We will define malnourishment as horses in a condition of emaciated to very thin because of poor caremore. This will include too little feed, feed of poor quality, and heavy parasitism. Unfortunately, malnourishment from improper care is a common scene with horses. Most often the reasons are not malicious but a combination of ignorance and economics. It would seem logical to think it is just a matter of restoring good care to fix the problem but there is a fairly high rate of mortality when trying to return an emaciated horse to good condition. The reasons for this are:

• other primary diseases present
• diseases secondary to the improper care
• diseases and metabolic imbalances created by an inability to adjust to the better care

This article discusses the causes of malnourished horses and how to return these horses to good health. Included will be dealing with heavy parasitism and malnourished pregnant mares. For horses that are simply a little thin see Feeding Horses an Overview

Sometimes history alone is enough to identify the probable cause of the malnourishment. A young horse with a clear history of no problems until becoming permanently stalled or placed into a paddock with only limited access to hay of poor quality needs little work to identify the probable cause of his emaciation. Still, a physical exam might reveal secondary problems or the severity of the condition and should be contemplated.

The history is not always so clear however. The horse may be older so at higher risk for Cushinoid Disease, teeth problems, or other chronic diseases. The horse may be at a sale barn and have no reliable history. In these cases the first step in dealing with any malnourished horse is a thorough physical exam, fecal, and laboratory evaluation. Teeth problems should be corrected immediately. If a mare, consider the possibility she may be pregnant.