Obesity pilot aims to change behaviour and save lives

The trial scheme is tackling the UK’s number one equine welfare issue from a different angle

- ELEANOR JONES

THE aim of a new and different initiative aimed at tackling equine obesity is to help save horses’ lives.

The British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) is launching a six-month pilot of its scheme, developed using knowledge from the behavioural insights team (BIT), a government think tank working on behavioural economics and psychology.

The idea is to use routine vaccination visits as a chance to assess equine body condition, and use a traffic light system of vaccination reminder stickers on the front of horse passports.

A green sticker indicates an animal in healthy condition, amber is for those with too much fat, advising that moderate action must be taken, and red means the animal has excessive fat, which is putting it in “morbid danger”.

BEVA president-elect Lucy Grieve, who is on the association’s obesity campaign group and chairs its ethics committee, said the idea is to start conversations about equine weight and its potential health implications, and how to address any issues.

Each sticker has a QR code, which owners can scan to access videos and more information on why each colour sticker has been given, and what to do next.

“Obesity is one of the main welfare issues in the UK herd, and it’s one we can prevent if we find the right ways to get the message out there,” Mrs. Grieve told H&H.