Weight loss linked to breed
New research by the University of Melbourne has found that different breeds have different capacities for weight loss.
The study, which was conducted by the university's Faculty of Veterinary Science, found that Standardbred horses lost condition much more readily than Andalusians or ponies.
The research involved a group of twelve obese animals, comprising four Standardbreds, four ponies and four Andalusians, all with body condition scores (BCS) of 7-9 out of 9.
The equines received a diet of ad-libitum hay for the first twenty weeks of the study, and then fed individually on a restricted diet of 1.25 per cent bodyweight of hay for up to twelve weeks. Two from each breed group were exercised daily using a horse walker.
Dietary restriction was stopped when each of the horses reached a BCS of 5. This occurred within just 4-6 weeks in the Standardbred group. The Andalusians however, only dropped from a BCS of 6 to 5.2, even after the full 12 weeks of dietary restriction. In the same period, the ponies dropped from a BCS of 7.1 to 5.9.
"The ponies and Andalusians retained condition on ad-libitum hay and were relatively resistant to body fat loss, even when hay was reduced to 1.25 per cent body weight," said Clare Barfoot, research and development manager at SPILLERS.
"Daily exercise also didn't have much impact on these two groups," she added. "However, the Standardbreds lost significant amounts of weight and body condition when maintained just on ad-lib hay and subsequently lost weight much more rapidly on the restricted diet.
"Further work is planned to find out whether these breed variations are related to insulin sensitivity or other hormonal differences."
Conducted in collaboration with the WALTHAM Equine Studies Group, the findings of the study are to be presented at the Equine Science Symposium, New Mexico, in May this year. It is hoped the findings will help to improve the effectiveness and safety of future weight loss programmes.
The BSAVA has opened submissions for the BSAVA Clinical Research Abstracts 2026.
