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Fit Not Fat – Why Weight Management Matters in Horses

With studies revealing over 50% of UK horses are overweight, it’s time to tackle the growing issue of equine obesity. Learn how to assess condition accurately, understand the risks, and manage your horse’s weight for health and performance.

Weight management is one of the biggest welfare and performance challenges facing horse owners today. Just as human and pet obesity has become more prevalent, research shows that more than half of the UK’s horse population is overweight – including up to a third of horses in regular work.

Obesity isn’t simply an aesthetic concern. It can have serious health implications, such as laminitis, joint stress, hormone imbalances, and even behavioural changes. As riders, owners, and equine professionals, it’s crucial we take a proactive and honest approach to managing equine weight.

Several factors contribute to weight gain, often working in combination:

Metabolism

Native breeds, and horses with native or Arabian ancestry, evolved to survive on low-nutrient forage. These “good doers” are biologically wired to store fat efficiently – even if they don’t look like traditional natives. It’s important to feed for the horse in front of you.

Workload vs. Feed

Feeding to ideal work levels rather than actual activity is a common mistake. Many leisure and amateur competition horses are in light to moderate work, however many are fed diets suited to harder workloads. Use workload guides and be realistic about how much work they are in.

Outdated Perceptions

In some circles, "condition" is still mistakenly equated with health. Encouraging a leaner, fitter appearance based on muscle not fat supports longevity, soundness, and welfare.

The Hidden Risks of Excess Weight

Being overweight puts horses at risk of multiple serious issues:

  • Laminitis and Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS)
  • Joint strain, arthritis, and lameness
  • Poor stamina and performance
  • Hormonal behaviour, particularly in mares
  • Summer Pasture-Associated RAO (SPARAO)
  • Reduced fertility

Fat is not passive tissue – it actively releases pro-inflammatory compounds that can worsen health conditions over time.

Seeing your horse every day makes it hard to notice subtle changes. Here’s how to stay on top of it:

Body Condition Scoring (BCS)

There are two common scales:

  • 0–5 scale (used widely across Europe – recommended for simplicity)
  • 1–9 scale (developed by Henneke et al)

Choose one and stick with it. Use your hands, not just your eyes – fat feels soft and mobile, while muscle is firm and smooth.

Look out for fat pads:

  • Crest of the neck
  • Shoulders
  • Ribs
  • Tailhead

A cresty neck, especially without general obesity, could indicate insulin dysregulation and warrants attention. Use a Weigh Tape, although not 100% accurate, this is a very useful method for tracking trends – especially when used weekly by the same person.

Top Tips for Weight Management

  • Use a weigh tape and BCS weekly
  • Feed for the work being done – not what you’d like to do
  • Soak hay for at least one hour to reduce sugars
  • Choose high-fibre, low-calorie, low-NSC forage
  • Avoid over-rugging – let metabolism do its job
  • Ensure the diet is micronutrient-balanced (e.g. using NAF Slim)

Nutritional Support

Nutrition can support healthy weight loss and fat metabolism. Ingredients like:

  • Magnesium (supports insulin sensitivity)
  • Spirulina and marine extracts (support metabolic function)
  • Turmeric and curcumin
  • Leucine from sunflower

These functional ingredients can make a difference when paired with honest management and suitable workload.

Spring and summer grazing can make weight control especially difficult, but the right management and nutritional tools can support horses to maintain a healthy weight without compromising welfare.

For further guidance or tailored advice, contact the NAF team or visit naf-equine.eu.

Let’s help our horses stay fit, not fat – for health, happiness, and longevity in the saddle.