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Songster
Eight years old is VERY young for Cushings to develop. The mare may just simply be fat, and she may also have an insulin-resistant metabolic disorder going on that is contributing to her obesity. IR is different than Cushings, it is not the same thing. Discuss it with your vet.
If fat is her only fault, I would not rule her out. My sister and I have AMAZING horses, that both got obese while we were in college and Mom & Dad were feeding them and no one was riding them. Both horses quickly lost the weight and got back into shape when we were home over summer break, and then the pattern would start all over again when we went back to school...
Taking weight off can be pretty simple, and is logistically easy. However, you do have to go about it in a manner that does not cause the horse to develop ulcers... You do have to limit calories, but you can't necessarily limit intake down to a few hours a day. Some horses can handle it, while others develop whopping ulcers. If she happens to be ulcer-prone, you can look for hay that is a year or two old, and was low in nutritional value to begin with. I'm not saying moldy, but an older grass - prairie - native hay can often be fed at a much higher rate than "newer" hay.... It can give the horse lots of "chew time" but not a lot of calories. Kinda like if you were to knaw on celery or plain air-popped popcorn all day to keep your tummy full.
Edited to add that the MAIN marker of Cushings isn't obesity, it is the inability of the horse to shed their winter coat. Cushing's horses can often look like yaks - their haircoat is long ( like 4"), greasy, and they never shed out slick in the summer.
If fat is her only fault, I would not rule her out. My sister and I have AMAZING horses, that both got obese while we were in college and Mom & Dad were feeding them and no one was riding them. Both horses quickly lost the weight and got back into shape when we were home over summer break, and then the pattern would start all over again when we went back to school...
Taking weight off can be pretty simple, and is logistically easy. However, you do have to go about it in a manner that does not cause the horse to develop ulcers... You do have to limit calories, but you can't necessarily limit intake down to a few hours a day. Some horses can handle it, while others develop whopping ulcers. If she happens to be ulcer-prone, you can look for hay that is a year or two old, and was low in nutritional value to begin with. I'm not saying moldy, but an older grass - prairie - native hay can often be fed at a much higher rate than "newer" hay.... It can give the horse lots of "chew time" but not a lot of calories. Kinda like if you were to knaw on celery or plain air-popped popcorn all day to keep your tummy full.
Edited to add that the MAIN marker of Cushings isn't obesity, it is the inability of the horse to shed their winter coat. Cushing's horses can often look like yaks - their haircoat is long ( like 4"), greasy, and they never shed out slick in the summer.
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