11/06/07 Obesity

Obesity is increasing in America as exercise and physical work decreases, I'm Jeff Keane and I'll return in a moment to talk about how this epidemic also affects our horses. Over indulgence isn't isolated to just the human species, new reports point to evidence that obesity on the rise in our horses as well, Here's Becky with more. Well Jeff, have you ever heard the phrase "killing them with kindness"? This is exactly what we are doing to our equine companions. Researchers at Virginia-Maryland Regional College and Virginia Tech have determined that over the past decade obesity has become a growing concern for horses. In a study involving 300 horses of a variety of breeds, 51% were found to be overweight and of those, 19% were considered obese. Like their human counter parts, overweight horses have a host of medical problems from increased cases of laminitis, hypertension and respiratory issues just to name a few. Can we blame this on all those packaged horse treats I see in the feed stores? Not really Jeff, just like with humans the main contributor appears to be too much food and not enough exercise. The solutions are simple and could prove lifesaving for your horse. Feed more roughage, less calories and more exercise. To help simplify your feeding program, there are even new low fat, reduced energy foods available for horses that are overweight. You know over weight horses are usually not a problem for our ranch except during the late spring in a good grass year. That problem normally goes away as the season dries out, it all seems to work out naturally. I'm Jeff Keane.