Easy Keeper or Hard Keeper?
Is my horse an easy keeper or hard keeper?
Why is your horse hard to keep weight on -- or impossible to keep weight off? Answer a few questions about their body condition and feeding history, or browse the categories below.
| Result | Best for |
|---|---|
| Easy Keeper | For a horse that gains weight readily on minimal feed |
| Moderate Keeper | For a horse maintaining good weight on a typical feeding program |
| Hard Keeper | For a horse that struggles to maintain weight despite adequate feed |
How this quiz works
The Easy Keeper or Hard Keeper? finder asks how your horse's weight responds to feeding, whether limited pasture access changes its weight noticeably and whether you have ruled out dental, parasite and other health issues. It points you to easy keeper, moderate keeper or hard keeper.
Why these questions
A keeper type describes how a horse uses feed. Easy keepers gain on little and need calorie control and watching for metabolic problems, hard keepers lose or fail to gain on adequate feed and need an investigation, and moderate keepers sit in between. The last question matters because a horse that is thin for a medical reason is not a hard keeper.
What the quiz cannot see
It cannot examine your horse. A horse that gains weight easily and grows a cresty neck or fat pads, or one that stays thin despite good feed, should have a veterinary check. Use the Body Condition Score Calculator and the Feed Calculator to work with real numbers.
Before you decide
Track body condition on a schedule and not by a glance. Feel the ribs, neck and tailhead every few weeks and write the score down, and weigh or tape the horse so you can see the trend. Keeper type can change with age, work, season and health, so check again. Any rapid weight change deserves a call to your veterinarian.