Maintaining your horse’s optimal body condition throughout the colder months requires careful attention to diet, particularly the fibre component. Horses naturally tend to carry different proportions of fat and muscle based on age, breed, and workload. It’s important we ensure our horse’s diet provides the appropriate calories to maintain a healthy weight. Alongside correct work, the diet should give them the building blocks for muscle development.

Understanding Body Condition Scoring Your Horse

Condition scoring is a useful tool for assessing whether your horse is under, over, or at the correct weight. A 1-9 scale is often used. A score of 1 means the horse is very poor. A score of 9 means the horse is very overweight.

When condition scoring, it’s important not just to look at your horse’s waistline, but also his neck and hindquarters. A systematic approach should include:

Neck Assessment: Run your hands along the crest and sides of the neck. You should be able to feel the bone structure without excessive fat deposits. However, the neck shouldn’t feel sharp or angular.

Shoulder and Withers: The withers should be rounded but not buried in fat. You should be able to feel the spine and shoulder blades with light pressure.

Ribs: This is often the primary focus area. Ideally, you should be able to feel the ribs with light pressure but not see them prominently. Each rib should be felt under a light covering of fat.

Back and Loin: Run your hand along the spine. It should feel smooth and well-covered, not protruding sharply.

Hindquarters: View from behind and feel around the quarters and tail head. There should be good muscle definition without excessive fat deposits or prominent hip bones. Be mindful of overly round quarters, as they vary depending on the breed. For example, a thoroughbred will have a leaner quarter than a draft.

Regular condition scoring—ideally fortnightly—allows you to track changes before they become significant, enabling proactive dietary adjustments rather than reactive measures.

Pre-Diet Considerations for Your Horse

If your horse is dropping condition, before his diet is considered, there are several factors which every responsible horse owner should first check:

• Worming programme: Ensure your worming program is up to date, as parasites can significantly impact nutrient absorption and condition
• Dental health: Check the horse isn’t in physical discomfort from dental issues, which can prevent proper chewing and digestion
• Musculoskeletal comfort: Rule out back pain or other physical discomfort that might reduce appetite or increase stress
• Environmental factors: Make sure he isn’t spending large portions of his time cold or wet, which dramatically increases calorie requirements

Having established none of these are an issue, many owners may choose to increase the horse’s current bucket feed. This decision increases the volume of (potentially) cereal-based feed he receives. However, this approach overlooks the fundamental nutritional needs of the equine digestive system.

The Central Role of High-Fibre Diets

The design of the horse’s digestive system supports a nearly constant intake of fiber. This fact is well documented. Although often forgotten, perhaps the first area of consideration should be what and how much is put into his net.

Most horses will be healthiest and happiest with ad lib access to a fibre source of some sort. During cold weather, access to fibre has a triple advantage:

Digestive Health: Fibre keeps the digestive system functioning correctly. It maintains healthy gut motility. Fibre also supports the beneficial microbial population in the hindgut.

Internal Warmth Generation: The digestion of fibre in the hindgut creates heat as a by-product. This occurs through microbial fermentation. It quite literally warms your horse up from the inside out. This heat production is sustained and steady, unlike the quick energy burst from concentrates.

Behavioural Benefits: Horses often have to spend increased periods of time stabled during the colder months. The presence of fibre can decrease the likelihood of stereotypical behaviour. This is often caused by stress and boredom, which in itself can be a cause of weight loss.

Selecting Quality Forage

With fibre playing such an essential role in the diet of horses that need help with condition, it makes sense to provide them with the best quality we possibly can.

Palatability Factors: Forage that is soft will tempt a fussy feeder to eat. It should also have an appealing smell and be dust-free. The sensory appeal of forage shouldn’t be underestimated—horses are selective grazers by nature.

Nutritional Value: Soft forage with fine stems often indicates that the grass has been cut whilst it is younger compared to a coarse-looking forage and will therefore provide your horse with more calories per mouthful. Early-cut hay typically contains higher levels of digestible energy and protein than mature, stalky forage.

Digestibility: High-quality forage is more easily broken down and digested, meaning your horse extracts more nutritional value from each kilogram consumed. This is particularly important for older horses or those with compromised digestive efficiency.

Bucket Feed: Fibre-First Approach

Having considered what you are going to supply in your net, you should also assess what is going into your horse’s bucket. We know that ideally, the bulk of the diet should consist of fibre. There are a number of options such as high-temperature dried grass or alfalfa. These are widely available and can provide a valuable contribution to the energy (calorie) intake.

For Excitable Horses: Fibre-based feeds are especially useful for excitable horses. This means you may want to avoid cereal-based feeds wherever possible. The slow-release energy from fibre provides sustained fuel without the “heating” effect associated with high-starch feeds.

Complete Feeds: Fibre-based ‘complete’ feeds are particularly valuable. These feeds also contain a broad spectrum of vitamins and minerals. When fed at the correct levels, they will supply all your horse’s requirements without the need for further supplementation. These products offer convenience and nutritional security.

Flexible Feeding Options: If you would rather have more flexibility in your feeding, choose a chaff with calorie levels provided through oil. Ensure the chaff has very low sugar and starch levels. This will minimise the chance of excitable behaviour. A product such as this allows you to feed as much or as little as you feel happy with, as there are no vitamins or minerals added. Do remember to add a broad-spectrum vitamin or mineral source such as a good-quality balancer to ensure nutritional completeness.

The Role of Oil in Condition Management

Oil is the most calorific ingredient we can include in our horses’ diets, and as it doesn’t tend to cause excitable behaviour, is very useful for adding condition for poor doers. Oil provides approximately 2.5 times more calories per gram than carbohydrates or protein. This makes it an efficient way to increase energy density without significantly increasing feed volume.

When introducing oil, start gradually with small amounts (50-100ml daily). Build up slowly over 2-3 weeks. This allows the digestive system to adapt. Most horses can safely consume 200-400ml of oil daily when properly acclimatised.

Conclusion

Maintaining condition through winter requires a holistic approach centred on high-quality, high-fibre nutrition. By prioritising forage quality and quantity, utilising fibre-based bucket feeds, and supplementing strategically with oil when needed, you can support your horse’s digestive health, warmth generation, and body condition simultaneously. Regular condition scoring ensures you catch changes early, allowing timely adjustments to keep your horse in optimal condition throughout the colder months.