WEIGHT MANAGEMENT
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Is your horse in ideal condition?
Stand at any South African livery yard in late October and you will see the same pattern repeating: horses who looked reasonable in July are suddenly developing cresty necks and filling out behind the shoulders. The spring grass has arrived, and with it, the annual battle against equine obesity begins. By February, some of these horses will be dangerously overweight. Others, by contrast, will struggle through winter looking ribby and drawn despite their owners’ best efforts.
If it was just about appearance, it wouldn’t be such a worry, but sadly weight management affects health in a very real way, and getting it wrong can lead to laminitis, infertility in breeding stock, joint issues and a cascade of other health problems.
Unlike dogs or humans who can step on scales, horses require systematic visual and hands-on assessment. The Henneke body condition scoring system provides this framework, evaluating fat coverage at six key anatomical points on a scale from 1 (emaciated) to 9 (extremely fat). But knowing the system is one thing, and actually implementing it is another! Understanding what appropriate condition looks like for your specific horse, in your specific circumstances, with South Africa’s dramatic seasonal grass variation – that is where most owners struggle.
Why this matters more than you think
Drive past paddocks in Johannesburg’s northern suburbs in summer and you will see cresty-necked ponies with apple-shaped rumps grazing on kikuyu that grows faster than it can be eaten. These are not happy, healthy horses enjoying good grazing. These are horses walking the metabolic tightrope toward laminitis and equine metabolic syndrome – a condition characterised by insulin dysregulation, abnormal fat distribution, and increased laminitis risk that has become alarmingly common in South African pleasure horses.
The fat itself is not inert storage. Adipose tissue produces inflammatory mediators that make laminitis more likely. The abnormal fat deposits – particularly that hard, cresty neck and fat pockets behind the shoulders – indicate insulin dysregulation that changes how the horse processes sugars and starches. Once this metabolic damage sets in, managing these horses becomes a lifelong challenge. Prevention is infinitely easier than management after the fact.
But obesity is not the only concern. Visit a spelling farm in the Cape in August, and you might see Thoroughbreds fresh off the track, ribs visible, toplines hollow, struggling to maintain condition through winter despite good feeding. Being underweight compromises immune function, making horses more susceptible to the respiratory diseases that sweep through yards during cold snaps. Thin mares fail to cycle normally, and performance horses lack the energy reserves for sustained work. And even with the right food, an inability to maintain weight often indicates other underlying problems including dental disease, parasites, Cushing’s disease in older horses, or metabolic conditions that need veterinary attention.
Learning to see what is actually there
Most horse owners (us included!) are terrible at assessing their own horses’ body condition. We see them daily, so gradual changes become invisible. We compare them to other horses at our yard rather than to objective standards. We convince ourselves that a cresty neck is ‘just how he is built’ or that visible ribs mean our horse is fit rather than thin. This is where body condition scoring becomes essential – it forces objectivity.
The Henneke 9-point scale ranges from 1 (emaciated, with bone structures extremely prominent and no palpable fat) through 5 (moderate – ideal for most horses, with ribs felt with light pressure but not easily visible) to 9 (extremely obese, with ribs impossible to feel beneath fat and bulging deposits along neck, withers, and tailhead). Most horses should sit at 5, though this varies somewhat by use – eventers and endurance horses often perform best slightly leaner at 4-5, while broodmares might carry 5-6 for optimal fertility.
Six anatomical areas tell the story. Run your hands along your horse’s neck – is the crest firm muscle or jiggly fat? Can you feel ribs with light pressure, or do you need to push firmly through fat to locate them? Is the spine level, or is there a crease developing along the back? When you press your thumb into the area behind the shoulder, do you feel bone and muscle, or does your thumb sink into a spongy fat pocket? Stand behind your horse – is the rump rounded and muscular, or apple-shaped with fat deposits? Feel the tailhead – prominent bones indicate thinness, spongy fat indicates excess.
Here is what makes this challenging: a pony at BCS 5 looks very different from a Thoroughbred at BCS 5. The pony appears rounder and fuller due to breed conformation, while the Thoroughbred looks leaner despite both having appropriate fat coverage. This is why hands-on palpation matters more than visual assessment in these cases. Your hands feel what your eyes might misinterpret.
Body condition quick reference guide
The Henneke Scale
BCS 1-3: Too thin – ribs easily visible, prominent bones, insufficient fat.
BCS 4: Moderately thin – ribs easily felt but not visible, slight ridge of the spine along the back.
BCS 5: IDEAL FOR MOST HORSES – ribs felt with light pressure, back appears level.
BCS 6: Moderately fleshy – ribs need firm pressure to feel them, slight back crease forming along the spine.
BCS 7-9: Too fat – ribs difficult to impossible to feel, obvious fat deposits.
Six assessment areas
Neck: Check crest – firm muscle vs jiggly fat vs hard fibrous crest (chronic obesity).
Withers: Should be rounded, not sharp (thin) or buried in fat.
Shoulder: Feel behind shoulder – early fat deposit site, spongy = overweight.
Ribs: Light pressure should find ribs at BCS 5; visible = thin, unfindable = fat.
Back/loin: Level at ideal; protruding spine = thin, crease = fat.
Tailhead: Feel for bone (thin) vs fat coverage (appropriate) vs spongy deposits (fat).
BCS for type
Eventers/endurance horses: BCS 4-5 (lean, efficient).
Showjumpers/dressage: BCS 5-6 (power + presentation).
Broodmares: BCS 5-6 (affects fertility).
Pleasure horses: BCS 5 (easy keepers drift higher).
Young growing horses: BCS 4-5 (controlled growth).
Seniors: BCS 5-6 (monitor closely).
What is right for your horse?
The showing world has distorted perceptions of appropriate weight. Winning showing horses often carry BCS 6-7, creating the impression that a ‘good-looking’ horse is a fat horse. But ask any sporthorse vet or experienced eventing yard manager what constitutes appropriate condition, and the answer is very different. The Thoroughbred eventer competing in Kyalami needs to be lean – BCS 4-5 – carrying just enough condition for sustained effort without excess weight slowing speed or putting extra strain on joints. That same body condition score on a broodmare at a Thoroughbred Stud in the Karoo would be concerning, as mares too thin show reduced conception rates.
Context matters enormously. A children’s pony doing regular lessons and SANESA competitions might look perfect at BCS 5, but if that same pony lives on spring kikuyu with minimal work, maintaining BCS 5 requires active management – grazing muzzles, restricted turnout, or dry lot with measured hay. The retired showjumper enjoying semi-retirement in the Cape winelands can probably maintain appropriate condition on moderate grazing with light hacking. The Welsh Pony on the same property will become obese without intervention, because hardy native breeds evolved to extract maximum nutrition from minimal feed.
Young horses create their own challenges. That gangly two-year-old Warmblood starting under saddle should sit around BCS 4-5, lean but not thin, with controlled growth that protects developing joints rather than rapid growth at high condition that increases the risk of developmental orthopaedic disease. Your breeding operation’s pregnant mares need BCS 5-6 through pregnancy, but contrary to old beliefs, they should not gain significant weight in late pregnancy – excess condition at foaling increases dystocia risk and makes post-foaling weight loss harder.
The South African weight management challenge
South Africa’s grass creates a particular problem. Spring kikuyu in Gauteng grows explosively, creating lush grazing that puts weight on horses faster than many of us realise. By November, horses who looked reasonable in August are developing those telltale fat pockets behind shoulders, and the cresty necks are firming up. Easy keepers – and this includes most ponies, many cobs, Arabians, and any horse with native breeding – go from appropriate to obese in a matter of weeks.
Then there is the social pressure. Put a grazing muzzle on an obese pony to allow him to still get turn-out with his friends, and someone will label you as cruel. The reality, which metabolic horse specialists will tell you, is that unrestricted spring grass access for an easy keeper is not kindness – it is a direct route to metabolic syndrome and laminitis. The muzzle is not punishment but rather health management, allowing the horse safe turnout with conspecifics while limiting intake by 70-80%.
Winter creates different problems. Highveld winters are cold, and cold burns calories. Horses who maintained condition easily through summer suddenly start losing weight in June despite the same feeding regime. Wet and cold weather together are particularly demanding – a horse standing in cold rain requires significantly more energy than a horse in dry cold of the same temperature. This is when you see the hard keepers struggle. The off-the-track Thoroughbred who looked reasonable in summer develops visible ribs by August. Seniors, particularly those with early Cushing’s disease, may lose weight despite increased feeding.
Seasonal management means anticipating these patterns rather than reacting after condition has changed, which can be tricky with our somewhat erratic weather patterns.
When your horse does not fit the template
Every yard has that pony. You know the one – lives on air, gets fat watching other horses eat… These easy keepers, often native breeds or anything with pony blood, have efficient metabolisms that extracted maximum nutrition from sparse moorland grazing for centuries. On South African spring grass, this evolutionary advantage becomes a health liability.
Managing these horses means accepting that what looks like restriction is actually appropriate feeding. A 14-hand Shetland cross might maintain condition on one-third of what a similar-sized Thoroughbred needs. This feels wrong until you understand that metabolic efficiency varies as much between horses as between breeds. Some horses truly do stay fat on minimal feed. Denying this reality and feeding them ‘normally’ creates obesity, laminitis risk, and potential metabolic disease.
The opposite problem – horses who struggle to maintain weight despite good feeding – often indicates underlying issues rather than simply needing more food. A horse losing condition despite adequate feeding needs a dental examination, a faecal egg count to check parasite burden, and possibly blood work ruling out Cushing’s disease or other metabolic conditions. Sometimes the answer is straightforward – the 23-year-old gelding’s teeth are worn to the point that he cannot chew hay effectively and needs soaked feeds. Other times it is more complex – the eight-year-old mare has ulcers creating pain and reducing appetite, or the competition horse’s workload genuinely exceeds energy intake.
Making change happen
Weight loss takes time, which frustrates owners facing an obese horse in October who want them appropriate by Christmas, but rushing creates even more problems. Safe weight loss sits at 0.5-1% body weight weekly maximum. For a 500kg horse carrying BCS 7-8, this means 2.5-5kg per week, suggesting six to twelve months to reach BCS 5. Faster weight loss risks hyperlipemia – a life-threatening metabolic complication where mobilised fat overwhelms the liver.
Practical weight loss for that obese pony means several interventions simultaneously. A grazing muzzle allows turnout while limiting intake. If the pony is anxious in the muzzle, restricted turnout hours can be an option – four hours daily on good grass rather than sixteen can work, but the pony will need plenty of hand walking alongside this to get adequate movement. Some owners use dry lot or sacrifice areas, small paddocks with no grass, where measured hay is provided in slow-feed nets, spreading meals over hours rather than minutes. Exercise helps too, though do not expect exercise alone to solve obesity – you cannot outrun a bad diet, and this applies to horses as much as humans.
Building condition on an underweight horse follows different rules. First, address the cause. Sort the teeth. Treat the parasites. Diagnose and manage the Cushing’s disease. Then increase feed gradually – dramatic sudden increases can trigger digestive upset. Feed high-quality forage ad lib and add concentrated feeds slowly, choosing high-fat options like rice bran or oils rather than high-starch grains that create insulin spikes. Providing multiple smaller meals rather than two large ones if your management system allows can be a game changer.
What you cannot do – for either weight loss or gain – is guess and hope (even thought we’ve all tried it). Systematic weekly assessment tells you if your programme works. Photograph your horse from the same angles every two weeks. Record body condition scores and note feed changes. This creates evidence that you can rely on and look back at allowing you to catch problems early and confirming success when it happens.
Weight loss for obese horses:
- Target 0.5-1% body weight weekly (6-12 months realistic).
- Grazing muzzles (if tolerated) reduce intake 70-80% while allowing turnout.
- Feed minimum 1.5% body weight as forage (never less!).
- Increase exercise gradually as fitness improves.
- Weekly BCS checks, photos every two to four weeks.
Gaining weight for underweight horses
- Medical check FIRST: teeth, parasites, blood work.
- High-quality forage ad lib, multiple small meals.
- Add concentrates gradually (high-fat better than high-starch).
- If no improvement after four weeks of proper feeding get a veterinary assessment.
Call the vet if:
- Rapid unexplained weight loss.
- No weight gain after four weeks appropriate feeding.
- No weight loss after 8-12 weeks appropriate programme.
- Cresty neck and abnormal fat deposits (metabolic concern).
- Laminitis history and obesity.
The complicated cases
Metabolic horses create their own challenges. These are the horses with abnormal fat distribution – cresty necks that feel hard rather than jiggly, fat pockets behind shoulders, fat rumps despite often showing ribs. This regional adiposity signals insulin dysregulation, meaning the horse processes sugars and starches abnormally. Left unmanaged, these horses face high laminitis risk. This condition sadly requires veterinary involvement, not just weight management. Low sugar and starch hay (ideally tested, or soaked if testing is unavailable), no grain, minimal grazing during high-risk periods, and sometimes medication supporting insulin sensitivity are all required.
Senior horses (over fifteen to twenty years) need different assessment. That twenty-five-year-old gelding who has always been an easy keeper suddenly starts losing weight despite maintaining feed. The muscle along his topline wastes away, but he develops a pot belly and his neck stays cresty. This classic picture suggests Cushing’s disease – common in seniors, causing muscle wasting despite sometimes paradoxical fat deposits. These horses need veterinary diagnosis and treatment, plus easier-to-chew feeds supporting muscle maintenance.
Breed matters more than people realise. Thoroughbreds and Warmbloods often carry less visual fat at appropriate condition than native breeds, making them look thin to eyes accustomed to rounder types. Draft breeds can be easy or hard keepers, but their size means obesity creates serious joint stress. Someone new to horses might think a correct BCS 5 Thoroughbred looks too thin while accepting an overweight BCS 7 Welsh Pony as normal, purely based on breed-typical visual appearance rather than actual fat coverage.
Important
Even in obese horses and ponies, round-the-clock access to forage is essential for gut health. Choosing poorer quality forage, soaking forage to reduce sugar levels, and the use of slow-feeder nets are all good options for these horses. It is not an option to cut forage levels back in ANY horse.
Starting where you actually are
The winter is coming, or already here depending on when you read this. Your hard keeper will test your management. Your easy keeper will lull you into a false sense of security. Your senior will need closer attention than last year, but appropriate body condition underlies everything else – performance, longevity, quality of life, reduced veterinary bills.
Tomorrow morning, before feeding, we’ll be taking ten minutes to properly assess our horses. We’re going to do a systematic evaluation of all six areas – neck, withers, shoulder, ribs, back, tailhead – and take photos to see what we find and what changes we might need to make. We hope you’ll join us!