Buying GuideArticle
Choosing the Right Horse Stall Mat
Your horse spends a lot of time in their stall. With the right stall mat, they can comfortable and supported all day long.
Read More April 12, 2022 | Blain's Farm & FleetFeeding an Easy Keeper Horse
Learn about how to properly feed an easy keeper horse with Blain’s Farm & Fleet and Nutrena.
When it comes to feeding the easy keeper horse, navigating the balance between providing necessary nutrients and preventing weight gain can seem like a tightrope walk.
You’re not along in this challenge. Many horse owners face the same dilemma—how to ensure their horse is healthy and happy without overdoing it.
First, let’s break down what an easy keeper horse is. Simply put, these are the horses that gain weight easily and require fewer calories than their more active or metabolically challenged counterparts.
While it might sound like a good problem to have, without proper management, it can lead to health issues such as obesity, laminitis, and insulin resistance. That’s why understanding the nutritional balance is crucial.
Is your horse on the higher end of the body condition score chart? Or do they seem to gain weight simply by looking at a bag of horse feed? Then, check out these tips for feeding overweight horses.
Limit Pasture Grazing Time
This is especially true in spring and early summer, when pasture growth is most rapid. If this is not possible, fit the horse with a grazing muzzle.
Grazing Muzzles
JT International Easy Breathe Mini V Grazing Muzzle
Price: $29.79
Tough-1 Sheepskin Muzzle Liner
Price: $16.50
Tough-1 Pony Easy Breathe Poly/Nylon Grazing Muzzle
Price: $31.50
Tough-1 Easy Breathe Poly/Nylon Grazing Muzzle
Price: $20.90
Tough-1 Orange Easy Breathe Grazing Muzzle
Price: $33.95
Tough-1 Easy Breathe Grazing Muzzle
Price: $29.99
Tough-1 Easy Breathe V Grazing Muzzle
Price: $33.29
Don’t Feed High-Fat Supplements
Eliminate corn oil, flaxseed, and rice bran supplements from your horse’s diet. This will cut out some calories and prevent excessive weight gain.
Eliminate High-Calorie Concentrates
Instead, try a ration balancer feed product. It’s a low-calorie and low-starch, vitamin and mineral fortified supplement in a pelleted form. It supplies the missing nutrients for a horse consuming only hay or pasture.
Start an Exercise Program
The main purpose of exercise is to increase energy expenditure or calorie loss. Other benefits of daily exercise include an increase in metabolic rate, a possible reduction in appetite, and prevention of bone and mineral losses that may occur during calorie restriction when the horse is inactive.
Replace Legume Hay with Grass Hay
Legume hay, such as alfalfa and clover, contains more calories per pound than grass hays. Instead of alfalfa, feed a high-fiber, good-quality hay that is free of dust, mold, and weeds.
Limit the Amount of Hay Fed and Divide It Into Several Daily Feedings
Limit the amount of hay fed to 1.5% of their bodyweight. This is enough to ensure body condition maintenance while keeping proper digestive function happening.
If the horse’s body condition is still excessive after weight loss has stabilized, then decrease the feeding rate of hay to 1.25% of body weight or less and continue feeding management for weight loss.
At the end of the day, the name of the game is simple—to lose weight, your horse needs more calories being burned, than calories being consumed. It just takes some planning, and sticking with the plan for the long haul, to keep your easy keeper in ideal condition.
For more guides and how-tos like this one, check out our other Horse articles.
