Steerpike
Well-Known Member
Just watching the news whilst having breakfast, and caught a bit saying that they say nearly half the horses in the UK are overweight causing several to be put down.
I wonder were they put down due to laminitis? It seems unlikely to happen just because they're overweight.Just watching the news whilst having breakfast, and caught a bit saying that they say nearly half the horses in the UK are overweight causing several to be put down.
and the rise in DIY with many owners having scant experience in horse care and no input from anyone else. Even the poor YO is accused of interfering if they say anything.
A lot of the problem is that people just don't recognise that their animals are overweight. Because fat equines have now become the norm, often those with healthy but slightly lean animals are accused of cruelty and abuse by those who feed their own animals to obesity.
Ah that’s a Brit thing, if people say that with regards to horses it’s the polite way of saying fat!
I started riding in 1966 and didn't see a pony in a rug until 1985 despite growing up in North Yorkshire. Our childhood ponies grew coats and had hay in the winter. If they hunted they might have some oats and nuts. Grown-ups had hunters which were clipped and wore New Zealand rugs outside and jute rugs over wool blankets in the stable - only one weight of each available as far as I can remember. Today so many people over-rug, over-feed and under exercise it's little wonder equine obesity is the norm.
And they over rug.....I believe that one of the main issues has been that showing judges always seem to reward overweight horses/ponies with rosettes & this wrongly reinforces that horses/ponies need to be a certain weight to be winners in the show ring. Also over feeding with little exercise is another major issue. If you run your fingers down the side of a horse you should be able to feel the ribs. So many are overweight & this causes joint issues that the horse/pony shouldn't have.
Some owners do literally kill horses with kindness by over feeding, giving titbits, all of which is detrimental.