Does your horse eat continuously without seeing any improvement in its body condition? What could be happening? There are several factors to consider when trying to improve your horse's body condition.
Assess the horse's health
Marked loss of body condition, or ongoing difficulty in maintaining a horse's body condition, are reasons to perform a complete medical examination to determine whether there is a health problem that is preventing normal weight gain.
Dental problems are often the cause of loss of body condition or difficulty in gaining weight. Horses need to chew their feed carefully, so if dental care is neglected and oral discomfort occurs, intake may be compromised.
Gastric ulcers can also be a cause of loss of appetite. A recent study revealed that more than 581,000 horses across various sports have gastric ulcers.
The ingestion of large quantities of cereals or foods containing cereals that have not undergone heat treatment is associated with a decrease in the digestive efficiency of starch and the consequent passage of undigested starch into the large intestine. This situation increases subclinical intestinal acidosis, which can result in loss of appetite, mild colic of unknown origin, poor feed efficiency with weight loss, changes in behavior and decreased performance.
Internal parasites will compete with the horse for nutrients in the food it eats, reducing the horse's absorption of these nutrients. Proper health prophylaxis is essential to maintain the horse's health and body condition. The horse's owner can ask the veterinarian to assess the parasite load (by counting fecal eggs) and establish a good individual deworming program.
Proper nutrition – Quality and quantity
forage food
Horse diets should be based on high-quality forage. Providing good-quality forage in adequate quantities is the best way to support healthy digestion and maintain a good body condition. The forage component becomes even more important if the horse has problems such as gastric ulcers or acidosis. Legume forages (lucerne or clover) are richer in protein and energy than grass forages, so this factor should be taken into account.
ALFALFA INTACOL
Low-quality or poorly preserved forage, with obvious signs of dust, fermentation or mould, should be avoided, as it can cause significant health problems. Poor-quality feed and forage with low nutrient levels can cause deficiencies, especially in more demanding horses or those subjected to more intense physical activity.
compound feed
Whenever weight loss or difficulty in maintaining body condition is observed, feeding management should be carefully analyzed. The compound feed must be made up of quality raw materials, properly processed, balanced in energy, proteins, vitamins and minerals. The compound feed is an ally in maintaining body condition and meeting the nutrient requirements that the horse presents, considering the phase it is in (gestation or lactation) or physical activity (more or less intense) that it performs.
INTACOL FOODS
We can add ingredients to the established diet in order to increase the caloric density of the food provided or improve its digestibility. To do this, we can include:
-Sources of fat (linseed oil or fish oil), which have a significantly higher energy density than other foods, and are a source of omega 3;
-Super fibers that are fermented in the large intestine and provide an extra calorie intake;
ALFABEET
-Probiotics and prebiotics, which support digestion and ensure that the horse gets the most out of its food;
GASTROBALANCE
-Others.
Environmental factors and group dynamics
If the horse is in good health and its diet is adequate, the next factor to consider is the environmental factor, which can confer stress to the animal and consequent weight loss.
If the horse is in a group, check the hierarchical dynamics between the different elements (dominant elements may prevent it from feeding properly). If it is confined, will this confinement cause stress? All these factors should be evaluated.
Keeping animals relaxed is essential to encourage them to eat and for efficient digestive performance.