Horses face many of the same issues we face when we are overweight. Carrying even a few extra pounds can put the horse’s total health in danger, and he or she can easily become more susceptible to breathing problems, hormone imbalances, injuries, and laminitis.

Starting The Diet

The first step to starting your horse on a diet is to determine the ideal weight for your animal. This number not only gives you a goal to strive for, it will also help you to figure how much food the horse should be fed on a daily basis.

Some simple guidelines for slow and steady weight loss are as follows: If the horse is still active and getting daily exercise, you should be feeding a minimum of one and a half percent of his or her current body weight, and as much as two percent of his or her ideal body weight in hay. If the horse is not getting regular exercise, or if he or she is confined to a stall or paddock area, you should feed anywhere from one to one and a half percent of his or her ideal body weight in hay.

Make sure you do not send your horse on a crash diet. If your horse is already on a reduced hay diet and not getting any grain, yet he or she is not losing any weight it can be tempting to reduce the food even further. You need to keep from doing this, as you could be affecting the animal’s metabolic rate, thus causing the horse to become resistant to the effects of insulin and become dependent upon fat stores in their bodies to feed their cells. When this happens (referred to as fat mobilization) the results can be so severe that organ damage can occur and the blood can become milky.

When you find yourself in the situation of a reduced calorie diet with little weight loss, it is important to check for underlying problems. We have all been around overweight people who claim they cannot lose weight due to a “glandular problem”. While most of us think “yeah right” when we hear this statement, the truth is it really could be the reason and the same could be true for your horse!

To determine if this is the case, take a bit of time and assess your horse for the following symptoms:

• Weight gain that began right after the horse reached maturity;

• Weight gain even on a diet that would not be sufficient to hold weight on a horse of a similar size;

• A fatty or hard crest on the neck that is present even if weight is lost elsewhere on the body;

• Other abnormal patches of fat in random patterns, sometimes appearing dimpled or resembling cellulite.

Other conditions such as insulin resistance and leptin resistance can be underlying causes of weight gain as well. If you suspect your horse may have any of these problems you should seek the advice of a veterinarian before starting any type of restricted diet.

What To Feed A Fat Horse

Hay should be your number feed for a horse that is overweight. That being said, it is extremely important that you choose the proper type of hay. Hay can vary a great deal in calories and sugar content. Bright green, tender cuts of hay, such as early alfalfa can really pack on the pounds. Coarser, or “stemmier”, cuts generally contain fewer calories and lower amounts of sugar. The best types of hay for weight loss include: meadow hays, prairie hays, timothy, orchard grass, and mature or late cuttings of Bermuda grass.

When trying to accomplish weight loss, grain should be omitted from your horse’s diet all together. You may be thinking that all of your horse’s nutrition comes from grain; however, this is simply not true. Grain can contain high amounts of fat and calories and really serves no purpose in an overweight horse’s daily diet. If you find your animal is in fact suffering from a metabolic problem, it is even more critical that you avoid feeding grain.

If you simply cannot stand the thought of only feeding your horse hay, or if he or she becomes unruly because others are getting grain, try feeding a healthier alternative. Beet pulp is low in calories, about the same amount as oats per pound; however since it needs to be soaked prior to feeding it can soak up about four times its dry measure. This means you can feed a good sized portion, while only providing a small amount of calories.

A great daily diet for a full sized horse is as follows: one pound (dry weight) of beet pulp divided into two feedings, mixed with two ounces of ground stabilized flax, and two ounces of rice bran. This makes for a diet that is well balanced, provides all the necessary nutrients, and provides enough fat (in the form of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids) to keep your horse happy. Adding the hay with a suitable mineral supplement is all you need to maintain optimal health.

Other Weight Loss Tips

Of course, just as it hold true with people, exercise plays a major role in a horse’s weight loss progress. A regular exercise plan not only helps the horse to burn calories, it also helps to balance hormone levels and increase metabolic function. This causes his or her muscle cells to become more sensitive to natural insulin, and better utilize the glucose needed for proper muscle function.

Limiting natural grazing and not allowing the horse to eat straw can further help with weight loss. Nature intended for a horse to graze in pasture, however nature did not intend for the horse to have an unlimited supply of fresh grass without having to travel miles a day to eat it. Try to limit the amount of grazing time each day by using a grazing muzzle or removing the horse from the pasture all together. While straw bedding may look unappealing to you, a horse loves it, and often munches on it without hesitation. Straw can have just as much sugar, and as many calories as grass hay and can really wreck a diet. Try switching to wood shavings or another type of bedding that will not encourage snacking.

Finally, refrain from feeding your horse treats. This may seem mean, or you may find it difficult to look into those big brown eyes and not give a snack, but in the long run your horse will be healthier from your will power. If you find you absolutely must feed a treat, opt for a very small amount of a low calorie food such as carrots, apples, or a handful of grapes.

Just as with humans, horses should strive to maintain an ideal weight. As is also the case with humans, it is often necessary to put your horse on a diet to  case, take a bit of time and assess your horse for the following symptoms:

• Weight gain that began right after the horse reached maturity;

• Weight gain even on a diet that would not be sufficient to hold weight on a horse of a similar size;

• A fatty or hard crest on the neck that is present even if weight is lost elsewhere on the body;

• Other abnormal patches of fat in random patterns, sometimes appearing dimpled or resembling cellulite.

Other conditions such as insulin resistance and leptin resistance can be underlying causes of weight gain as well. If you suspect your horse may have any of these problems you should seek the advice of a veterinarian before starting any type of restricted diet.

The post Dieting Tips For An Overweight Horse appeared first on Deravarra.

Probably the most famous racehorse of all time – Red Rum

It all started at the Rossenarra Stud in Kells in County Kilkenny, Ireland. From his Sire, a grey stallion named ‘Qorum’ and his Dam ‘Mared’ on 3 May 1965, this is where arguably the most famous race horse of all time was born.

As you may now be able to work out, by using the last three letters of the Sire and Dam’s names, the bay foal was christened ‘Red Rum’. It was also famously noted at a later date that it also spelt murder backwards, but this is pure coincidence.

Red Rum was bred by sprinter Martyn McEnery and it was hoped that he would eventually evolve into a decent flat racing horse, and in fact in his debut race on 7 April 1967 (funnily enough at Aintree, where he would go on to flourish) he ran in the Thursby Plate, where he finished in a dead heat with a horse called Curlicue.

As is often the case with many a famous race horses, Red Rum was considered to be an unremarkable runner to begin with. It also appeared that his sprinting days were numbered.

An Unconventional Racing Start

At a price of 400 Guineas, Red Rum the yearling was bought and broken in by former Champion Hurdle-winning jockey Tim Molony.
However, Red Rum would then be passed from yard to yard, a far cry from the famous race horse that he became.
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Eventually he ended up under the ownership of a woman called Lurline Brotherton, whose sole ambition was to own the winner of the Grand National.

It was at this point that great things were expected of Red Rum (often affectionately known as ‘Rummy’), but during the 1969/1970 season after having run fourteen times over hurdles, he did not record a single victory. The loss of form was a mystery.

By October 1970, Red Rum embarked on the Novice Chase Campaign and by the end of the season had won or been placed in all 13 of the chases that season. And so it appeared that perhaps his form had returned.

The Course Of Racing History Was Changed With One Decision

However, during the 1971/1972 season things again were not so easy going. the season was a tough one, and although Red Rum did record 2 victories at Catterick it was feared that he would not fulfil his potential.

A huge decision was made by Lurline Brotherton, who frustrated by Red Rum’s mixed race fortunes and escalating vet bills due to the bone disease pedalostitis, she entered him for Doncaster’s August Sale of 1972.

This was to be the start of a new beginning for the soon to be famous race horse.

And so despite question marks over both his health and his form, Red Rum was bought for the sum of 6,000 Guineas on behalf of Noel le Mare. This is where the then seven-year-old would begin his long and famous tenure at car dealer Donald “Ginger” McCain’s Upper Aughton Road stables in Liverpool.

At the time in the Summer of 1972, who would have thought that this would be a famous and successful partnership that would continue for the next 23 years?

The post Famous Race Horses – Red Rum Part 1 appeared first on Deravarra.