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Three years have galloped by since the SPILLERS Slimmers’ Club was formed and it’s time to reflect on how far we have come in our mission to help combat equine obesity in the UK.
The club is run by horse owners for horse owners and it’s still growing rapidly. SPILLERS Slimmers’ Club now supports more than 11,000 of you, offering practical guidance and camaraderie to aid you with your horse or pony’s weight loss journey.
SPILLERS has had some great feedback from a recent survey, which shows that you love what we are doing to support you:
- 84% of respondents to the survey said that they had achieved their horse/pony’s weight loss goals or made progress towards them since joining the club.
- The average rating of 8 on a scale of 1 to 10 reflects that the majority of respondents believe the Slimmers’ Club is significantly contributing to reducing equine obesity by 2035.
- 99% of respondents said they would recommend the Slimmers’ Club to other horse owners looking to achieve equine weight loss goals.
Other ways SPILLERS is helping you
SPILLERS Slimmers’ Club is our flagship project, but it isn’t the only way SPILLERS is helping to combat equine obesity.
We are also:
- Investing in scientific research to help improve our understanding of equine obesity and associated conditions including laminitis and equine metabolic syndrome (EMS)
- Providing regular free nutrition webinars
- Offering free online weight management resources
- Finding out more about equestrian industry views on equine obesity, with a recent survey that listened to feedback to provide even better ways to address healthy weight loss
Winter weight loss checklist
Winter is a great time to help your horse shift those persistent surplus pounds as nature intended. Horses and ponies evolved to burn extra calories to keep warm over the winter and because the grass growth tends to slow down it’s easier to slim them down.
Here’s a few tips to help you help your horse achieve slimming success this winter:
Winter forage
Even winter grazing can provide more calories than some good doers need and grass will continue to grow for most of the year (at a slower rate) if conditions are favourable.
Remember, good doers may not need supplementary hay/haylage for the entire winter if they are living out 24/7.
Rethink your rugs
Avoid over-rugging to encourage your horse to burn off a few extra pounds keeping warm.
Monitor weight
Body condition scoring, weigh taping and taking photos are great ways to keep a check on weight loss and keep you motivated with your horse’s weight loss journey.
Monitor droppings
Counting droppings is a practical way of monitoring forage intake. If your horse needs to lose weight, aim to reduce the number of droppings by a third initially and never by more than half.
Use a balancer
An ideal way to address the shortfall of vitamins and minerals in forage over the winter is to use a balancer. Some are specifically formulated to balance a weight loss diet.
Strip graze
Research has shown a strip grazing system may be a useful tool for restricting weight gain.
Muzzle up
Grazing muzzles have been shown to reduce grass intake by an average of approximately 80% regardless of the season.
Soak hay
Soaking hay helps to reduce the water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) or ‘sugar’ content — and this means fewer calories.
Consider feeding straw
Clean straw (the hygienic quality is more important than the type of straw fed), may be useful for good doers and overweight horses to decrease the energy (calorie) density of hay.
Exercise more!
Where possible, increasing exercise will help to burn calories. However, a study has shown that even small amounts of exercise may help to support a healthy metabolism, even if it doesn’t result in weight loss.
Join us!
Become part of our SPILLERS Slimmers’ Club community on Facebook and kick start your horse’s weight loss journey with support from like-minded horse owners.
For friendly, advice on feeding your horse or pony you can contact the SPILLERS Care-Line on 01908 226626 or visit www.spillers-feeds.com.
Have you heard about Your Horse’s #FitNotFat campaign? Equine obesity is an enormous welfare problem and we’re on a mission to provide owners and riders with the knowledge, skills and information you need to keep your horse in tip-top health. It could be life saving!
