Upload
others
View
6
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
General Tips for a
Healthy Diet
All horses should have access to fresh water at all times.
A plain white salt block should be available to satisfy salt requirements.
To maintain a healthy body condition, feed a horse based on his activity level and body weight.
Find out how much your horse weighs. Walk-on scales are very accurate. A body weight tape can also be very useful to get an estimate of a horse’s body weight. This is a critical measurement to know when building a diet for any horse.
Forage Facts
Have forage analyzed for energy, protein and minerals. It’s also a good idea to weigh the hay periodically as flakes
can vary widely.
1.5-2%The percentage of a horse’s body weight that it should
consume daily.
AM/PMIf constant grazing isn’t
available, split forage into several feedings per day.
Determining Your Horse’s
Body Condition ScoreFOR OPTIMAL EQUINE HEALTH & PERFORMANCE
SCORE NECK WITHERS SHOULDER RIBS LOIN TAILHEAD
1 Bone structure easily noticeable
Bone structure easily noticeable
Bone structure easily noticeable
Ribs protruding prominently
Spinous processes projecting prominently
Tailhead, pinbones, and hook bones projecting prominently
2 Bone structure faintly discernible
Bone structure faintly discernible
Bone structure faintly discernible
Ribs prominent Spinous processes are prominent with some fat covering over their base. Transverse processes of lumbar vertebrae feel rounded.
Tailhead prominent
3
Neck accentuated Withers accentuated Shoulder accentuated Slight fat over ribs. Ribs easily discernible
Fat buildup halfway on spinous processes, but easily discernible. Traverse processes cannot be felt.
Tailhead prominent but individual vertebrae cannot be visually identified. Hook bones appear rounded, but are stilleasily discernible. Pin bones not distinguishable.
4 Neck not obviously thin
Withers not obviously thin
Shoulder not obviously thin
Faint outline of ribs discernible
Negative crease (peaked appearance) along back
Prominence depends on conformation. Fat can be felt. Hook bones not discernible
5 Neck blends smoothly into body
Withers rounded over spinous processes
Shoulder blends smoothly into body
Ribs can be easily felt, but cannot be visually distinguished.
Back is level Fat around tailhead beginning to feel soft
6 Fat beginning to be deposited
Fat beginning to be deposited
Fat beginning to be deposited
Fat over ribs, feels spongy
May have a slight positive crease (a groove) down back
Fat around tailhead feels soft
7 Fat deposited along neck
Fat deposited along withers
Fat deposited behind shoulder
Can feel ribs with pressure, but noticeable fat filling
May have a positive crease down the back
Fat around tailhead is soft
8 Noticeable thickening of neck
Area along withers filled with fat
Area behind shoulder filled in flush with body
Difficult to feel ribs Positive crease down the back
Fat around tailhead very soft
9 Bulging fat Bulging fat Bulging fat Patchy fat appearing over ribs
Obvious crease down the back
Bulging fat around tailhead
Body Condition Score Chart* WITHERS SHOULDER RIBS LOIN TAILHEAD
Bone structure easily noticeable
Bone structure easily noticeable
Ribs protruding prominently
Spinous processes projecting prominently
Tailhead, pinbones, and hook bones projecting prominently
Bone structure faintly discernible
Bone structure faintly discernible
Ribs prominent Spinous processes are prominent with some fat covering over their base. Transverse processes of lumbar vertebrae feel rounded.
Tailhead prominent
Withers accentuated Shoulder accentuated Slight fat over ribs. Ribs easily discernible
Fat buildup halfway on spinous processes, but easily discernible. Traverse processes cannot be felt.
Tailhead prominent but individual vertebrae cannot be visually identified. Hook bones appear rounded, but are stilleasily discernible. Pin bones not distinguishable.
Withers not obviously thin
Shoulder not obviously thin
Faint outline of ribs discernible
Negative crease (peaked appearance) along back
Prominence depends on conformation. Fat can be felt. Hook bones not discernible
Withers rounded over spinous processes
Shoulder blends smoothly into body
Ribs can be easily felt, but cannot be visually distinguished.
Back is level Fat around tailhead beginning to feel soft
Fat beginning to be deposited
Fat beginning to be deposited
Fat over ribs, feels spongy
May have a slight positive crease (a groove) down back
Fat around tailhead feels soft
Fat deposited along withers
Fat deposited behind shoulder
Can feel ribs with pressure, but noticeable fat filling
May have a positive crease down the back
Fat around tailhead is soft
Area along withers filled with fat
Area behind shoulder filled in flush with body
Difficult to feel ribs Positive crease down the back
Fat around tailhead very soft
Bulging fat Bulging fat Patchy fat appearing over ribs
Obvious crease down the back
Bulging fat around tailhead
*Adapted from Henneke System BCS, 1983
Body Condition Score Chart*
Platinum Performance® GI
EQUINE WELLNESS &
PERFORMANCE FORMULA
+ DIGESTIVE CARE
The health of the equine gut has implications in significant areas of health including digestion, immunity and allergic response, reproduction, neurology and cognition, endocrinology and skeletal integrity. Let Platinum Performance® GI help support your horse.
The Body Condition Score (BCS) can be a useful tool for developing diets
appropriate for maintaining the health and longevity of an individual horse.
Scoring Your Horse Using the Body Condition Score Chart, give a score of 1 to 9 to each
of the 6 points of reference. Next, add these 6 scores together and divide by 6. This is your horse’s
Body Condition Score!
Determining Your Horse’s
Body Condition ScoreTO ACHIEVE EQUINE HEALTH & PERFORMANCE GOALS
A. NECK
B. WITHERS
C. SHOULDER
D. RIBS
E. LOIN
F. TAILHEAD
Example:
My Horse Neck Withers Shoulder Ribs Loin TailHead
Score 4 5 7 6 4 5 = 3131 - 6 = BCS of 5
A
B
C D
E F
MODERATE Back is flat; ribs easily felt, but not visually distinguishable. Fat around tailhead feels a bit spongy. Withers round over spinous processes; shoulders and neck blend smoothly into body.
POOR Extremely emaciated. Backbone, ribs, tailhead, hip joints, and lower pelvic bones project prominently; bone in withers, shoulders and neck are easily noticed. No fatty tissue can be felt.
MODERATELY FLESHY May have slight crease down back. Fat over ribs spongy; fat around tailhead soft. Small fat deposits behind shoulders and along sides of neck and withers.
THIN Fat buildup about halfway on backbone. Slight fat covers ribs that are easily discernible. Tailhead prominent but individual vertebrae cannot be identified visually. Hip joints appear rounded but easily discernable. Withers, shoulders and neck accentuated.
FAT Crease down back. Difficult to feel ribs. Fat around tailhead very soft; area along withers filled with fat. Area behind shoulder filled with fat, noticeable thickening of neck. Fat deposited along inner thighs.
VERY THIN Emaciated. Slight fat covers vertebrae. Ribs, tailhead, hip joints and lower pelvic bones are prominent. Withers, shoulders and neck structure faintly discernable.
FLESHY Might have slight crease down back. Individ-ual ribs can be felt, but noticeable filling between ribs with fat. Fat around tailhead soft; fat deposited along withers, behind shoulders and along neck.
MODERATELY THIN Slight ridge along back. Faint outline of ribs discernable. Tailhead prominence depends on conformation, but fat can be felt around it. Hip joints not discernable. Withers, shoulders and neck not obviously thin.
EXTREMELY FAT Obvious crease down back. Patchy fat appears over ribs. Bulging fat around tailhead, along withers, behind shoulders and along neck. Fat along inner thighs may rub together. Flank filled with fat.
TOO THIN OBESEIDEAL
1 62 7
3 8 4 95
Tips for Decreasing BODY CONDITION SCORE
A BCS of 7 is considered overweight, and BCS > 8 is obese. Being overweight may contribute to metabolic issues such as insulin resistance and laminitis. Obesity may be associated with reproductive dysfunction in mares.
• Most cases of overweight horses are contributed to overfeeding, a lack of exercise or both. Genetics play a role in some cases as well. It is important that the owner or caregiver recognizes that the horse requires weight loss for optimal health.
• Horses require no less than 1% of their body weight in forage daily for normal gastrointestinal motility, to minimize the risk of gastric ulceration and prevent stereotypies, such as cribbing and weaving. Under no circumstances should the horse be “starved” to facilitate weight loss.
• Later maturity hays with a lower energy content may be used to provide needed fiber with less calorie content. Analyzing the hay may be useful. Platinum Performance® Equine should be added to the diet to provide necessary vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids that a more mature hay may be lacking.
• Horses that need to lose weight should still have access to forage throughout the day. A grazing muzzle for horses on pasture may be a helpful tool. A slow feeder for hay can slow the eating process and still allow a slow fiber trickle to ensure digestive well-being.
• Eliminating grains, concentrates and other calorie-dense feeds is recommended.
• Increasing exercise when possible can be very beneficial for weight loss as well as to increase insulin sensitivity.
• Losing weight in a healthy way is a slow process. Evaluating weight loss at the same time each month with a scale or weight tape is a good gauge to monitor process.
All feeding changes should be made gradually over 7-10 days to avoid gastrointestinal upset. This is true whether feeds are being added, taken out of the diet, or changing types (including hay).
*Horses should be evaluated by a veterinarian for causes of high body condition and obesity to correctly assess the best dietary changes.
Tips for Increasing BODY CONDITION SCORE
Horses are generally considered to be underweight with a BCS < 3. Being underweight may affect overall health and athletic performance. Horses that are extremely underweight with a BCS of 1 or 2 may have suppressed immunity and are at higher risk for contracting disease.
• Weight gain is a slow process. For an average 1000 lb horse, a single body condition increase may be approximately 40-50 lbs of body weight and take 60 days or more to increase depending on consistency of calories fed above maintenance.
• Maximize forage. Early maturity hay with a high leaf-to-stem ratio can promote weight gain. Increasing the intake of good quality hay is preferred over adding carbohydrate-based grains and concentrates. Providing free choice access to good quality hay is the cornerstone for healthy weight gain.
• Adding alfalfa, either as loose hay, cubes or pellets can be beneficial in adding weight.
• Using a “Super Fiber” such as beet pulp is a healthy way to add calories. Beet pulp contains high levels of digestible fiber and offers more calories per pound than hay.
• Fats such as oil contain a more concentrated way to provide calories in the diet. Flaxseed oil, such as Platinum Healthy Weight, is rich in omega-3 fatty acids and is an excellent source of anti-inflammatory calories and antioxidants.
• Pre- and probiotics are an extremely useful tool for digestive health as they nurture the beneficial microflora in the gastrointestinal tract. Platinum Performance® GI increases feed efficiency and improves nutrient utilization.
• Weight: An equine scale is best for measuring equine weight. However, a simple weight tape can also give a good estimate of the horse’s weight. Taking pictures of the horse in the same background can also be a good visual of progress. Try taking pictures from different angles such as from the front, from behind and a side angle. As it is a slow process, re-assess weight every 3-4 weeks to monitor progress.
*Horses should be evaluated by a veterinarian for any underlying causes of being underweight that may include digestive problems, poor dental condition, old age and parasitism.