The Overweight Horse — A New Year’s Resolution
Research shows that nearly 29% of Canadian Horses are overweight or obese. I-stock photo via Equine Guelph.
Preventing Obesity — from Equine Guelph.
Equine Guelph has made a New Year’s Resolution to empower horse owners to learn more about their horse’s nutrition and needs. January, dubbed by Equine Guelph as Nutrition Education Month, will be dedicated to learning more about the overweight horse – increasing awareness of what caregivers can do to prevent their horses from becoming over-conditioned and offer practical tips on how to tackle weight gain.
Research shows that nearly 29% of Canadian Horses are overweight or obese (Kosolofski et al., 2017; Mills et al. 2025). As a result, a new study was undertaken, a collaboration between the Atlantic Veterinary College and University of Guelph, to better understand the attitudes and barriers that horse owners experience regarding their obese horses. (Recent Equine Guelph research article: Survey Reveals Emotional and Practical Challenges in Managing Horse Weight)
Prevention is always preferable to intervention. Being aware and tracking your horse’s body condition over time, particularly during changes (such as a change in diet, forage source, or season) will help you be able to make small changes to keep your horse at an ideal body condition.
To prevent weight gain in horses:
- Regularly perform Body Condition Scoring (BCS)
- Maintain or increase your horse’s exercise regime
- Reduce caloric intake
- Try a grazing muzzle while on pasture (introduce slowly with longer duration over several days)
- Try a haynet or slow feeder system when providing hay
- Source a more mature hay
- Ensure you maintain a diet that provides sufficient essential vitamins and minerals
- Employ the help of an independent equine nutritionist
Preventing a horse from becoming over-conditioned starts with routine monitoring and consistent BCS tracking. When a horse’s body condition rises above the ideal of 5/6, intervention is warranted and it’s time to act.
Equine Guelph offers a quick-learning resource, the Body Condition Scoring Tool, to help caregivers learn how to body condition score. The online tool is available for free to the public. It can be found at www.TheHorsePortal.ca/BCSTool.
For a deeper diver, Equine Guelph offers two Introduction to Body Condition Scoring online short courses on TheHorsePortal.ca – instructor-led from January 19-26, 2026 and a self-paced on-demand format. These courses will give caregivers the tools to help determine whether a body condition score is appropriate for their horse, understand what actions should be taken next, and create an action plan for their horse’s weight and health goals.
Equine Nutrition Month, the BCS Tool, short online course and barn poster are all possible thanks to the generous support of Equine Guelph’s sponsor, Masterfeeds.
“We are thrilled to partner with Equine Guelph for Equine Nutrition Month”, says Jenna Beach, Masterfeeds Equine Media Sales Associate. “Masterfeeds prioritizes education on optimal nutrition and support for horse owners. Regular body condition scoring empowers owners for proactive, long-term equine health management.”
The bottom line is that “pleasantly plump” can lead to serious health issues in horses – just like people. Join Equine Guelph in making your resolution for this new year in aiming for a healthy weight for your horses!
Research article: Survey Reveals Emotional and Practical Challenges in Managing Horse Weight – https://thehorseportal.ca/2025/12/survey-reveals-emotional-and-practical-challenges-in-managing-horse-weight/
Body Condition Scoring online short courses on TheHorsePortal.ca – instructor-led from January 19-26, 2026 – https://thehorseportal.ca/course/introduction-to-body-condition-scoring-winter-26/
Body Condition Scoring online short courses on TheHorsePortal.ca
self-paced on-demand – https://thehorseportal.ca/course/on-demand-body-condition-score/
