13 Apr 2021
Association launches second-phase pilot project to help increase engagement between vets and owners about the topic.
Paul Imrie
Job Title
Image: Sarah Shephard
BEVA is ramping up its efforts to help vets and owners recognise and address obesity problems in horses.
The association has launched a second-phase pilot project to help increase engagements between vets and owners, including a video on how best to tackle the topic of talking to owners about it.
BEVA president Lucy Grieve said: “Equine obesity may not be a huge issue for those working with racehorses and elite sports horses, but for those of us working with almost all other members of the UK equine population, it is an all-too-familiar encounter.
“Approaching the conversation about a horse’s weight with an owner can be difficult; sometimes what we say is not what the other person hears, but making small changes in how we word things can have a big impact.”
The association has been working with vet professionals on the issue, and this year it has teamed up with Tamzin Furtado – a social scientist at the University of Liverpool with a background in global health, and a specific interest on how human behaviour change can improve the management of obesity in horses – to provide advice and guidance on having difficult conversations about equine obesity.
A pilot scheme using a traffic light colour system of vaccination reminder stickers vets place on the front of passports at each vaccination appointment has been simplified for further trials.
The updated scheme involves vets issuing a black or white sticker during a vaccination visit, relating to the horse or pony’s current weight. The QR-coded sticker directs owners to a series of five short videos providing practical advice on ways to manage or reduce their horse’s weight by looking at hard feed, exercise, grazing, hay and rugging.
Miss Grieve said: “Using a less direct method of communication, such as this, seems to make it more comfortable for owners to recognise and accept that their horse is overweight. This should be the kick-start they need to embark on a supported path of rehabilitating their horse to a healthy body condition.”
She added: “Obesity is a ticking time bomb, and we all need to work together to avert the crisis. By initiating conversations in the right way, we can help owners recognise and maintain a healthy body condition for their beloved horses and ponies.
“In so doing we should be able to significantly reduce the many serious obesity-related health problems – surely this is the biggest motivator for all of us to engage with this project.”
The resources are available online.
