Can CBD help horses lose weight?

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Introduction to how CBD can help horses lose weight

Horses are generally very active animals and are well-known due to their impressive performance. You can utilize horses for their speed, their power, or even their techniques acquired by hours of training. That is why horses can be said to be the ultimate athlete in the animal kingdom. 

But one thing that you might not realize is the fact that horses are also susceptible to being overweight. Most horses are not picky eaters, and they will eat the foods that you give them. So if you give too much food per serving or feed them too often, then they will easily gain more weight. 

And for horses, that extra mass can be quite problematic. But what is the ideal weight for a horse anyway? What can happen if your horses are overweight? And is it true that CBD can help a horse lose weight? You’ll find the answers to all of those questions in this article. 

What is the ideal weight for a horse?

There are several things that can be done to determine whether a horse is overweight or not. Sure, you can always get a giant scale and measure their weight that way. But for most horse owners, the state of the horse can be determined through several visual cues. 

The most common method is simply to put the horse into one of three categories. Too fat, too skinny, or just right. The easiest way to tell which category your horse belongs to is by looking at their ribs. An ideal weight would be where you can feel the divisions between their ribs but you can’t clearly see it.

There’s also the Henneke Body Condition Chart where your horse would be given a score between 1 to 9. With 1 being poor and 9 being extremely fat. This chart looks into the amount of flesh around the neck, the ribs, and the withers. It also pays attention to the fat along the crease of the back and around the shoulder girth. If you’re unsure or want a more accurate measurement, don’t hesitate to consult your trusted vet. 

What happens if a horse is overweight?

Excess weight on a horse can be a bad thing for their health. There are numerous physical ailments that you need to pay close attention to if your horse is overweight. The first and foremost thing that you’ll notice is the decrease in stamina and performance. They will easily get tired and will feel sleepy all the time.

Other than that, one of the most obvious ones is the added pressure on the joints and the bones. At best, it prevents your horse from moving around too much while the worst case would be chronic arthritis. Injury is also possible in this scenario. The organs also need to work extra hard in order to provide sufficient energy to all of those added mass. That is true especially for the hearts and the lungs.

And now for some of the more serious health risks on an overweight horse. There’s an increased risk of getting Laminitis or founder and also Insulin Resistance (IR). IR in a horse is similar to diabetes in humans. So if your horse develops IR due to being overweight, other health issues will soon come in droves.  This is why some people treat IR horse issues with CBD.

What can you do to help your horse lose weight?

The very first thing that you should do is bring your horse to a vet. They will evaluate the physical condition of your horse and look into any health issues that your horse might have. After that, they can even help you draft the best plan to help your horse lose weight. 

There are basically two things that you can do to help your horse lose weight. You should limit their daily food intake and you should also get them to exercise. Not only that, you can’t simply choose one over the other. Your horse needs to do both at the same time.

Some vets might even prescribe some medicines for your horses to help with their weight loss program. It can also be given to help dealing with any physical problems that may have occurred. But just like any other prescribed medicines, there will be some side effects. You can use safer and healthier options in the form of organic solutions, such as CBD. But be sure to talk to your vet first to avoid any potential conflict with the medicines.

What can CBD do to help your horse lose weight?

CBD (Cannabidiol) is a non-psychoactive compound from hemp that has numerous health benefits for both humans and animals. It can influence the nervous system and other parts of the body through the Endocannabinoid System (ECS) within the body.

ECS has countless receptors called CB1 and CB2 that exist all over our body. These receptors are the one that comes into direct contact with CBD. CB2 can trigger reactions within the digestive system. So in the case of weight loss, CBD can affect the digestive system by decreasing your horse’s appetite. 

By suppressing the appetite of your horse, it’ll be easier for you to regulate their daily calorie intake. Therefore your horse would be able to eat less food. And that means the body has to burn the energy stored in the fat just to do their daily activities. If you pair it up with adequate exercises, your horse will lose weight in a more efficient manner. 

What is the best CBD product to help horses lose weight?

There are so many different kinds of CBD products for horses available for purchase right now. CBD oil, CBD paste, CBD pellets, CBD salves, and equine cbd cookies etc. There’s also several variations when it comes to the potency. 

But as mentioned in the previous section, CBD can help with weight loss by reducing your horse’s appetite. Therefore, the most appropriate CBD product would be something that can hold the effects for a longer period of time. For that purpose, broad-spectrum CBD pellets should be sufficient. As a proper food for horses, it has all of the nutritional value plus the benefits of the CBD inside. 

What is the proper way to help your horse lose weight?

The previous sections told you all the things that you need to know to help your horses lose weight. But there is one crucial thing that you need to keep in mind. You have to take things slow. You can’t force your horse to do everything at once. It will be disastrous both for their mind and body. 

You can’t ask them to do some heavy exercises everyday, give them prescribed medicines and CBD, all at the same time. You have to do things gradually. Light exercise should be started first and gradually increase the frequency and intensity. 

As for the medicines and CBD, you need to consult with your trusted vet first. They will tell you which medicines that your horses truly need. As for the CBD for your horse, they can help you determine the proper dosage per serving. Your vet can also tell if there will be conflict between the two and adjust things accordingly. 

Studies on CBD and its effects on weight loss

One thing that you need to remember is the fact that CBD works in a similar way both in humans and animals. It makes use of the ECS that exists within both humans and animals. That’s why research regarding CBD on humans often reflects similar results as it would be on animals. And now here’s some studies that were conducted regarding the effects of CBD both on the digestive system and weight loss.

The first one is about a particular digestive problem on horses called Colic. It was a research paper published by Galiazzo et al. in 2021. The title was “Localisation of Cannabinoid and Cannabinoid-related receptors in the horse ileum”. This study found that cannabinoid receptors have shown to be widely distributed within the ileum of the horses. Furthermore, CBD has also been found to be able to reduce the intestinal inflammation on horses. 

The next one is about the effect that CBD has on weight loss. The research was done by Spanagel el al. and published in 2021 in the Journal of Neuropharmacology. The title was “Approved cannabinoids for medical purposes – Comparative systematic review and meta-analysis for sleep and appetite.” The result indicated that CBD was found to be able to reduce appetite. On the other hand, there was no observable effect on sleep at all. 

Conclusion to how CBD can help horses lose weight

An overweight horse will invite numerous health risks and possible diseases on himself. Such as performance deterioration, increased risk of arthritis, and also potential to develop Insulin Resistance (IR). If you think your horse has put on too much weight, then you should bring them to a vet. 

There are several things that you can do to help your horses lose weight. Using CBD is one of the proven ways to do that. CBD can reduce your horse’s appetite and therefore help them burn energy from the fat instead. For this purpose, a broad-spectrum CBD pellet should be a great option.