​                                                 FOOD IS NOT LOVE
 
How many times have you seen an owner give their horse food instead of time.  We are very busy, we are very tired, we just don’t have the time. Even though we wanted to have the horse at home, now that we do, we just can’t find time to work it. We have to clean, feed and then do everything else in our life. Since we now feel bad for not getting the horse worked, or spending anytime with him, we throw him some extra food or give him some extra treats.

No matter what excuses we make to give them the extra food, food is not love.  Maybe we feel bad that he only gets 2 flakes of hay a day. He is locked in his stall at the boarding stable with nothing to do, so we give more food. We want him to like us so when we show up we give him 20 carrots and 4 apples. When we are done, we give him grain even though he does not need it. We want to give him supplements, so we have to put enough grain in so he will eat it. 

He gets so excited for his food; it makes us feel like he loves us more.
But it is all about the food to the horse. Your horse may love food, but the food will not make him love you more. You may think if I give him these treats he will take care of me on the trail. He will act better in the arena but it won’t.  He will just expect the food and get pushy. He will want to get back to his stall faster for the food and then may drag you back to the stall. He may not want to leave the barn because that’s where he gets the food. He may run home to get to the food faster. All you have done is made your horse fat and disrespectful.

Food is not love. If you love your horse you will make the time for him. You will get up earlier and work him before you start any other projects. You will give him rules and boundaries. This does not mean you can’t give treats or any food, it just means not as much. Your horse does not know the difference between 2 carrots and 20 carrots. So just give him 2.

Horses that are in the wild do not get fat.  In fact you will hardly see a fat animal in the wild, unless they are coming into contact with humans. It is the humans who think they are skinny and then feed the cute squirrels that now become obese. Believe me I saw them at Zion National Park recently. Fattest squirrels I have ever seen.

Animals have to wander and search and find food. That’s how they stay in shape, that’s how they keep their minds busy, which then make them tired later in the day. That is how they stay healthy.

They eat more in the spring and summer and less in the winter; therefore they usually lose some of the weight in the winter. But if your pasture is full food all the time the weight does not get regulated.

If they do not search for food but are given it, they no not exercise. If they do not exercise they become overweight and if they become overweight, they become unhealthy. It puts them at a high risk of laminitis as well as metabolic disorders. This also puts more weight on their joints, which puts them at risk of early arthritis. Their joints were made to carry the weight of one horse not two.

So what can we do? How do we know if they are overweight? Well first you can ask your vet. Below is a link to a body condition score, which also may help you. At your feed store they have weight tapes that you can use to check your horse’s weight. You can also ask your friends but ask one that does not have an overweight horse. Some of us get so use to seeing them overweight we think that is normal now. Just Google overweight horses on the Internet, you will see it is not just prevalent in this country but a lot of countries.

Try to exercise your horse more. Instead of feeding those extra treats, make him run around in the pasture or roundpen. Even 10 minutes a day will help.
If you have pasture, don’t allow him to free graze as long, or use a grazing muzzle or have a paddock or pasture which is just dirt. You can always throw some low calorie grass hay in, but spread it around the pasture so he has to go and look for it.

If in a stall use a slow feeder or hay net. Have him lunged or ridden. Pay a trainer to ride him, it cost less then the cost of treating laminitis and it's better for your horse.

If you have your horse in pasture, you should not have to feed him extra hay if his weight looks fine. Let him wander and find what he can eat and only supplement if he starts looking thin on the TAMU scale listed below.

IF YOU LOVE YOUR HORSE YOU WILL FIND TIME TO SPEND WITH HIM AND GET HIM BACK TO A GOOD WEIGHT FOR HIS SIZE. IF HE DOES GET LAMINITIS HE WILL BE AT RISK FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE OF GETTING LAMINITIS. NO ONE WANTS TO BUY A HORSE THAT HAS HAD LAMINITIS. SO IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO YOU IT WILL BE HARD FOR HIM TO FIND ANOTHER HOME. SO IF YOU TRULY LOVE THEM DO WHATS BEST FOR THEM.

                                          REMEMBER FOOD IS NOT LOVE
 
https://vetmed.tamu.edu/files/vetmed/vmth/laminitis/Equine_Body_Condition_Scoring.pdf
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https://ker.com/equinews/overweight-horses-face-multiple-health-risks/
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https://thehorse.com/136591/unsound-and-overweight-horses/
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https://horseandrider.com/horse-health-care/grass-laminitis-fall-risks-18535