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Date Posted: 03:27:15 02/23/03 Sun
Author: Cheri
Subject: Saturday's horse fact..
In reply to: Cheri 's message, "A New Week. Daily Inspirations and Horse Facts.." on 18:52:16 02/17/03 Mon



Shaping Up You Overweight Horse..


Part 3 ..


For many other sporting disciplines, body weight also is an important issue. Horses which are grossly overweight (obese) will be at a disadvantage during exercise and might be at increased risk for some health problems. On the other hand, it is not desirable to have horses which are in poor body condition (underweight). What constitutes ideal body weight and condition will vary depending on the breed of horse, the discipline, and in some cases owner preference. For example, a properly conditioned endurance horse will be much leaner than a halter horse.


Most of you do not have access to a set of scales suitable for weighing horses. Instead, a system of body condition scoring provides a very useful means for ongoing assessment of body condition. Use of this system will provide you with the best guide to your horse's body weight and help you identify any needs for adjustments to feeding and exercise programs.


The body condition scoring system relies on visual inspection and palpation of several conformation points, including the neck, withers, backbone, ribs, and tailhead. (The American Association of Equine Practitioners produces a brochure on the overweight horse that details this system; ask your veterinarian for a copy of this brochure.) The main criterion is the amount of flesh or fat covering these areas of the body. Scores range from 1 to 9; a condition score of 1 is applied to horses which are emaciated (extremely thin), while a score of 9 is indicative of a very fat horse (obese).


For horses not engaged in serious athletic pursuits, a condition score of 5 to 6 is ideal. These horses have moderate to good flesh coverage and the appearance of a well-nourished and well-kept animal. For show and dressage horses, a body condition score of 6 (moderately fleshy) might be more ideal.


On the other hand, the ideal condition score for a racehorse or an endurance horse is around 4 (moderately thin). For those horses, carrying excess condition is a definite disadvantage for athletic performance. However, particularly for endurance competitors, you must be careful not to allow the horse to become too thin.


Recent studies have shown that body condition score is an important factor for endurance performance. In one study of horses competing in the Tevis Cup 100-mile race, the average condition score for horses which successfully completed the course was 4.6, whereas the average score of non-finishers was 3.8 (Garlinghouse and Burrill, 1999). Furthermore, horses which were eliminated for "metabolic failure" (conditions such as colic, heat exhaustion, and muscle disorders) had even lower condition scores (less than 3). Those animals likely lacked the reserves in energy required for such prolonged exercise.

Tomorrows fact .. Overweight Horses

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