Danes are probably best known internationally for their culinary tradition rich in butter and mayonnaise, bacon, open faced sandwiches as of course their pastries, which are perhaps the most important and lasting contributions of Danes to European culture. But it is not only humans who can gain weight by too close an association with Danish culture as Icelandic horses in Denmark have been revealed to suffer from obesity in disproportionate numbers.
According to the leading Danish horse website, hest-nettet, which published its story under the headline Icelandic-Danes are too fat!, a group of local scientists had studied 252 Icelandic horses at 46 farms. The study revealed that a fourth of the horses were obese, and the majority overweight.
Read more: The Icelandic horse is highly intelligent and friendly, says animal behaviourist
The reason, according to hest-nettet, is that Danish farmers and owners of Icelandic horses are unsure about how heavy Icelandic horses should be. The Icelandic horse is both small and sturdy, significantly more compact than larger European horse breeds or Arabian horses. This seems to have led to overfeeding of the Icelandic horses by their Danish owners.
According to data published by the Icelandic Agricultural Advisory Centre the average weight of Icelandic horses should be around 370 kg, or 815 pounds. An Icelandic horse needs 70 grams (2.5 ounces) of high quality protein for each 100 kg (220 pounds) of weight. Any more, and the horse will begin go gain excessive weight.
Danes are probably best known internationally for their culinary tradition rich in butter and mayonnaise, bacon, open faced sandwiches as of course their pastries, which are perhaps the most important and lasting contributions of Danes to European culture. But it is not only humans who can gain weight by too close an association with Danish culture as Icelandic horses in Denmark have been revealed to suffer from obesity in disproportionate numbers.
According to the leading Danish horse website, hest-nettet, which published its story under the headline Icelandic-Danes are too fat!, a group of local scientists had studied 252 Icelandic horses at 46 farms. The study revealed that a fourth of the horses were obese, and the majority overweight.
Read more: The Icelandic horse is highly intelligent and friendly, says animal behaviourist
The reason, according to hest-nettet, is that Danish farmers and owners of Icelandic horses are unsure about how heavy Icelandic horses should be. The Icelandic horse is both small and sturdy, significantly more compact than larger European horse breeds or Arabian horses. This seems to have led to overfeeding of the Icelandic horses by their Danish owners.
According to data published by the Icelandic Agricultural Advisory Centre the average weight of Icelandic horses should be around 370 kg, or 815 pounds. An Icelandic horse needs 70 grams (2.5 ounces) of high quality protein for each 100 kg (220 pounds) of weight. Any more, and the horse will begin go gain excessive weight.
