a forage that is all sticks and briars. We want something the animal is going to eat. High-fiber and low-energy.”

This can be a safe way to keep the hindgut healthy and help the horse to decrease weight.

Concentrate. The very small amount of grain or concentrate the horse receives should have as few calories as possible, he said. There should not be a lot of calories, fat, or energy in the concentrate portion of the diet. It does need protein and a higher level of minerals and vitamins.

“We are going to put this horse into a catabolic state,” said Cassill. “We want this horse to start mobilizing fat out of its body. When we do that, there’s a lot of oxidation that comes with that.

“We need a protein source so we can keep the muscle and get rid of the fat,” he said.

Final Words

Through better management of pasture, exercise, and less concentrate can help owners get their horses where they need to be, concluded Cassill.

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