Understanding Equine Obesity
Equine obesity is a condition where horses accumulate excess body fat, leading to health complications such as insulin resistance, laminitis, and reduced lifespan. According to a study published in the Equine Veterinary Journal, approximately 45% of the leisure horse population in the UK is overweight or obese. This statistic highlights the importance of proper weight management in equine care.

1. Balance Calories and Bulk
Horses should consume at least 2.5% of their body weight in food daily, including hay, chaff, and bucket feed. Reducing their intake below this threshold can lead to health issues such as gastric ulcers and colic. To lower calorie intake without reducing bulk, soak hay for 12 hours to remove excess nutrition, akin to a horse’s version of celery. Ensure you supplement with vitamins and minerals to compensate for the reduced nutritional value.

2. Caloric Deficit Through Increased Activity
Ensure your horse’s caloric intake is less than what they expend. Increase their workload by riding more often, lunging, or using a jockey. This will help create a caloric deficit necessary for weight loss.

3. Manage Grazing Intensity
Many horses consume excess calories simply from grazing. Contrary to traditional advice, consider having more horses per acre to reduce grass availability and manage weight. Regularly remove droppings and control weeds like ragwort to maintain a healthy pasture.

4. Regular Grass Maintenance
If increasing the number of horses per acre isn’t feasible, keep the grass short by mowing. This mimics the effect of overgrazing and limits caloric intake from lush grass.

5. Encourage Movement with Strategic Fencing
Instead of strip grazing, use an electric fence in a U-shape to increase the distance your horse must walk for water, thereby increasing exercise and calorie usage.

6. Aim for Gradual Weight Loss
Weight loss should be slow and steady. Rapid weight loss can lead to hyperlipemia or a reduced metabolism, making it harder to lose weight in the future. If your horse is 20% over their optimal weight, expect the weight loss journey to take at least a year.

7. Accurate Feed Measurement
Weigh all feed, including hay or haylage, to ensure precise portions. Use a container that measures the exact amount recommended to avoid overfeeding.

8. Monitor Progress with Photos and Weighing
Take monthly photos and use a scientifically validated weight tape biweekly to track your horse’s weight changes. Keep a diary to document progress.

9. Consider a Grazing Muzzle
A grazing muzzle can help limit caloric intake, especially for horses that spend a lot of time in a stable with reduced movement.

10. Focus on Walking for Fat Burning
Brisk walking for at least half an hour a day can burn more fat than faster gaits and is also protective against insulin resistance.

Additional Tips for Weight Management
Leave the Rug Off: Horses use most of their feed energy for warmth. By not using a rug, they burn more calories to stay warm, reducing fat accumulation.
Calories as Energy: A laid-back horse doesn’t need extra calories for energy. Avoid overfeeding to prevent weight gain.
For more information on equine nutrition and weight management, the American Association of Equine Practitioners offers valuable resources. If you have specific questions, feel free to ask in the comments, and we’ll provide answers as soon as possible.

Take weight loss for example. I have several clients who felt a lot of doubt about whether they could get in shape and be healthy. (By the way, doubt is the antonym of confidence.) What they learned was that their success was directly related to confidence. And oh yeah, once they started to see that, boy did they get amazing results!

Don’t take my word for it. Just ask 22-year-old Torey Krug a Boston Bruins defenseman who played most of the season in the minor league. Inserted into the Bruins lineup during the playoffs due to injuries of veteran players, he scored two amazing goals in his first two games. He was asked by a local broadcaster what he thought attributed to his success. Torey’s answer: confidence. Keep in mind this kid was no Wayne Gretzky out of college. He went undrafted. Could he have felt doubt, sure, but he didn’t because he knows the road to success is paved with confidence.

“Ya but… ” I can hear you saying. It’s normal to feel doubt, uncertainty, hesitation and all the feelings of ‘I can’t’. But really, what if you could? What if you could feel confident right now no matter what? How would that change your outlook? What would you do?

Here are three tips to help you feel more confident so that what you want to achieve seems to simply appear.

Tip 1: Think back to a time when you felt really great about accomplishing something. Was it when you finally got off the couch and took a walk or got the courage up to join a group exercise class or began a weight loss program and lost weight right away? Whatever it was, tap into those feelings. Those are your touchstones for recalling a feeling confidence and ultimately success. Write down those feelings and read them regularly – daily is a good idea and first thing in the morning and often last thing in the evening (and during the day if needed). This helps you maintain a high level of confidence.

Tip 2: Keep the reason you want to reach your goal top of mind. When you know why you are doing something, it is much easier to stick to it. If you decide you are finally getting off the seesaw of diet and exercise and making changes that are part of a healthy and fit lifestyle -write down your whys. They might be because you want to: look great, feel energized, join in family outings or participate in your life again rather than sit on the sidelines. Write them all down and then-just like your feelings of confidence-review them often.

Tip 3: Get the support you need. Ask a trusted friend to hold you accountable to your actions and behaviors. Don’t forget to have them help you though the rough points, too, when you aren’t feeling the confidence you want to reach your success. Hire a coach. A coach is someone who is completely on your side, they have your best interests at heart and they are not attached to the outcome which means they are solely there for you and your success. A coach can help you through the doubts and to feeling and being confident faster. My clients have reached their goals because they stepped up and worked with me. I also have a coach, and I can personally attest to having way more confidence and success simply by having a coach on my side.

I challenge you this week to pay attention to when you are feeling doubt. How and when does it appear… and what follows? Can you turn it around and stride confidently toward your success? I bet you can.

According to official reports, overweight and obesity has become public health issues in America. And, this has given rise to a number of slimming and dieting formulas and supplements. One such supplement has been incorporated into the Melissa Mccarthy diet and you’ve got to see the before and after images to believe in the wonders that it holds. There aren’t many supplements available that deliver as they promise but this one is different. Even the top supermodels have trusted into its ingredients and made this a part of their bikini body diet. Now, that the spring summer season is here and it is that time of the year when bikini models fight it out to leverage on their best features, having a supplement that ensures that their curves and flats are in place is not a bad deal at all.

Melissa Mccarthy diet
The fact that we are talking about this Mike and Molly star who was once famous for her overweight appearance is an achievement in itself. But have you considered what went behind her 45-pound weight reduction that surprised and amazed her fans and raised quite a few eyebrows in the media. It is a lot of discipline and taking the one hundred percent natural powder of a supplement. This is the Melissa Mccarthy diet that you’ve been vying to get your hands on. On the basis of this she has been able to stun her fans and her appearances have just rocked the red carpets everywhere. Celebrities around the world have taken into this supplement and have trusted in its capabilities to take the extra flab off their body and keep them looking slim and feel beautiful.

Bikini body diet
Celebrities also have families like us, they give birth to beautiful children and then they are back to business as usual. But if we name a supermodel you will surely not be able to place her within that bandwagon of mom-models. Miranda Kerr – the name that incites sensations irrespective of geographical boundaries, made it back to her super body, which is actually been dubbed as the best post-baby body. Giselle Bundchen shocked the world with the second pregnancy super-toned and shaped body. Their bikini body diet consisted of a disciplined life, workout and on the natural supplement powder which hasn’t disappointed them at all.

When it comes to a trusted supplement to ensure a flawless bikini body diet then there is no substitute to the organic powers of the weight loss supplement. This is the reason why so many celebrities have relied in it to shape up their body and feel beautiful. One of the most striking examples of this is Melissa Mccarthy diet which included the prescribed dosage of this organic supplement and you can see the results for yourself in front of your eyes. The real beauty lies within your mind. So, the first trick is to start feeling beautiful, else none of the supplements or workout regimes are going to do the wonders for you.

According to official reports, overweight and obesity has become public health issues in America. And, this has given rise to a number of slimming and dieting formulas and supplements. One such supplement has been incorporated into the Melissa Mccarthy diet and you’ve got to see the before and after images to believe in the wonders that it holds. There aren’t many supplements available that deliver as they promise but this one is different. Even the top supermodels have trusted into its ingredients and made this a part of their bikini body diet. Now, that the spring summer season is here and it is that time of the year when bikini models fight it out to leverage on their best features, having a supplement that ensures that their curves and flats are in place is not a bad deal at all.

Melissa Mccarthy diet
The fact that we are talking about this Mike and Molly star who was once famous for her overweight appearance is an achievement in itself. But have you considered what went behind her 45-pound weight reduction that surprised and amazed her fans and raised quite a few eyebrows in the media. It is a lot of discipline and taking the one hundred percent natural powder of a supplement. This is the Melissa Mccarthy diet that you’ve been vying to get your hands on. On the basis of this she has been able to stun her fans and her appearances have just rocked the red carpets everywhere. Celebrities around the world have taken into this supplement and have trusted in its capabilities to take the extra flab off their body and keep them looking slim and feel beautiful.

Bikini body diet
Celebrities also have families like us, they give birth to beautiful children and then they are back to business as usual. But if we name a supermodel you will surely not be able to place her within that bandwagon of mom-models. Miranda Kerr – the name that incites sensations irrespective of geographical boundaries, made it back to her super body, which is actually been dubbed as the best post-baby body. Giselle Bundchen shocked the world with the second pregnancy super-toned and shaped body. Their bikini body diet consisted of a disciplined life, workout and on the natural supplement powder which hasn’t disappointed them at all.

When it comes to a trusted supplement to ensure a flawless bikini body diet then there is no substitute to the organic powers of the weight loss supplement. This is the reason why so many celebrities have relied in it to shape up their body and feel beautiful. One of the most striking examples of this is Melissa Mccarthy diet which included the prescribed dosage of this organic supplement and you can see the results for yourself in front of your eyes. The real beauty lies within your mind. So, the first trick is to start feeling beautiful, else none of the supplements or workout regimes are going to do the wonders for you.