Improving Body Condition in Horses: Strategies for Safe, Steady Gain

What is needed, protein or fat?

The first step in helping a horse improve his or her body condition is to identify what/where the horse is lacking. The key is to determine if the horse needs improved condition in their topline, rib coverage or both. Be advised that the way a horse is standing, their hair coat, tack and photos can all be misleading. The most efficient way to evaluate a horse’s body condition is by using your hands along with your eyes. Run your hands up and down the horse’s body. Trace the neck, shoulders, over the withers, spine, hips, rump and ribcage; make note of areas that feel rounded and full beneath your touch, as well as, the areas that sink in. 

 

Topline = Amino Acids; the Building Blocks of Protein

If you are seeing and/or feeling hollowness in any of the following points, an increase or higher quality amino acid package may be necessary.

·  at the neck/shoulder tie in

·  around the withers

·  in front of the hips

·  if roundness is lacking in their hindquarters

The most common causes of a lacking topline are inadequate diet, lack of exercise, age and/or medical condition.  An increase in protein, along with proper exercise, can help to improve the muscling and tone of their topline. 

 

Improving Topline?

Like humans, when needing to improve muscle condition, protein supplements are helpful.  However, these supplements produce the best results when accompanied with exercise and intentional work in the areas you are trying to build up. Depending on the condition level of the horse’s topline and/or how quickly you need to see results there are a few options to consider.

 

Diet Balancer - A low feeding rate, top dress, vitamin, mineral, amino acid supplement. Typically, these supplements contain a 30% protein level and help balance out any vitamin, mineral and amino acid deficiencies in the diet. Horse that are easy keepers can be fed a diet balancer, alone, with their forage. It provides them their daily requirements for vitamins, minerals and amino acids without the added calories, sugars and starches. On average, once horses reach around 15 years of age, their bodies do not digest and utilize proteins as efficiently or adequately as they did in their younger years. Adding a diet balancer to their diet is a great way to ensure you are providing enough protein. Example: 

 

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Concentrated Amino Acid Supplement – For horses needing additional support or quicker results are necessary, there are protein supplements on the market that are more concentrated than diet balancers. Typically, these supplements offer a 65% protein level. For horses needing a quick turn-around, or those that are in heavy work and struggling to keep their topline condition, this can be a great option. Below we will include a mid-level amino acid supplement, along with a highly concentrated product. Note that their percentages look similar; however, when you read closely, you’ll see that the concentration is higher in one than the other. As you can imagine, the higher the concentration, the higher the price tag.  Often this is directly related to the protein source used in the products. Higher concentrate formulas typically contain whey protein which is more costly to process. While some horses require an exuberant amount of supplemental amino acids to maintain their topline condition during heavy work, others may need the added boost just to get them over a slump and then can be transitioned down to a lower level of supplemental protein support once the desired results have been reached.

 

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Rib Coverage = Calories/Fat

Ideally, the ribs should be under the surface, just beneath a thin layer of muscle. When you run your hands across their sides you should be able to feel the faint outline of their ribs without having to press too hard. If the ribs are highly visible or they feel like they are protruding; the horse likely needs additional calories/fat in their diet.

Improving Rib Coverage?

Additional calories and/or a fat supplement can be helpful when trying to help a horse gain better rib coverage. But before diving into solutions, it’s best to determine the reason behind the weight loss or difficulty in gaining weight. Figuring this out can save you time and money by providing a resolving underlying causes and target approach. Consider the following:

•  …their total diet, is it balanced? 
• How about their health, any medical or metabolic issues?
• When was the last time you ran a fecal egg test, could parasites be affecting their weight loss?
• How old are they and what is their dentition like?
• When was the last time they had their teeth checked and floated?
• Is the horse under a lot of stress with heavy work, new location, extreme weather conditions (hot or cold)?

If unsure how to answer any of these questions, reach out to your veterinarian and/or equine nutrition specialist for guidance.  

In most circumstances, after the above questions have been addressed, a gentle, conservative approach is best.   Assuming their diet is balanced, consider

• …adding more forage to their diet in hay or hay alternatives.  Alfalfa tends to be more calorically dense and typically contains less sugars and starches than most grass hays.  If dentition is an issue or if you need to increase hydration, as well, look at hay alternatives like hay cubes, hay pellets or beet pulp.  While chopped forage can’t be soaked for the same hydration boost as the cubes, pellets and beet pulp, it does offer a longer stem which is valuable for slowing the rate of digestion.
• …determine if they are on the right feed to suit their needs.  If a change in their feed is needed, do so slowly so as not to upset the gut microbiome and cause digestive upset.  A high fiber, high fat feed is ideal with a transition time of a week to 10 days
• …adding an additional fat source.  Most fat supplements come in either an oil or an extruded nugget form.  By adding one of these supplements to the horse’s diet, you are essentially increasing the calories without the sugars and starches.  Rice Bran and Flaxseed are common ingredients in fat supplements.  Similar to the protein supplements, there are products of various concentrations on the market.  Again, best to start conservatively so as not to disrupt the gut microbiome.

While horse’s are not designed to consume fat in the same way a carnivore does, fat in small doses can be beneficial.  In addition to providing calories, the omega fatty acids can help them bloom and put a shine in their coats.  (For horses that are at the desired body condition but wanting a little more bloom to their coat, utilizing fat supplements at a half dosage can help). 

The key with fat supplements is to not over do fat in the diet.  Doing so can have the opposite effect by backing them out of the feed tub so they consume less.  Too much fat can also cause loose manure and diarrhea; ultimately not helping the situation.  

…if the horse is undergoing too much stress in the form of heavy work, new location, health issue or extreme climate, consider ways to help alleviate that stress, such as...

• While not always convenient, perhaps the workload is too heavy?  A break for reprieve and then easing back into it or slowing the intensity of the work.
• Does the new location have adequate shelter?  Do fans, shade or additional fly protection need to be provided in hot weather; or utilizing blankets or stalls in the cold?  On the flip side, if the horse is being stalled and is not used to being confined, is it possible to move him or her into something with a little more room?
• If turned out with other horses, is the horse in question on the low end of the pecking order? Perhaps moving in with a different group to avoid being picked on and run around can alleviate stress; or feeding separately to ensure the horse is getting enough feed/forage.

Take Home Message

Improving a horse’s body condition can feel both simple and complicated at the same time.  Determining where your horse’s condition is lacking is the key to solving the issue without wasting a lot of time and money addressing the wrong area. Do they need support in their topline and muscling (amino acid package) or do they need more rib coverage (calories & fat)? In severe emaciated cases, always seek out veterinary guidance. Lastly, a few quick tips to getting the most out of your feeding program is to:

·       …feed forage before grain concentrates and supplements. The long stem of the forage slows down the rate that the feed material passes through the digestive tract.  The slower the feed material passes through the system, the more time the body has to digest and utilize the nutrients. 

·       …provide smaller meals more frequently. Divide the horse’s daily portion of feed and supplements into smaller meals. If you typically feed twice a day, try feeding 3 or 4 times a day. Spreading out the consumption of their feed mimics the natural way a grazing animal eats. It, also, allows for better absorption of nutrients.

Put these strategies to the test for improved body condition!