How do you keep your horse at the right weight in winter?

Many horses are overweight, not only in the summer but also in the winter. But there are also horses that lose too much weight in the winter period. How can you ensure that your horse stays at a healthy weight in the winter? We are happy to give you a few tips!

5 December '25 - 6 min reading time

Losing weight in winter is normal!

Many horse owners get “scared” when they see that their horse is losing weight. Often they immediately reach for extra food, extra supplements and other measures. The marketing of feed brands also play on this directly! But did you know that it is very normal for your horse to lose weight in the winter? Horses naturally gain a lot of weight in the summer because that is the time of abundance. Horses build up reserves then, so it is not strange that horses gain weight so easily in the summer. And that does not have to be a problem, as long as horses are given the chance to lose weight in the winter. Winter is the period of scarcity, for using up your reserves. Losing weight in the winter period is therefore allowed, it is a natural detox (waste products that are stored in fatty tissue are released and removed) and ensures that the horse does not go into the new spring too heavy.

Overweight all year round

But we as horse owners find it difficult when our horses lose weight, we also like to see our horse a bit rounder and we find it annoying when we can feel ribs. That is our emotion speaking. The only consequence of this is that horses are now overweight all year round. We feed generously, provide warm blankets, comfortable stables, rich roughage and actually do exactly the opposite of what would happen in nature. Horses gain weight in the summer (which is natural), but hardly lose weight in the winter. As a result, horses no longer have their natural detox, but they also go into spring too heavy. Which only increases the chance of laminitis, insulin resistance and itching.

Tips to help your horse lose weight

• Make sure you get enough exercise! Exercise is extremely important for keeping horses at a healthy weight. Horses should travel many kilometres a day. This is not only important for digestion, but for their entire system. And when you think of exercise, don't think of riding or lunging intensively for half an hour/hour every day. It's about calm exercise, stress-free exercise such as walking and walking at a good pace. This supports fat burning! For example, go for a nice walk with your horse or at a constant pace, really making kilometres.

• Provide lean roughage This is really the basis! Good quality, lean (unpacked) hay determines whether your horse maintains a good weight or not. A lot of hay is far too rich for horses, causing them to gain weight, or at least not lose weight. The sugar percentage should really be below 8%, the hay should be rich in fiber and may have a coarse structure. The coarser the hay, the more the horse has to chew on it, the less it eats because it feels full more quickly. Therefore, be really critical of your roughage and always have the hay analyzed. You can also replace part of the hay with branches or, for example, barley straw. Looking for hay that is low in sugar? Then also look at www.tophooi.nl .

• Insufficient vitamins and minerals When a horse needs to lose weight, it is often put on rations. Sometimes even very drastically, but in fact this often has the opposite effect. Horses have a very efficient digestion and when there is a shortage, it becomes even more efficient. We regularly see that horses are put on rations and then only gain more weight. Horses then store even more. Rationing must therefore be done with care and you should not skimp on vitamins and minerals in any case. Therefore, always make sure that you provide a good mineral feed, which is low in energy, but high in vitamins and minerals. If necessary, supplement with liquid minerals from the Bering Sea, because a mineral deficiency will actually cause additional health problems.

• Support with the herb triphala Sometimes you need an extra push in the back to make the horse lose weight. There is no miracle cure for losing weight, but with herbs you can support and stimulate the metabolism. The herb triphala is a very important one, because it supports the overall metabolism. It also has a slightly purifying effect, which cleanses the intestines and therefore helps with weight loss. Of course, a supplement/herb only works if the other points are also addressed.

Tips to help your horse gain weight

• Offer unlimited roughage Getting a horse to gain weight can sometimes be even more difficult than getting it to lose weight. It is important to offer these horses access to unlimited, good quality unpackaged hay. These horses also need hay that is low in sugar, but can often use a higher protein percentage. The combination of low sugar and higher protein is very difficult to find. If you cannot find this, choose unpackaged hay that is both low in sugar and protein. This is more important, because you can also add proteins in the supplementary feed in a different way.

• Choosing the right supplementary feed To make horses gain weight, beet pulp is often used. There is nothing wrong with it in itself, but it only fills the horse and does not nourish it. We do not prefer beet pulp in large quantities. It contains few nutrients that the horse can actually use. To make a horse gain weight, you want to increase the protein percentage. Products such as Agrobs Myo Protein Flakes, Coolstance Copra or other protein-rich grass mixtures are much more suitable. In addition, you should offer this in small portions. Putting down a large bucket once a day will have little effect, because the horse's stomach is small and cannot digest everything properly. Therefore, offer a small portion of food several times a day, this is then better pre-digested in the stomach, making the absorption from the smaller portions more effective. Other feed that you give as a supplement should be rich in vitamins and minerals, limit the amount of oil and grain products. Really choose products and ingredients that the horse can actually extract nutrients from. Not the so-called fattening foods, but healthy food that also allows the horse to gain weight in a healthy way (quietly).

• Using blankets Nowadays, more and more people seem to be anti-blanket and many horses can do without blankets. But for horses that lose weight easily, a blanket is actually a must. The horse has to use so much energy to stay warm that there is no energy left to gain weight. By using blankets, you ensure that the horse can put the energy to stay warm into gaining weight. So less energy is lost, which makes it easier for the horse to gain weight. Always choose a well-fitting blanket, especially if it is on 24/7.

• Adjusting work Perhaps the most difficult part for us as horse owners, especially if, for example, an indoor arena is available in the winter. But if your horse loses weight easily in the winter and you have difficulty regaining this with food. Medical issues are ruled out? Then our advice is to reduce the work in the winter and take it easier. It may not be necessary to stop, but you could reduce the intensity and frequency so that your horse uses less energy and therefore maintains its weight better.

  
  

Always rule out medical reasons!

Some horses can lose a lot of weight for medical reasons. Think of intestinal problems or dental problems. Always discuss this with your vet or dentist before taking other measures.