swimming for horse - losing weight

Question
hello ma'am, do horses lose weight through swimming exercise or swimming makes a horse eat more than usual?

Answer
Hi Rohit,

Thank you for your question.  Any form of exercise, including swimming, increases a horse's daily energy expenditure so if you don't add extra energy in the diet the horse will lose weight.  As a horse's energy requirements increase, so does their estimated dry matter intake...the more energy they need, the more they eat to consume enough energy.  If you are going to increase your horse's daily exercise you need to adjust the rations energy density to meet requirements otherwise your horse will lose weight.

Thanks, Corlena