Understanding the importance of weight management in horses is vital in horse care, but this can be complicated and hard to manage.
When it comes to horses, maintaining an optimum weight isn’t merely about aesthetics but rather a critical component to ensure good health. Proper weight management can significantly reduce the risk of serious health conditions such as Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (PPID), Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS), and laminitis.
Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (PPID), commonly referred to as equine Cushing’s disease, predominantly affects older horses. This condition leads to hormonal imbalances that result in muscle wasting and a characteristic pot-bellied appearance. Similarly, Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS) is analogous to type 2 diabetes in humans and frequently results in obesity, insulin resistance and an increased risk of developing laminitis. Laminitis is a particularly debilitating condition that in layman’s terms, affects the hooves, leading to significant pain and potentially severe complications with rotation of the pedal bone. The link between obesity, metabolic disorders, and laminitis underscores the necessity of vigilant weight management practices.
In this blog, we’ll be exploring the imperative nature of weight management in horses, mainly focusing on turnout and how a safe grass free turnout area can help to maintain a healthy weight, and allow you to focus on keeping track of what your horse/pony is eating, in order to implement their necessary dietary requirements. By doing so, we can enhance the well-being of our equine companions and subsequently, their lifespan.
The Role of Diet: Managing Sugar Intake from Grass
A key aspect of weight management in horses involves careful monitoring of their diet, particularly their intake of grass. Many pastures contain high levels of non-structural carbohydrates (NSCs), commonly referred to as sugars, which can be detrimental to horses prone to metabolic disorders.
For horses susceptible to PPID, EMS or laminitis, the consumption of grass high in sugars can exacerbate their conditions. NSCs are rapidly digested and absorbed, leading to spikes in blood glucose and insulin levels. These fluctuations can trigger or worsen insulin resistance, a hallmark of EMS, and increase the risk of laminitic episodes.
To mitigate these risks, it is often necessary to restrict access to lush pastures, especially during times when sugar content is at its highest, such as in the spring and autumn or after periods of rapid growth. If you use the famous laminitis app, you’ll no doubt have a sound knowledge even of times throughout the day when this can change rapidly, which only highlight just how difficult this can be.
One way to get around this is to create what’s often known as a ‘dry lot’ or ‘grass free turnout’ and that’s where our surfaces here at Foley’s Equestrian Surfaces comes in.
Creating a Grass-Free Turnout Area with Foley’s Equestrian Surfaces
For horses prone to metabolic disorders or those requiring strict control of their diet, creating a grass-free turnout area is a practical and effective solution.
Here at Foley’s Equestrian Surfaces, we offer a range of environmentally approved, virgin carpet fibre surfaces that are used in arenas, gallops, lunge pens and turnout paddocks. Not only do they provide a safe comfortable turnout surface option but they’re also EA-approved, frost resistant (hugely important here in the UK) and help aid with drainage. This allows for the creation of a turnout paddock for your horses, without the risks associated with grass consumption. Not only are you avoiding those over-extended periods in their stables, but you’re giving your horses turnout without the risk of high-sugar grass and as a result, avoiding spikes in blood glucose and insulin levels that can trigger or worsen the metabolic issues we’ve previously touched upon. This means your horse can enjoy outdoor time without compromising on their health. Happy horse, happy owner!
Here are Foley’s Equestrian Surfaces, our innovative surface solutions mimic natural footing while offering superior durability and safety. They’re specifically designed to be low-maintenance, providing excellent support and minimising the risk of injury. Whether you are looking to create a small turnout pen, or a larger scale winter turnout paddock, our surfaces can provide the perfect solution.
Incorporating a grass-free turnout area into your horse’s management plan can significantly improve their quality of life however that isn’t the only strategy that you can implement.
The myYardd app is another tool in your equestrian utility belt that will help you stay abreast of your horse’s weight and health by ensuring regular measurements and checks are taken and more importantly monitored and kept track of within your horse’s personal profile. The myYardd app is completely free for users to utilise and what’s more, you can add as many horses as you require. Each horse gains their own profile page with their own details and within their profiles, you can monitor their weight and keep a close eye on everything from their vitals to their routines, farrier visits, last dental checks and just about everything you could possibly need to keep on top of your horse’s health routine.
Providing a safe, controlled environment needn’t be as stressful as many may have you believe when you have the right tools and solutions with you. And with a Foley’s Equestrian Surfaced turnout paddock along with the myYardd app, battling weight management can become as easy as 1, 2, 3!
For more information, contact Foley’s Equestrian Surfaces today on 01642 989441.
