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Equine Obesity

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- “It seems that in the UK, the fat horse or pony is now so commonplace that it has come to represent the norm in the eyes of many owners”
Sillence MN. 2012. ‘Supersize me’: On equine obesity. The Veterinary
Journal 194 137–138.

- Have you ever met the person that thinks fat little ponies like
“Thelwell ponies” are just so cute?

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The conditions for which obesity is considered a risk factor include laminitis, insulin resistance, hyperlipemia, and equine metabolic syndrome (EMS)
• Stephenson HM, Green MJ, Freeman SL. 2011.
Prevalence of obesity in a population of horses in
the UK. Veterinary Record 168:131.
• TREIBER, K. H., KRONFELD, D. S., HESS, T.
M., BYRD, B. M., SPLAN, R. K. & STANIAR,
W. B. (2006) Evaluation of genetic and metabolic
predispositions and nutritional risk factors for
pasture- associated laminitis in ponies. Journal of
the American Veterinary Medical Association
228, 1538-1545.
• Kosolofski HR, Gow SP, Robinson KA.
Prevalence of obesity in the equine population of
Saskatoon and surrounding area Can Vet J
2017;58:967–970

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• Prevalence of obesity and over-conditioning in the United States has been estimated at 51% in
Virginia and 48% in North Carolina
• Studies in the United Kingdom have shown that 45% of riding horses were classified as fat or
very fat, and prevalence of obesity varied from 27% at the end of winter to 35% at the end of
summer
• Denmark, 24% of mature Icelandic horses were considered overweight or obese, and in Australia, 23% of horses were considered obese; ponies were more likely to be obese than were horse breeds

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Equine Metabolic
Syndrome (EMS)
• Increased adiposity in specific locations (regional adiposity) or generally(obesity)
• Insulin resistance (IR) with hyperinsulinemia
• Predisposition to development of laminitis

Chapter 135 Equine Metabolic Syndrome Frank N. 2015. Robinson’s Current Therapy in EQUINE MEDICINE 7th Edition. Editors: Kim A. Sprayberry and N. Edward Robinson. Elsevier/Saunders. St. Louis, MO. Pg. 569

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EMS Breeds
• Pony, Morgan Horses, Paso Finos, and Norwegian Fjord breeds are overrepresented
• Many others including Arabians, Quarter Horses, Saddlebreds, Tennessee Walking Horses, and warmbloods.

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Insulin Resistance -
Cushinoid
• Obesity has a greater impact on insulin sensitivity in certain animals, which corresponds with
clinical observations that some obese horses are insulin resistant whereas others have normal
insulin sensitivity.
• EMS is a disorder that should be managed with diet, housing, and exercise interventions.

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EMS Management with diet, housing and exercise interventions

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