Hard keeper
Encyclopedia
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
or other livestock
Livestock
Livestock refers to one or more domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce commodities such as food, fiber and labor. The term "livestock" as used in this article does not include poultry or farmed fish; however the inclusion of these, especially poultry, within the meaning...
animal that is naturally prone to be thin, will lose weight quickly, and has difficulty gaining weight.
A horse that is too thin is not necessarily a hard keeper. The animal may be ill, elderly, or has not been provided adequate nutrition
Equine nutrition
Equine nutrition is the feeding of horses, ponies, mules, donkeys, and other equines. Correct and balanced nutrition is a critical component of proper horse care....
. Whenever a horse is too thin, it is well-advised to have a veterinarian
Veterinarian
A veterinary physician, colloquially called a vet, shortened from veterinarian or veterinary surgeon , is a professional who treats disease, disorder and injury in animals....
give the horse a thorough examination and recommend the best course of action.
The opposite of a hard keeper is an easy keeper
Easy keeper
An easy keeper, easy doer or good doer is a livestock animal that can live on relatively little food. The opposite of an easy keeper is a hard keeper , an animal that is prone to be too thin and has difficulty maintaining adequate weight.Easy keepers tend to be found most often in breeds...
(good doer); an animal that can live on relatively little food and is prone to obesity
Obesity
Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems...
and other health problems associated with a too-rich diet. In contrast, a truly hard keeper is almost never fat under any circumstances.
It is extremely rare for a pony
Pony
A pony is a small horse . Depending on context, a pony may be a horse that is under an approximate or exact height at the withers, or a small horse with a specific conformation and temperament. There are many different breeds...
or a donkey
Donkey
The donkey or ass, Equus africanus asinus, is a domesticated member of the Equidae or horse family. The wild ancestor of the donkey is the African Wild Ass, E...
to be a hard keeper. The condition is most often seen in light horse breeds that have either a naturally high-strung temperament or breeds that tend to a very lean phenotype
Phenotype
A phenotype is an organism's observable characteristics or traits: such as its morphology, development, biochemical or physiological properties, behavior, and products of behavior...
and are then subjected to stressful conditions. Breeds with a higher percentage of hard keepers include race horses such as the Thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
, and certain types of show horses bred for style and animation, such as the American Saddlebred
American Saddlebred
The American Saddlebred, formerly known as the American Saddle Horse, is a breed of horse that was developed in Kentucky by plantation owners. Today, in the horse show world, they are most commonly seen under saddle in Saddle seat style riding, and in various types of driving, including pleasure...
.
Lactation
Lactation describes the secretion of milk from the mammary glands and the period of time that a mother lactates to feed her young. The process occurs in all female mammals, however it predates mammals. In humans the process of feeding milk is called breastfeeding or nursing...
, under stress due to illness or management conditions, or when subjected to hard work. With a normal horse, adjusting the animal's diet to compensate for the conditions it is facing will usually return the animal to its normal condition.
If an animal is truly a hard keeper, proper nutrition requires a calorie-rich diet, but one that will not make the horse "hot" and prone to excess energy that may lead to yet more nervous behavior and continued weight loss. Forage
Forage
Forage is plant material eaten by grazing livestock.Historically the term forage has meant only plants eaten by the animals directly as pasture, crop residue, or immature cereal crops, but it is also used more loosely to include similar plants cut for fodder and carried to the animals, especially...
s that are highly nutritious and calorie-dense, such as alfalfa
Alfalfa
Alfalfa is a flowering plant in the pea family Fabaceae cultivated as an important forage crop in the US, Canada, Argentina, France, Australia, the Middle East, South Africa, and many other countries. It is known as lucerne in the UK, France, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, and known as...
and beet pulp
Beet pulp
Beet pulp is a byproduct from the processing of sugar beet which is used as fodder for horses and other livestock. It is supplied either as dried flakes or as compressed pellets, but when fed to horses it is usually soaked in water first.-Composition:...
are often recommended. Concentrated feeds that are high in fat but low in carbohydrate
Carbohydrate
A carbohydrate is an organic compound with the empirical formula ; that is, consists only of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, with a hydrogen:oxygen atom ratio of 2:1 . However, there are exceptions to this. One common example would be deoxyribose, a component of DNA, which has the empirical...
s, such as rice bran, ground flaxseed, or corn oil
Corn oil
Corn oil is oil extracted from the germ of corn . Its main use is in cooking, where its high smoke point makes refined corn oil a valuable frying oil. It is also a key ingredient in some margarines. Corn oil is generally less expensive than most other types of vegetable oils. One bushel of corn...
are often added to a basic grain
GRAIN
GRAIN is a small international non-profit organisation that works to support small farmers and social movements in their struggles for community-controlled and biodiversity-based food systems. Our support takes the form of independent research and analysis, networking at local, regional and...
or pelleted feed ration to assist weight gain without creating excess energy. High-energy feeds containing significant amounts of sugars, such as molasses
Molasses
Molasses is a viscous by-product of the processing of sugar cane, grapes or sugar beets into sugar. The word molasses comes from the Portuguese word melaço, which ultimately comes from mel, the Latin word for "honey". The quality of molasses depends on the maturity of the sugar cane or sugar beet,...
, are not usually recommended because they have a tendency to make a horse "hot" or more excitable. However, in cases where a hard keeper also has work with high energy requirements, such as horse racing
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
, an extra, but carefully balanced source of energy may be necessary.
A horse that has not previously had trouble maintaining weight that suddenly begins to lose weight for no apparent reason is not a hard keeper. This type of weight loss is usually a sign of a health problem. In most cases, the horse may require worming
Horse care
There are many aspects to horse care. Horses, ponies, mules, donkeys and other domesticated equids require attention from humans for optimal health and long life.-Living environment:...
to remove internal parasites, or it could have a dental
Horse teeth
Horses' teeth are often used to estimate the animal's age, hence the sayings "long in the tooth", "straight from the horse's mouth" and "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth".- Types of teeth :At five years of age a horse has between 36 and 44 teeth...
problem that requires floating
Horse care
There are many aspects to horse care. Horses, ponies, mules, donkeys and other domesticated equids require attention from humans for optimal health and long life.-Living environment:...
of the teeth. Sometimes, weight loss is a symptom of a more serious medical condition. Any horse with an unexplained weight loss usually should be examined by a veterinarian
Veterinarian
A veterinary physician, colloquially called a vet, shortened from veterinarian or veterinary surgeon , is a professional who treats disease, disorder and injury in animals....
.
Vertebral column
In human anatomy, the vertebral column is a column usually consisting of 24 articulating vertebrae, and 9 fused vertebrae in the sacrum and the coccyx. It is situated in the dorsal aspect of the torso, separated by intervertebral discs...
and hip that lead to somewhat more visible withers
Withers
The withers is the ridge between the shoulder blades of a four-legged animal. In many species it is the tallest point of the body, and in horses and dogs it is the standard place to measure the animal's height .-Horses:The withers in horses are formed by the dorsal spinal processes of roughly the...
, hipbones, and ribs. However, these areas still should maintain good flesh. It is not natural for an old horse to be excessively thin. Sometimes the digestive system
Horse anatomy
Equine anatomy refers to the gross and microscopic anatomy of horses and other equids, including donkeys, and zebras. While all anatomical features of equids are described in the same terms as for other animals by the International Committee on Veterinary Gross Anatomical Nomenclature in the book...
of older horses becomes less efficient, and a change in diet to "senior" feeds that are easier to digest is in order. However, weight loss in an older horse is more often linked to a dental
Horse teeth
Horses' teeth are often used to estimate the animal's age, hence the sayings "long in the tooth", "straight from the horse's mouth" and "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth".- Types of teeth :At five years of age a horse has between 36 and 44 teeth...
problem and proper equine dentistry
Horse care
There are many aspects to horse care. Horses, ponies, mules, donkeys and other domesticated equids require attention from humans for optimal health and long life.-Living environment:...
can often result in a return to normal weight, provided the horse still has enough functional teeth remaining.
In extreme old age, such as when a horse is over 30 years old, the animal may no longer have any molars
Horse teeth
Horses' teeth are often used to estimate the animal's age, hence the sayings "long in the tooth", "straight from the horse's mouth" and "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth".- Types of teeth :At five years of age a horse has between 36 and 44 teeth...
left, and may require a diet of mushy foods such as hay cubes soaked in water, beet pulp
Beet pulp
Beet pulp is a byproduct from the processing of sugar beet which is used as fodder for horses and other livestock. It is supplied either as dried flakes or as compressed pellets, but when fed to horses it is usually soaked in water first.-Composition:...
, or other specialized feeds. In such cases, these horses will appear to be too thin, but if obtaining proper nutrition will still have a healthy hair coat, flesh over bone, and other indicators of good health.
In some animal cruelty cases where starvation is alleged, the caretakers of such animals often will claim that too-thin animals are "just a hard keeper" as a defense. However, the weight distribution and musculature of a hard keeper, particularly in the neck and hindquarters, is distinct from that of a starving horse, and a veterinarian
Veterinarian
A veterinary physician, colloquially called a vet, shortened from veterinarian or veterinary surgeon , is a professional who treats disease, disorder and injury in animals....
can usually provide an expert opinion as to what is normal and what is not.
Horse body condition scoring
The Henneke horse body condition scoring systemHenneke horse body condition scoring system
The Henneke horse body condition scoring system is a scoring system developed by Don Henneke, PhD while at Texas University. It is a standardized scoring system for assessing the body condition of horses without needing specialist equipment...
is a standardized scoring table produced by Don Henneke, PhD. The Henneke Chart is a scientific method based on both visual appraisal and palpable fat cover of the six major points of the horse that are most responsive to changes in body fat. The system is used by law enforcement agencies as an objective method of scoring a horse's body condition in horse cruelty cases.
These condition categories are as follows:
- 1. Emaciated/Poor
- 2. Very thin
- 3. Thin
- 4. Moderately thin
- 5. Moderate
- 6. Moderately fleshy
- 7. Fleshy
- 8. Fat
- 9. Extremely Fat