Lily Thomas, a student at the Royal Agricultural University, has won a prize from Dengie for her dissertation ‘An Evaluation of Public Opinions and Perceptions on Equine Bodyweight in the Showing Sector’.
Dengie, who have supported the Equine Dissertation of the Year award at the Royal Agricultural University for several years, gave Lily books and gift vouchers as a prize.
Research for Lily’s dissertation, which was based on survey responses from 174 participants, suggests that horse owners are aware of the health risks associated with obesity and can recognise when their horses are overweight which contrasts with some previous studies.
“It was hard work, but I’m really pleased with the number of survey responses I collected in the end,” said Lily.
“The change in behaviour needed to make a difference is an area I found particularly interesting.”
“It’s an area that people like Tamzin Furtado have started to explore in studies and I found it fascinating that an awakening event often has to happen before people take action. Sadly, in the case of horses and ponies, that event is often laminitis.”
Obese show horses should not be rewarded
Lily’s survey obtained some interesting opinions such as the need for judges to take a firmer stance and not place or reward obese horses and that a vet should inspect horses before the enter the ring and refuse to let obese horses compete.
Only 10 per cent of respondents thought that giving a rosette for the healthiest weight would be an effective tool in reducing equine obesity in the show ring.
“There are many different reasons why horse owners struggle to achieve weight loss in their horses,” said Dr Katie Williams, technical manager at Dengie.
“In some areas of the UK it is increasingly hard to find a good livery yard that will help you to manage your horse or pony’s access to grass.”
“Finding suitable forage can also be a challenge with many being much higher in energy and sugar than is ideal for a horse that is overweight.”
“Studies like Lily’s help to raise awareness of these challenges and explore what is needed for change to happen. I think she’s done a great job tackling a potentially contentious topic.”
Lily previously spent time working at the Horse Trust which piqued her interest in equine welfare, and having now completed her degree she has taken a work placement in the equine industry in Spain.
