Dodson & Horrell is delighted to be supporting the
ILPH Right Weight Campaign.
Nutritional Helpline on
0845 345 2627
Right Weight Record Card
for advice on feeding and management.
E-mail: [email protected]
www.dodsonandhorrell.com
How to keep your horse fit,
healthy and the right weight!
‘Condition’ should be as a result of good muscle
development. Muscles develop due to work; fat
develops due to excess calories. Sadly we cannot
change one into the other. They are completely
different tissues. By exercising, your horse will be
burning off fat as he uses more calories than being
consumed. Exercise will also help build up muscles
and because this happens simultaneously we often
think we are converting one to the other. This
misconception is common with personal trainers in
gyms throughout the country!
Look at your horse objectively and remember its
outline is due to muscle and fat cover. The aim
of a healthy lifestyle is to reduce the fat cover but
maintain his outline by increasing muscle through
exercise and a balanced diet. The following tips
include ideas on how to increase the amount of
calories your horse uses up, without it taking up
more of your time!
Top Tips for feeding
Top Tips for Exercising
Top Tips for Management
Reduce calories not bulk; all horses should eat a minimum
lncrease the amount of work he does; arrange for
someone else to ride if you don’t have time, lunge, ride and lead if
you have 2 horses and only time to ride one.
Horses and ponies don’t get fat on ‘fresh air’; they
of 2.5% of their bodyweight as food, (includes hay, chaff, and
bucket feed, i.e. ANYTHING he consumes!). Restricting intake
to less will not help with weight control and means that your
horse is at greater risk of developing: gastric ulcers, stereotypy
behaviour, colic, and dental problems. You need to consider the
calories your feed is providing.
Soak hay for 12hrs; this removes most of the nutrition
especially the calories, making it the horse equivalent of celery.
You can then feed ‘adlib’ satisfying the horse’s need for trickle
feeding BUT make sure you add the vitamins and minerals back
in by using one of these suggested products Ultimate Balancer,
Daily Vits & Mins or EquiBites.
Weigh out feed; it might be tedious but weigh the feed you
are giving, so you know exactly how much you are feeding and
that you are following the guidelines provided. Either find a
scoop that holds exactly the weight of feed required, or mark
up an existing scoop, so that you are not tempted to give a little
extra. It is surprising the difference it can make once you start
feeding the right amounts. It is also a good idea to weigh hay
and haylage.
½ hour’s brisk walk per/day; it can really make a
difference. Simply incorporate ½ hour’s brisk walk into to your
horse’s daily routine and you will be burning up those calories.
Remember that steady but active walking burns up more fat than
trotting or canter work. This can be achieved without riding
simply ensure that you make the most of leading your horse from
his field to stable. Whenever you lead your horse, walk as though
you are trying to catch a bus, quickly; don’t let him dawdle.
Increase the amount of exercise he does when
you’re not there; yes, your horse can do exercise without you
being there and in doing so use more calories. Simply use some
electric fencing and rather than strip grazing, put the fence in a
u shape around the field so you are encouraging him to use more
of the field. If possible position water at the other end of the field
from the gate so he has to walk further to get to it.
get fat on grass; most horses resting, retired or in light work
will consume excess calories just from grazing. Ignore the
traditional advice of 1 horse/acre and instead overgraze the
paddock with a minimum of 3-4 horses/acre, (make sure you
pick up droppings and pull ragwort). You will be surprised just
how little grass cover is needed to maintain weight on your
horse.
Mow your paddock; if you cannot ‘overgraze’ your grass
with other horses, keep it cut; think how often the garden lawn
needs cutting, your horse is consuming all this!
Consider a muzzle; restricting grazing by increasing stable
time will not help your horse, as standing in a stable uses
considerably less calories compared to the number that can be
used up by moving around the field. By using a muzzle your
horse can still be out grazing and moving around but at the
same time will be getting limited grass.
Leave that rug off; horses use 80% of their feed energy
to keep warm. Insulating him with a warm, snug rug will just
mean that any extra calories that are not utilised trying to keep
warm and will go on their back as fat. Although it seems hard
using no rug or a lighter rug can help in managing weight.
Right Weight Record Card
Date
Weight (kgs)
Fat score
How to weigh your horse
Comments
We recommend that you monitor your horse’s weight
and fat score on a fortnightly basis as it is often
difficult to notice changes
when you see your horse
everyday. Use your Dodson
& Horrell weigh tape to
record your horse’s
weight and at the
same time fat score
your horse using the
guidelines provided
on this card.
Not all horses need to lose weight
Of course, not every horse needs to lose weight and
you may be monitoring your horse’s weight in order
to promote weight gain and condition, if this is the
case then please contact our Nutritional Helpline on
0845 345 2627 for advice on feeding and
management.
Remember:
Calories are energy and energy is calories. If you feed a
cuddly laid back horse more calories than he requires it
won’t give him more energy, in fact it will result in more
weight gain as fat.
Fat Scoring
It is important to determine what ‘condition’ your
horse is in as an underweight horse will need a
different diet to an overweight horse of the same breed.
The technique of ‘Fat Scoring’ provides you with the
guidelines necessary to assess how much fat cover your
horse has.
Average weight (kg)
Weight Range (kg)
9-9.3
Shetland
220
200- 240
10-10.3
Shetland
260
240-280
11-11.3
Dartmoor
Welsh A
310
240
300-320
200-270
12-12.3
Exmoor
New Forest
Welsh B
340
300
280
320-370
n/a
230-310
13-13.3
Connemara
Dales
Dartmoor
Highland
New Forest
Welsh C
380
450
350
490
360
300
370-390
n/a
n/a
n/a
320-370
290-380
14-14.3
Arab
Dales
Haflinger
TB
Welsh
430
510
470
370
460
420-450
450-550
n/a
360-380
360-550
15-15.1
Arab
TB
Welsh Cob
460
450
535
450-470
400-500
510-550
15.2-15.3
Arab
Connemara
ID
TB
460
500
480
500
450-470
n/a
460-500
480-550
16.0-16.1
TB
525
470-550
16.2-16.3
TB
Warmblood
540
620
490-590
600-650
17.2-17.3
Shire
Warmblood
840
650
750-900
640-660
17.2-17.3
Shire
900
850-950
The table shows average body weights and weight ranges for different
breeds/types of horses and ponies. This is only a guide but gives you a good
idea of what your horse’s weight should be.
0 – Very Poor
Neck – marked ‘ewe’ neck, narrow and slack at base.
Back and ribs – skin tight over the ribs, ribs very
visible. Spinous processes sharp edge and easily seen.
Pelvis – angular pelvis, skin tight, very sunken rump.
Deep cavity under tail and either side of croup
n You are scoring for fat cover only
2 – Moderate
nGive each area a score and then note the average
score
nFat score regularly
n60% of people’s visual assessment of their horse’s
fat score is different to their ‘hands on’ fat score
nIdeally you should be able to see and feel your
horse’s shoulder blade
nWhen feeling your horse’s back, lay your hand flat
on his backbone. If your hand makes a curve or
u-shape, this is ideal. If it is flat, your horse is fat
The diagrams and text opposite show fat scores rated 0 - 5.
U-shaped
1 – Poor
Useful tips
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Breed/type
Neck – ‘ewe’ neck, narrow and slack at base.
Back and ribs – ribs easily visible, skin sunken either
side of backbone. Spinous processes well defined.
Pelvis – rump sunken but skin supple, pelvis and
croup well defined, cavity under tail.
nHorses store fat on their necks, over their shoulders,
over their backbone and ribs and their rumps, NOT
on their underbellies
a:
Good Idnethly basis;
Height (hh)
0 Very Poor
1 Poor
A fit racehorse should be carrying this amount of fat.
Neck – narrow but firm
Back and ribs – ribs just visible, backbone well
covered. Spinous processes felt.
Pelvis – rump flat either side of backbone, croup
well defined, some fat, slight cavity under tail.
2 Moderate
3 – Good
Most leisure horses will carry this level of fat.
Neck – no crest (except stallions), firm neck.
Back and ribs – ribs just covered, easily felt. No
gutter along back. Spinous processes felt.
Pelvis – covered by fat and rounded, no gutter,
pelvis easily felt.
Upside down C
3 Good
4 – Fat
Neck – Slight crest, wide and firm.
Back and ribs – Ribs well covered. Gutter along
back bone.
Pelvis – Gutter to root of tail. Pelvis covered but
soft, felt only with firm pressure.
‘Flat’ with a hint
of apple shape
4 Fat
5 – Very Fat
Neck – marked crest, very wide and firm, folds of fat.
Back and ribs – ribs buried cannot feel. Deep gutter,
back broad and flat.
Pelvis – Deep gutter to root of tail, skin distended,
pelvis buried, cannot feel.
Apple shape
Adapted from Carroll and Huntingdon (1988, EVJ)
5 Very Fat