Hard Keeper vs. Easy Keeper: Tailoring Nutrition to Your Horse's Metabolism

Hard Keeper vs. Easy Keeper: Tailoring Nutrition to Your Horse's Metabolism

Every horse owner has encountered the challenge of managing their horse's weight - some struggle to keep weight on their horses, while others battle the bulge. Understanding whether your horse is a "hard keeper" or an "easy keeper" is important for developing an effective feeding program that maintains optimal health and performance. In this article we look at what it means for a horse to be a “hard” or an “easy” keeper, as well as recommending some strategies to keep your horse in top form. 

Understanding Metabolic Types

Hard Keepers

Often described as "hot" or "high-strung," hard keepers are horses that struggle to maintain weight despite consuming significant amounts of food. These horses typically have higher metabolic rates, burning through calories quickly. Common examples include Thoroughbreds, some Warmbloods, and high-performance horses.

Easy Keepers

On the opposite end of the spectrum are easy keepers - horses that seem to maintain or gain weight on minimal feed. Breeds like ponies, draft horses, and many native breeds often fall into this category. These horses have evolved to thrive on sparse vegetation and possess incredibly efficient metabolisms.

It is important to identify your horse’s metabolic type, so that you can appropriately feed it to ensure a healthy weight. But, it will also help in identifying whether or not your horse is predisposed to certain illnesses, such as laminitis. 

How to Identify Your Horse's Type

Physical Assessment

Regular body condition scoring (BCS) is essential for both types. The ideal score on the 1-9 scale is between 4.5-5.5. Hard keepers often hover below 4, while easy keepers tend to score above 6. Key areas to assess include:

- Ribs and spine visibility

- Fat deposits along the neck and tailhead

- Muscle definition

- Overall body shape

Feeding Behavior

Monitor your horse's eating patterns. Hard keepers might:

- Leave feed untouched

- Eat slowly or appear picky

- Show anxiety around feeding time

Easy keepers typically:

- Clean up every morsel

- Appear constantly hungry

- Guard their feed aggressively

Management Strategies for Hard Keepers

1. Forage Foundation

- Provide high-quality hay free-choice

- Consider adding lucerne for additional protein and calories

- Ensure hay analysis to understand nutritional content. If you need to feed a low sugar hay for teeth issues, you may be able to get away with feeding a higher sugar content meadow of around 15%. If low sugar isn’t an issue, then usually ARGT tested oaten or wheaten hay is recommended.

2. Concentrated Energy Sources

- Choose feeds with higher fat content (6-12%) such as Hygain Showtorque or Tru Gain or  Johnsons Every Horse Weight Gain

- Add quality oil supplements (such as linseed oil, rice bran or canola oil)

- Include easily digestible fibre sources like Beet Pulp (Speedibeet or Hygain Micrbeet), Soy Hulls (Benchmark Feeds or Maxisoy) or Lupin Hulls (T&R Lupin Fibre Cubes)

3. Feeding Schedule

- Offer multiple small meals throughout the day

- Maintain consistent feeding times

4. Health Considerations

- Regular dental checks to ensure proper chewing

- Deworming program assessment

- Stress management to prevent unnecessary calorie burn

Management Strategies for Easy Keepers

1. Forage Management

- Use slow-feeders or grazing muzzles

- Provide mature grass hay with lower nutritional value. Ensure that hay is sugar tested to reduce overall sugar consumption

- Soak hay to reduce sugar content when necessary

2. Exercise Program

- Implement regular, structured exercise

- Include variety to maintain interest and fitness

- Monitor heart rate recovery to gauge fitness improvements

3. Diet Restrictions

- Limit or eliminate grain

- Choose low-NSC (non-structural carbohydrate) feeds such as Hygain Meta or Zero or Johnsons Every Horse Fibre Balancer or Prydes EasiKeeper

4. Health Considerations

- Regular testing for metabolic conditions like insulin resistance

- Monitor for signs of laminitis

- Weight tape measurements monthly

Special Considerations

When maintaining hard and easy keepers, it is also important to adjust the diet fro Seasonal and Performance changes. These are highlighted below:

Seasonal Changes

Both types require adjustment during different seasons:

Hard Keepers:

- Increase calories during cold weather

- Monitor water intake to prevent dehydration

Easy Keepers:

- Restrict spring grass access

- Adjust exercise program seasonally

- Monitor closely during spring when grass sugar content increases

Performance Requirements

Working horses need customised nutrition regardless of their basic metabolic type:

Hard Keepers:

- Add easily digestible energy sources

- Increase protein for muscle maintenance

- Support with appropriate electrolytes

Easy Keepers:

- Focus on fitness without overfeeding

- Choose low-sugar electrolyte supplements

- Monitor body condition closely during training

Common Mistakes to Avoid

For Hard Keepers:

- Overfeeding grain without adequate forage

- Ignoring dental issues

- Failing to address underlying health problems

- Not feeding frequently enough

For Easy Keepers:

- Underestimating pasture intake

- Failing to implement portion control

- Overfeeding treats and supplements

- Neglecting exercise requirements

The Role of Supplements

Supplements can provide support to horses to maintain a healthy body weight, for example:

Hard Keepers:

- Weight gain supplements

- Digestive support products

- Calorie-dense oil supplements

- Amino acid supplements for muscle maintenance

Easy Keepers:

- Vitamin/mineral balancers without added calories

- Metabolic support supplements when indicated

- Joint supplements if needed

- Careful selection of low-sugar products

Successfully managing horses of different metabolic types requires understanding, observation, and consistency. Whether dealing with a hard keeper or an easy keeper, the key lies in creating an individualised program that accounts for their unique needs while maintaining health and performance capabilities. Regular monitoring and adjustment of the feeding program ensures long-term success in maintaining optimal body condition.

Remember that every horse is an individual, and what works for one might not work for another, even within the same metabolic category. Patience, careful observation, and willingness to adjust the program as needed are essential components of successful nutritional management.