Post-Winter Weight Gain
Description
Recently, a friend reached out to me because her 19-year-old easy keeper is now showing ribs coming out of a very cold winter. This is a horse who is well-attended to and requires very little to keep his weight on, but as he's shedding, it seems he has lost a bit of weight. This is a relatively common occurrence, particularly as horses age, but there are some steps to take. In this episode, we'll review some weight-gain tips, along with suggestions for determining why weight loss happens in the first place. As promised, below are some helpful links for additional information.
Body Condition Scoring video with Dr. Bob Colemam of the University of Kentucky: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bq0ZXnSlsNQ
All About Body Condition Scoring (with pictures) from Iowa State University Extension: https://www.extension.iastate.edu/equine/body-condition-score#:~:text=Horses%20are%20scored%20on%20a,ribs%2C%20and%20behind%20the%20shoulder.
Need to buy a weight tape? Here's one place online (also check your local feed / tack store): https://a.co/d/j2wPmrK
Measuring tape long enough for horses: https://a.co/d/2IVae0e
Also, the "Healthy Horse" app is highly recommended for estimating a horse's body weight!
United States
