Miniature Horse Obesity

Because miniature horses are descendents of the hardy ponies of the Shetland islands, they are remarkably easy-keepers and can metabolize food very efficiently. 

Unlike large horses, miniature horses may eat tree leaves, bark and other non-traditional food items.  Because of their super-efficient  metabolism, miniature horses are prone to obesity.

If your miniature horse suffers from obesity, removing sweet-feed and grain may help, but there are cases of miniature horses who become morbidly obese while eating only hay.  Also, vets say that few miniature horses require high-calorie hays such as alfalfa.  For such ponies, special low-feed muzzles have been developed to allow them to only consume a few strands of hay at a time.

USA Miniature Horse is a non-profit web site dedicated to collecting useful information about miniature horses in the United States.