Forage alone can make your horse too fat…

Grass, all types of hay (including organic meadow hay) and haylage can all cause obesity.

Don't assume that all fat horses are overfed from a bucket. Some will happily eat double the normal intake of forage if fed ad lib (free choice). Some horse owners already know this, but more and more horses and ponies who aren't fed much in a bucket are obese, and there a persistent myth that if you feed natural non-ryegrass hay, they will regulate and stay a healthy weight. This is simply not true.

Some will overeat more after restriction; some will regulate if fed ad lib (but not many); some will literally eat themselves to death (cases of laminitis from hay-only zero-grazing regimes confirm this). Horses and ponies are all very different so being open minded and monitoring your horse or pony regularly and carefully are the best strategies to ensure you don’t fall into the trap of assuming that feeding a certain type of forage won’t lead to obesity.

Monitor, monitor, monitor your horses and ponies to avoid and manage obesity