Managing horses and ponies through spring can be really challenging and difficult for so many reasons. I’ve put together this resource as an easy starting point for my client to look at their options. This advice is general in nature and if you have any questions or hesitations you need to discuss them with your veterinarian and/or farrier. It is important to note that these suggestions are to manage weight in horses and ponies that are carrying extra kilograms and not the horses or ponies who are showing signs of acute laminitis (however, when supported by your veterinarian and farrier, these can be good ways to minimise calories and manage acute laminitis).
A good relationship with all the professionals that work with your horse is important.
Firstly, discuss with your veteriarian about having blood tests to determine if your horse or pony is positive for Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS) or Equine Cushings Disease (PPID).
Some information about PPID:
The disease is caused by a benign growth in the hypothalamus and results in an increase in ACTH (Adrenocorticotropic hormone) production. It may develop in any breed but it’s more commonly found in pony breeds and Morgan horses. Older horses (15yo+) are more regularly diagnosed as they show more symptoms but it can occur in horses as young as 7yo.
There are many symptoms and horses found to be positive can have any, all or none of them:
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- Poor/patchy coat
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- Excessive drinking/urination
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- Muscle wastage/loss
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- Weight loss
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- Pot belly
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- Bulgy fat pads over eyes
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- Lethargic/docile
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- Vision loss/seizures/narcolepsy
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- Recurrent infections
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- Diarrhoea
As the symptoms progress Cushings is easily identifiable through a long hairy coat. Sometimes they can have excessive, unexplained sweating and often they have laminitis. Laminitis is nearly impossible to control if PPID is present and not treated. Often PPID and IR (insulin resistance) present together.
Early testing and treatment is essential. Cushings affects the immune system and as such there are numerous ways that you can ensure these horses are kept as comfortable as possible. Treatment doesn’t 100% reduce the clinical signs but significantly reduces the severity.
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- Tailored feed- taking into account any issues with laminitis, weight loss or weight gains
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- Dental care
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- Regular exercise
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- Deworming- including regular fecal egg counts
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- Farrier care
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- Hair and coat care including clipping in warmer months
As with most weight issues we have a few options to manage ponies. We can increase workload or we can decrease calories going in. In an ideal world we would do both. Here are some ideas of the different ideas you could implement.
Please note: if a pony/horse is sore to move they are acutely laminitic and you need to contact your veterinarian & farrier to develop a plan. DO NOT EXERCISE A SORE OR UNCOMFORTABLE HORSE/PONY. It is suggested that rehab/lock up with limited movement should occur for one week for every day they are sore to move.
Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS)
Hormones from excessive fat cells prevent insulin regulation (insulin resistance)
- Increases blood sugar levels
- The body responds by producing more insulin (hyperinsulinemia)
- This can lead to laminitis.
Potential symptoms:
- Difficulty losing weight
- Obesity – fat pads including on the crest, tail head and shoulders
- Reoccurring episodes of acute laminitis
- Increased drinking and urination
- Lethargy
- Impaired fasting glucose Unable to regulate blood glucose levels
- Infertility in mares has been associated with EMS
- Being overweight/obese is the main risk factor for EMS —> due to this, these horses are also more prone to laminitis.
EMS tends to occur in younger horses (compared to cushings) Exercise significantly improves glucose uptake by muscles and decreases blood sugar levels. Treatment can reduce clinical signs Due to the similarities between equine metabolic syndrome and equine cushings, horses need to be tested for both.
Increasing workload:
We can look at exercise in two forms, passive and active. Passive exercise would be setting up a track system so that they have to travel more kms each day between food, water and shelter etc. There is a really good facebook group that you can have a look at called ‘Horse Track System’. The more exercise we can encourage in their day to day life, the fitter they are and the less active exercise they need to do to stay healthy, especially through spring.
With active exercise I like to encourage my clients to build up to 15 minutes of trot and canter work every second day. Trotting and cantering for an extended period of time has been showing to increase metabolism as well as aid in weight loss. This can be achieved either ridden or where necessary on the lunge, in long reins or in the round yard.
Managing feed:
Grazing muzzles: Muzzles can be a great addition to reduce the amount of grass your horse/pony can eat while still being out with their friends and moving around. There are lots of muzzles on the market and everyone will have their preferences. I try to stay away from the bucket muzzles that you can buy at most saddleries as they are more fitted to the face and not as breathable in the Australian climate. My favourite muzzles that I have used are Greengaurd Muzzles. I buy them through Performaride in Australia
www.performaride.com/product-category/greenguard/
Introducing muzzles: There can be an introduction period if your horse has not worn a muzzle before. When you first put it on them, keep an eye on them to ensure they work out how to access grass through the muzzle and how to drink with the muzzle on. In an ideal world, the muzzle would be on while the horse is out on pasture for 12 hours and then they would be brought in to spend 12 hours locked up without the muzzle on.
It has been found that horses left unmuzzled on pasture (after a period of muzzling) will eat the equivalent of 24 hours worth of feed in 12 hours.
Slow feeder hay nets: Slow feeder nets are a great option to slow down how quickly your horse/pony can eat their hay. You can get nets with different sized holes and can also use one net inside another to slow them down further. Small holed nets can be as small as 2cm holes.
In an ideal world, a horse or pony should not go longer than 4 hours without access to feed due to the risk of ulcers.
gutzbusta.com.au/collections/all-slow-feed-hay-nets
Low sugar hay: When you buy hay from feed stores they will often have hay that has been feed tested and will have less than 10% NSC. Personally I would look for teff or rhodes hay. Most ‘chunky’ horses/ponies don’t need the additional protein found in lucerne hay.
To further reduce calories, you can mix straw through hay (up to 50% of daily intake). Straw should be introduced slowly and not make up the majority of a horses’ fibre intake.
Hay should be fed at 1.5% of horse or pony body weight per day.
Soaking hay: We can reduce the sugar content in hay by soaking hay for 30-60 minutes. The easiest way to soak hay is to place the hay in a slow feeder net and then place the slow feeder net in a large container of water.
Hard Feed: When it comes to hard feed ‘chunky ponies’ don’t need a heap of calories. It is important to give them the minerals they need with as limited calories as possible. I often recommend feeding beet pulp, which hides supplements well, mixed with a little bit of chaff.
Minerals: For hoof health it is important to balance copper and zinc. When a horse or pony has increased inflammation in the case of obesity (or subclinical laminitis) iodine, magnesium, selenium, the B vitamins biotin, pyridoxine and folic acid are also important. There are a lot of minerals on the market and finding those with the right ratios can be challenging.
Initially, I put horses onto Balanced Equine Hoof Xtra as an all round balanced (cost effective) mineral and then add on from here depending on what we are trying to achieve.
Hoof Xtra: https://balancedequine.com.au/product/hoofxtra/
Monitoring weight:
Weigh tape: While a weigh tape isn’t always accurate as far as how many kg your horse weighs, it will give you something to monitor easily over time. Record their weight fortnightly to see the change over time.
Body condition score: Taking photos and recording their body condition score using a scoring system such as Caroll & Huntington Body Condition Scoring, will help you to notice the smaller details of your horses and help you to adjust diets earlier. Record their body score fortnightly to see the change over time.
Managing ‘chunky’ horses or ponies can be really challenging, much more challenging than feeding the thoroughbred who needs weight as you need to manage every aspect of their lifestyle. Getting a supportive team to aid you in managing your horse or pony is the best way to be successful and get back to enjoying your time together.
