How Your Horse’s Weight is Impacting Their Health
Let’s confront the elephant in the room… or wait that’s a horse! Don’t worry, there is no judgment here, as I have two easy keepers of my own that could easily qualify as the elephant in the room if I don’t monitor and take action to maintain their weight.
What is the big deal you might ask yourself… My horse is just fat and happy. Well if that were the truth I wouldn’t be sharing this post.
The fact is just like in humans… obese and overweight horses face increased risk of health concern. So fat and happy just isn’t going to cut it, if you want to have a happy healthy horse.
5 Key Factors For Maintaining Weight with Easy Keepers
Why are so many horses fat these days anyway? The cause is due to relatively similar factors as it is with people. I have narrowed it down to 5 Key Factors that you should look into if your horse struggles with their weight.
- Diet- Just like with us… diet is the leading concern and problem for horses with weight issues. Whether it is too much time on lush green pastures that we think must be good for them or the overly processed pelleted (junk food) which are shockingly bad for our horses’ health and weight. The worse part is many qualified professionals recommend the diet you are feeding that is still making your horse increasingly overweight and unhealthy with every single scoop.
- Digestion- I often struggle with whether to put digestion first or diet… because even if you clean your horse’s diet, if the digestive system is not functioning properly your efforts will be futile! Because of antibiotics, medications, chemical dewormers, and toxins that are present in our horses’ lives; supporting the horse’s digestive system is an imperative part of your care routine!
- Exercise- FitBits, step trackers, and other devices are all the rage as we track our movement. A friend of mine shared with me how shocked she was at how much she didn’t move in a day. This awareness is something we need to have with our horse! Although there are similar devices for horses, I don’t think they are logical or necessary for most horse owners… But I want you to think of wild horses and the amount of travel and exercise they get in a day. The sad truth is most of our horses are the equivalent of couch potatoes. Your horse needs exercise in order to promote the proper function and health of the lymph, circulatory, digestive, and really all vital organ systems of the body.
- Stress- If your horse’s lifestyle is stressful you can bet it will have an impact on their health and weight. Studies have shown in people that regardless of proper diet and exercise, that high stress can prevent people from losing weight. Now keep in mind that stress to a horse can be things like long fasting periods and even lack of engagement with other horses.
- Lifestyle- Really all of the above fit with this factor… but the truth is we must stop isolating problems and concerns and look at the big picture. If our horse’s lifestyle is unbalanced and not aligned with how they are designed to be cared for, it is common sense to expect illness, disease, and injury incidents to rise.
A Proven Framework For a Healthy Lifestyle-
Raising awareness of these 5 key factors shared above is a great start to helping your horse maintain a healthy and balanced weight.
There’s hope if your horse isn’t greeting you at the gate, is resistant or dull to your cues, or is experiencing negative health conditions… It isn’t your fault. And contrary to what some vets and equine professionals might lead you to believe, it certainly isn’t normal!
It’s time revolutionize the way you think about and approach your horse’s care and lifestyle; equipping you with the tools and information you need to optimize your horse’s performance, reinvigorating their zest for life, and accessing the “horseplay” and exuberance they are naturally known for.
Discover the forgotten framework of care that will transform your horse’s health! Grab your copy of my book Healthy as a Horse, Click here to reserve your copy now.
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Life is better when you’re horsin’ around!
