Time to shape up

Equine obesity is an epidemic with serious health implications. Sarah Jenkins asks how we can all contribute to a less obesogenic environment and prevent avoidable illness

- Sarah Jenkins

FOLLOWING extensive work by vets, the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA), welfare charities and media, there are indications owners are becoming more aware of obesity and its danger to horses. Evidence of this includes social media outrage at overweight show horse champions – although this is sadly often undesirable rather than constructive in nature.

More quantifiably, when World Horse Welfare conducted a survey at BEVA congress, co-ordinated by a working group of experts tackling obesity in the UK herd, vets responded there was more awareness of the issues. That’s a huge positive, but is the UK herd getting any slimmer and is its overall health improving as a result?

Vet Edd Knowles hasn’t seen any positive change in the number of horses presenting with conditions to which obesity contributes. And he reminds us there are many problems for which obesity isn’t necessarily the primary cause. For example, if a horse has arthritis it will struggle more if carrying an excess 50 kilos. Similar can be said regarding breathing conditions.

“The consequences of obesity are long-term,” says Edd. “It is a natural process for a native to put on some weight in summer and lose it in winter, that’s healthy. A native isn’t set up to be the same weight all year round.”

But we are still seeing that.

THE CHALLENGE 

OUR horses’ environment is obesogenic, meaning they are more likely to become overweight.

“Some of our natives and cobs are designed to ‘live on fresh air’,” says Tamzin Furtado, postdoctoral research associate at the University of Liverpool, who has carried out extensive research into behaviours around equine weight management.