For years, welfare organisations, vets and nutritionists have been sounding the alarm about equine obesity and the risks associated with keeping a fat horse. What many still see as a cosmetic issue — or even a sign of good care — is, in reality, one of the most serious welfare and health threats facing our horses today.
Equine obesity is not about vanity or aesthetics. It is about pain, reduced quality of life, preventable disease and, in the worst cases, death. Understanding why a horse gets fat, why it is so dangerous and why it is so difficult to reverse is essential if we are to tackle what has become an epidemic.
How big is the problem?
Although comprehensive UK-wide studies are now several years old, the available data suggests that between 21% and 45% of UK horses are obese, depending on the population studied. In some areas, around one third of horses show clear regional fat deposits, such as cresty necks.
Feed company Dengie’s real-world experience mirrors this research. Around 40% of the horses they encounter are overweight, with the proportion significantly higher among leisure horses.
Yard clinics routinely see twice as many overweight horses as underweight ones, yet many owners do not actively seek advice because they assume good doers “don’t need feeding”.
Dr Katie Williams, Dengie’s technical and product development manager, notes that obesity-related queries make up around 10% of helpline calls, but believes the true figure is far higher. Many owners simply do not recognise that their horse is overweight.
Dr Tamzin Furtado, a leading researcher in equine obesity, agrees. “People often struggle to identify obesity in their own horses, even if they can see it clearly in others,” she explains.
Awareness has improved enormously over the past decade, but recognition at an individual level remains one of the biggest barriers to change.
A shifting culture — but not a solved problem
There are encouraging signs. In disciplines such as showing, where excess weight was once considered “good condition”, attitudes have shifted markedly.
Monitoring of horses at shows suggests a gradual move towards leaner, more athletic body types, with healthiest condition awards often aligning with top placings.
“It’s a far cry from the days where owners said you had to be fat horse to be placed,” says Tamzin. “But because we have so many good doers and such an obesogenic environment, there are still many overweight horses in certain classes. Things have improved, but we still have a lot of work to do.”
Crucially, there is no quick fix. Despite better awareness, many owners find themselves fighting the same battle year after year, as modern horse-keeping environments make weight gain easy and weight loss difficult.
How modern management promotes obesity
Horses evolved to walk many miles a day, grazing sparse forage, interacting socially and expending energy simply to survive. Modern management looks very different and many live a sedentary lifestyle.
“Modern methods of keeping horses invariably involve stabling, small turnout areas, limited social interaction, short and infrequent exercise, and calorie-dense feeds,” says BEVA veterinary projects officer and equine vet Lucy Grieve. “We are essentially confining them to small, boring spaces and throwing them a bag of sweets twice a day.”
A leisure horse is particularly at risk of being fat. Studies suggest that up to 70% are overweight, largely due to low exercise levels combined with excessive calorie intake. Weight creeps on slowly, often unnoticed, until it becomes a serious health issue.
As Lucy points out, prevention is always easier than treatment. “Losing weight is hard work, especially the longer it’s been there. But ignoring it can be fatal.”
The winter weight myth
One of the biggest contributors to the current crisis is the belief that horses should maintain the same weight all year round. In nature, horses would gain some weight during summer and lose it over winter when food was scarce. That seasonal fluctuation has largely disappeared.
Rugging, supplementary feeding, reduced winter exercise and well-intentioned management mean many horses no longer lose weight in winter as they should. Owners often worry if their horse drops condition, even when mild winter weight loss would be both natural and beneficial.
Consequently, more horses are coming out of winter already overweight, and then spring grass pushes them into the danger zone for serious health conditions, like laminitis.
Why fat is harmful
Extra weight is not just “padding”. Fat is metabolically active tissue that interferes with the normal hormonal systems in the horse’s body. One of the most serious consequences is insulin dysregulation, often associated with equine metabolic syndrome (EMS).
EMS is characterised by:
- A history of laminitis
- Regional fat deposition
- Insulin resistance
While not every overweight horse has equine metabolic syndrome, excess fat significantly increases the risk. Insulin dysregulation can trigger laminitis suddenly and without warning — even in horses that have been overweight for years with no previous problems.
“In very overweight horses, it’s not a case of ‘if’ they get laminitis, but ‘when’. It’s a dead cert,” warns equine nutritionist Fiona Watkins.
Laminitis remains the most devastating consequence of obesity. Mild cases may recover with early intervention and strict management, but severe or rapidly developing laminitis can cause catastrophic damage to the laminae. In some cases, pain becomes unmanageable and euthanasia is the only humane option.
This is why obesity can never be dismissed as a minor issue. A lack of exercise and “a bit of extra weight” can, quite literally, be fatal.
The wider health consequences
Laminitis is only one part of the picture. Excess weight affects almost every system in the body.
Orthopaedic problems
In young horses, carrying too much weight on developing bones and joints can lead to long-term orthopaedic issues, limiting comfort and athletic potential. In older horses or those with arthritis, extra weight increases strain on already damaged joints, worsening pain and stiffness.
Reduced performance
Overweight horses often show reduced stamina, speed and willingness to work. Just as excess body fat makes exercise harder for humans, it increases the effort required for horses to move, breathe and cool themselves. Elite athletes — human and equine — are lean for a reason.
Hormonal disorders
Insulin resistance and EMS are closely linked to obesity and can lead to lifelong management challenges. While medication can help manage insulin levels, it is not a substitute for appropriate diet, exercise and lifestyle changes.
As vet nurse Libby Smith from the British Equine Veterinary Association explains, EMS is largely a man-made condition: “It reflects overeating and underactivity, much like type 2 diabetes in people.”
Why weight loss can be difficult
If the solution were simply “feed less”, equine obesity would not be such a widespread problem. Safe weight loss for a fat horse is complex, particularly when welfare is taken seriously.
Sam Chubbock from World Horse Welfare emphasises that restrictive management must be approached carefully.
“Restricting calories risks compromising the horse’s fundamental needs — friends, forage and freedom,” she explains.
Simply shutting horses in or drastically reducing forage can lead to stress, stereotypical behaviours and other welfare issues. Instead, weight management needs to consider the whole horse.
Exercise is essential. Even low-intensity movement — such as in-hand walking or long-reining — can make a meaningful difference without overloading joints. Increasing daily movement, rather than relying on short, intense exercise sessions, is often key.
The Five Domains model — covering nutrition, environment, health, behaviour and mental state — provides a useful framework. Weight loss should improve, not diminish, a horse’s overall quality of life.
A responsibility we cannot ignore
Our horses are entirely dependent on us. They cannot choose their diet, their level of activity or their environment. As Lucy Grieve puts it: “They are at our mercy, so we owe it to them to make their lives as healthy and happy as possible.”
Equine obesity is not usually caused by neglect, but by well-meaning management that no longer aligns with horses’ natural needs. Addressing it requires honesty, education and a willingness to challenge long-held beliefs about what “looks right”.
A leaner horse is not a poorly cared-for horse. In most cases, it is healthier, more comfortable and more resilient than a fat horse.
The equine obesity epidemic will not be solved quickly, but by recognising the scale of the problem and understanding its consequences, owners can take meaningful steps to protect their horses’ health — not just this season, but for the rest of their lives.
Main image © Shutterstock
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