Giving weight to a custom equine feed plan

Finding the right nutritional balance is essential for every horse, but it becomes especially critical when feeding easy and hard keepers, animals that have an “easy” or “hard” time maintaining their weight.

For example, an overweight horse with insulin resistance may require a carefully controlled starch and sugar intake. Meanwhile, an underweight horse recovering from illness may need more calories to rebuild strength and immunity. Both scenarios require a tailored approach to maintain optimal body condition for long-term health and vitality.

It’s important to note, not all horses should be considered hard or easy keepers. Most horses’ weights will fluctuate throughout their lives. We’re talking specifically about horses with special metabolic considerations.

Breaking Down Easy and Hard Keeper Conditions

Usually, certain types of horses and breeds are classified as hard keepers. These include racing horses like thoroughbreds and standardbreds because they have very active metabolisms.

Other factors may include:

• Behavior: Horses that are high strung or active burn more calories each day.
• Breeding: Stallions tend to burn more calories each day, and broodmares require more calories during late pregnancy and lactation.
• Age: Senior horses don’t metabolize nutrients as well as younger horses.
• Competition and training: Performance horses require more calories in their diets.

Some health conditions and social considerations can also lead to challenges with weight gain.

These may include:

• Poor dental health: Deteriorating teeth condition can cause pain and discourage eating.
• Parasites: An infection of internal parasites can cause weight loss.
• Herd dynamics: Less dominant horses may get run off their feed.
• Lameness: An injury can discourage eating.
• Illness: A sick horse may be less prone to routine eating.

Easy keepers, on the other hand, generally include ponies, draft horses and some stock breeds.

Some factors that might influence an easy keepers’ weight include:

• Behavior: Horses that are calm or less active burn fewer calories throughout the day.
• Breed: Ponies and draft horses are genetically predisposed to thrive on limited forage.
• Seasonal: Some horse breeds, like ponies, conserve energy and store fat for periods with limited forage.

Some health conditions can lead to challenges with weight loss.

These may include:

• Obesity: Easy keepers can gain excess weight, which may lead to metabolic disorders.
• Laminitis: Overweight horses, especially those with access to rich pastures or high-starch feeds, may be at greater risk.
• Nutritional imbalances: Limiting feed intake to control weight may lead to deficiencies in essential vitamins and minerals.

"Whether you're managing a hard keeper who can’t put on weight or an easy keeper who seems to gain it overnight, the foundation of good care is the same: understanding their unique metabolic needs. With hard keepers, you need careful monitoring to support their energy demands, while easy keepers typically benefit from limited calories, whether that’s with less feed, forage or providing a ration balancer.” – Jeanne van der Veen, Sentinel^® Equine and Specialty Nutritionist

Crafting a Diet Based on Body Condition

An imbalance in body condition can lead to a range of health issues, from metabolic disorders in overweight horses to immune and muscular deficiencies in underweight horses. By finding the right diet to fit the horse, you can help your patients maintain their health and performance.

“A balanced diet isn’t just about feeding more or less,” van der Veen says. “It’s about ensuring the right nutrients are delivered at the right levels to support optimal growth, performance or recovery.”

Overweight horses:

Excess weight increases the risk of laminitis, insulin resistance and joint stress. Diets that limit caloric intake while providing sufficient nutrients are ideal.

Underweight horses:

Weight loss often indicates insufficient caloric intake, poor forage quality or underlying medical issues. Diets that focus on quality forage and calorie-dense feeds may help address deficiencies and promote weight gain.

How to Score a Horse’s Body Condition

Body condition scoring is a valuable tool that can help your clients evaluate whether their horse is overweight or underweight. By routinely assessing their score during physical exams, veterinarians and owners can identify weight trends early and adjust feeding strategies to better support the horse’s health and performance goals. Scores range from one to nine, with one being extremely thin and nine being extremely obese. For most horses, a score of four to six is ideal.

To apply the scale, have your clients visually and physically examine the different points and assign a score based on muscle and fat composition. More fat means a higher score, while too little signals a lower score.

Physical markers for overweight horses:

• Crease down back
• Fat around neck, withers and shoulders
• Spongy fat over ribs

Physical markers for underweight horses:

• Visible ribs and hip bones
• Prominent spine and withers
• Lack of fat covering tailhead

Download our Body Condition Scorecard and make precise, informed nutritional recommendations tailored to your patients’ unique needs.

Quality of Forage Comes First

Quality forage, characterized by its nutrient density, palatability, proper harvesting and storage methods, should be the cornerstone of every horse’s diet regardless of their body condition.

It provides energy, protein, vitamins, minerals and the necessary fiber to keep a horse’s digestive system working smoothly. Testing their forage can help determine its nutritional profile and allow you to make informed decisions on their feed.

If your clients aren’t sure where to start, they can usually contact their local feed store or extension office to take a sample. That provides a starting point to determine feed and forage amounts.

“Quality forage is essential,” van der Veen says. “However, the type and quality must align with each horse’s specific needs.”

Overweight horses:

Limit access to lush pastures and consider using a muzzle or slow feeder to lower the risk of overconsumption. A slow feeder is a device that controls how fast a horse can consume hay, which is more like their natural grazing behavior. Also, choose mature, low-calorie hay to help manage weight while maintaining a healthy fiber intake.

Underweight horses:

Offer high-quality, nutrient-dense forage. Increase access to grazing and consider a high-fat feed for additional calories.

Concentrate and Supplement Considerations

The right feed or supplement can often bridge the gap when forage alone doesn’t meet nutritional needs. However, it’s important to choose products suited to each horse’s condition.

Overweight Horses:

Consider low-calorie, high-fiber concentrates with controlled starch and sugar levels. Supplements rich in vitamins and minerals or a ration balancer may ensure nutrient requirements are met without adding unnecessary calories.

Key ingredients to look for:

• High quality protein
• A complete vitamin and mineral package
• Organic trace minerals like zinc, copper and manganese

Underweight Horses:

Consider calorie-dense concentrates with added fat sources like vegetable oil or rice bran. Ensure these feeds include quality protein and essential amino acids to support muscle growth and recovery.

Key ingredients to look for:

• Calorie-dense fats like vegetable oil and rice bran
• High-quality protein sources like soybean meal and alfalfa
• Essential amino acids like lysine, methionine and threonine

Monitor and Make Adjustments

Regularly monitoring weight, body condition and overall health is crucial for managing overweight and underweight horses. In addition to weight tapes and scales, consider tools like body condition scoring apps or equine girth measurement systems to refine assessments.

Establishing specific intervals, like bi-weekly or monthly check-ins, ensures consistent tracking and timely adjustments to feeding strategies. Adjust diets gradually and consult with an equine nutritionist to fine-tune feeding plans as needed.

“The path to optimal health is a journey, not a quick fix. Regular assessments and small adjustments can make a big difference over time.” – Jeanne van der Veen

For personalized feeding recommendations and expert guidance, contact our team of equine nutrition specialists today.