This time of year, many horse owners take the opportunity to examine their horse’s body condition as winter weather approaches. This is well advised as many horses across the Ozarks spend a significant amount of time outside during the cold, and at times, inclement weather of winter. Age, size, nutrition, hair coat and body condition all play a role. In this issue we will focus on the most common causes of a poor body condition in an otherwise healthy horse and explore ways to improve your horse’s condition.
Judging a horse’s body condition can be a very subjective matter and individual horse owners may vary in their opinion on what is acceptable or ideal from horse to horse. Horses are typically rated on a one to nine scale with detailed descriptions provided for each score. A mid-range score is considered ideal. If a horse scores low on the scale it is considered thin and efforts should be made to determine the cause of the horse’s weight loss. If the loss in body condition has been gradual, occurring over a significant period of time, then it is termed ‘chronic weight loss.’
Weight loss in a horse is a very vague clinical sign that can be attributed to a wide array of different disease processes. Clients are encouraged to focus on the most common causes of weight loss and consider three main areas of concern: nutrition, parasites and dental care. If these three areas are adequately addressed and the horse fails to improve, then more in-depth diagnostics can be performed to identify other potential problems.
Poor nutrition can directly result in weight loss in horses. Things to consider when developing a ration for your horse include maintenance requirements, activity level and environmental conditions. Young, growing horses and pregnant or lactating mares have significantly higher maintenance requirements. Horses that are worked hard or in training will require more calories to meet their energy demands. Likewise, cold temperatures require a boost nutritionally for the horse to compensate for calories burned to maintain body heat.
A heavy load of internal parasites will indirectly result in poor nutrition and can also cause intestinal damage, colic and other health concerns. For thin horses, I recommend using broad spectrum name-brand products. Horse owners may consider using more frequent treatments or extended dosing as recommended by your veterinarian.
If a horse is offered excellent feed but cannot chew that feed or consume enough of it due to dental disease then it will be hard pressed to gain weight.
These recommendations may be basic on the surface but can get complicated when applied to individual horses. Your local veterinarian can offer the advice you need as well as make recommendations for further diagnostics should these three basic steps not correct the problem of weight loss in your horse this winter.
Darren Loula, DVM, is owner of Christian County Veterinary Service, LLC, a mobile large animal vet clinic.
