World Horse Welfare has just put out an excellent outline of how to manage your horse's weight.

World Horse Welfare Horse Weight Management Video

1. Find out if your horse is overweight

It is impossible to tell by eye how much fat a horse is carrying

and this can be surprisingly deceptive. Feel for fat in specific

areas to check your horse’s condition. Contact us for a free

DVD that will show you how to correctly fat score your horse.

In addition, a podcast is available at the Right Weight web

address below.

2. Check your feed

Ask an expert whether you are feeding your horse appropriately.

This can be very confusing, which makes it easy to feed your

horse more calories than they really need. Also, try to make

titbits and treats the exception rather than the rule.

3. Don’t crash diet

Horses must have a steady supply of food to keep them

healthy, so you need to find ways to reduce the calories

without cutting down the quantity.

4. Control grass intake

Most leisure horses get more calories than they need from

grass alone. In many cases it may be necessary to restrict

their grass intake in some way, although additional vitamins

and minerals will still be required. Find ways to cut down

the amount of grass they get without stopping them from

eating completely.

5. Don’t be tempted to feed for more ‘oomph’

A high energy feed is also high in calories. Feeding an

overweight horse more calories won’t give it more energy

for work, but it will create more fat. Think about reducing

their calorie intake so they lose weight and build up fitness

to give them more energy.

6. Walk more

A brisk walk or steady trot will burn more fat than faster work

such as canter. Find ways to build more walking into your horse’s day.

7. Consider if your horse really does need a rug

Remember that horses already have waterproof coats and

their own central heating systems - digesting fibre generates

heat and this helps to keep the horse warm from the inside

out. If your horse is overweight consider whether it could go

without a rug or if a lighter weight one would be more suitable.

8. Remember that every horse is different

Don’t be tempted to feed or rug your horse just because

everyone else does. Consider what your horse needs and

remember that it might be different to what other horses

need, even if they’re of a similar type.

9. Monitor your horse

Horses can put on weight very quickly so fat scoring and

weightaping your horse fortnightly will help you spot any

changes more quickly than you could by eye.

10. Log on

For more handy tips watch the DVD or log on to the Right Weight website at the address below.

Registered charity no: 206658 and SC038384

World Horse Welfare receives no government

funding and relies entirely on public donations.

Please help in any way you can.

t: +44 (0)1953 498682

e: info@worldhorsewelfare.org

www.worldhorsewelfare.org/rightweight