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Horse Obesity – Are we feeding our horses too much?
July 23, 2010 | 0 Responses
A recent research revealed that more than a third of horses in the UK are overweight. Nowadays, leisure horses are well-cared for, pampered, fed too much hay and hard feed and left to graze in lush fields; long gone the days when wild horses were constantly on the move, searching for food, getting plenty of exercise and running from predators. Recent study into horse welfare by the World Horse Welfare’s Right Weight Campaign and the Royal Veterinary College revealed that over third of the country’s horses are obese. Dr Teresa Holland, Dodson&Horrell nutritionist explained that ‘it’s only relatively recently that equine obesity has started to be recognised as a real welfare issue. But overfeeding a horse can lead to ongoing health issues, which can cause excruciating pain such as laminitis, and heart and lung problems. Horses can also suffer from a diabetes-like condition called Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS), which can be as equally destructive as diabetes is in humans.’
Horse owners need to be educated, as some love their horses so much that they give them extra food and they forget that horses have seasonal weight changes. Through the Right Weight Campaign, WHW is encouraging owners to make small changes to their usual feeding and general horse maintenance routine to fight equine obesity.
Have you got a horse or a pony and looking for equine insurance? If so, make sure you visit www.horse-insurance.co.uk and you will receive a 20% online discount. If you insure two or more horses you will also receive a 10% multi horse discount.
