HARD KEEPERS AND EASY KEEPERS – PART 2

EASY KEEPERS REALLY AREN’T EASY Last month we looked at hard keepers and how to help them. Now we’ll take a look at those air ferns that seem to live on next to nothing. You may think that maintaining them is a piece of cake…pun intended…but they have their own challenges. We’ll focus here on horses that get fat easily. First, what is an easy keeper? We tend to define it as a horse that eats everything placed before him, has no problem maintaining his weight, and tends to get fat easily. Certain breeds have this tendency, such as ponies, Morgans, Minis, and Mustangs. Since I’ve had all of these in my barn, I’ve had some practice in this area! That is not meant to be a blanket statement regarding breeds though. I’ve also had a Morgan who was picky and ate better when fed from larger pans, and a Thoroughbred who gained weight easily once we found a feed that he liked. All horses are individuals and should be fed as such. There are two main points of concern with easy keepers. First, it is necessary to control their calorie intake so they don’t get too fat. Secondly, you have to make sure they are getting proper nutrition. It’s challenging to make sure they are getting what they need without over feeding them and without expecting them to go too long between feedings. We’ll take a closer look at these points. Like us, horses develop health problems with an increase in weight. Laminitis, joint problems, metabolic syndrome, and insulin resistance are just a few. There is also evidence that increased body fat can lead to lipomas, which are colic-causing fatty tumors in the abdominal cavity. Obesity increases the stress on a horse’s heart and lungs too. Clearly, there are many reasons to NOT let your horse get fat. Like us, horses gain weight when they take in more calories than they expend by moving around and/or keeping warm. Much of that can be traced to how we manage them. I know it is a sensitive subject, but we humans tend to show love by giving food to other humans, horses, cats, dogs…it’s easy for us to do. Horses don’t equate food with love. Their brains are wired differently. Food is fuel for their bodies. We’ve all been “victims” of that cute pony with the big brown eyes that cons us into feeding her (guilty!) but it’s not about love to her. It’s about survival. Our human need to feed, nurture, and reward with food can be detrimental to our horses’ health. Also like us, there is a metabolic component. Let’s look at how horses are supposed to function. Horses are grazers. For their size, they actually have small stomachs. They are meant to move around all day, finding small amounts of food, then processing that and leaving frequent piles of manure. They aren’t built to take in large amounts and then not eat for several hours. Horses in the wild eat and move, all day long. Horses that are restricted to small dry lots or stalls should ideally be fed frequent small meals. Going without feed or forage for several hours can trigger a “survival mode” that releases hormones that lead to the body holding on to fat. We humans do it too. That is why diets can be so hard- your body thinks it is starving so it holds on to energy resources in the form of fat. For horses, current thinking is that this trigger happens after four hours. So your pony isn’t lying- her body really is telling her that she is in danger of starving if she hasn’t eaten for six hours! Expecting your easy keeper to stay healthy and slim by subsisting on just a few meals is working against his constitution. Ideally, we would let our horses graze all day long, but that has risks too. If given free access to forage, most horses self-limit, but easy keepers are less likely to do so. They just don’t want to step away from the food. Those are the ones we need to worry about. Some of your easy keeper’s weight problem can be metabolic disorders. Since I’m not a vet, I really encourage you to talk with your vet about your horse’s overall health. Vets may want to do bloodwork to rule out metabolic issues. While we are on the subject of veterinarians, here is something to think about. Vets spend an incredible amount of time keeping up to date with current research, new meds, new modalities, and so much more. It’s a bit unrealistic to expect them to keep up with new feeds on the market too. If your vet recommends a certain feed, ask why they are recommending it so that you understand. Then talk with your feed store too. It is NOT the job of a feed store to overrule your vet (and they most definitely should not assume that role) but they may have suggestions that the vet may not know about. Expect to carry on a dialog with your vet and your feed store while you are determining the best diet for your horse. One advantage that feed stores have: access to equine nutritionists. If you need more detailed info, or have questions that your store can’t answer, ask to be contacted by a feed rep. They are happy to help you and usually there is no charge. Let’s get back to the horses. The flip side of taking in too many calories is not expending enough. Remember, horses are meant to move. Ask your vet about an appropriate exercise program for your overweight horse. Like us, changes in exercise should be made slowly and with consideration of the horse’s body and mind. No weekend warrior stuff! The second point of concern with easy keepers is whether they are getting enough protein, vitamins, and minerals. You may think that you are keeping your air fern at a healthy