The Mare and Foal Sanctuary has received an “overwhelming response” to its campaign encouraging horse owners to measure and monitor their equine’s weight.
The charity offered free equine weigh tapes, alongside a video explaining how to use them, and within a week, 1,000 of the tapes were requested by equine carers across the UK.
‘We are so lucky to have step-on weighbridges at our Sanctuary sites, making weight management so much easier for the equines in our care,” said Emma Platt, The Mare and Foal Sanctuary’s Digital Fundraising and Activities Manager who led the campaign. “But not all equine owners have that facility. Weigh tapes are a very easy-to-use pocket-sized tool, so we wanted to raise awareness of the importance of good weight management by giving them away free to equine carers who requested them.
“Within a few days of launching the campaign, all 500 weigh tapes offered on our social media pages had been claimed, so we ordered more. The next 500 were allocated equally fast. The weigh tape features information about the advice and support we offer, and a QR code which takes people to some useful resources on our website.”
Although the weigh tape giveaway has now ended, the information can still be accessed here.
“As a charity that champions equine welfare and is passionate about educating and sharing best practice, it’s really encouraging to know that people across the country caring for horses and ponies take equine obesity seriously,” added Emma. “We’re looking at offering similar welfare campaigns in the future and would encourage anyone interested to find us on social media and sign-up to our newsletters and emails.”
