Does my horse's bum look big in this?

If asked to describe a typical horse cruelty case, most people would immediately think about the thin horse described in case A, but in reality fat and obese horses are now at epidemic level and the long term effects they suffer can be catastrophic.

We are a nation of animal lovers, but sometimes we can love our pets too much and with devastating consequences. Leading international horse charity World Horse Welfare has today revealed groundbreaking new statistics which show that the British public can't recognise when a horse is obese and are unaware of the grave health implications it poses.

In the first research of its kind, World Horse Welfare surveyed 2150 members of the general public to provide feedback on the biggest horse welfare problems in Britain today. Combined with the daily findings and workload of their 16 UK Field Officers, the charity has gained a unique insight into what the public perceive to be the main problems and what is actually happening in reality.

More than 50% of people either did not correctly recognise an overweight horse or (if they did) indicated that it posed no or a low welfare threat.

"This research is vitally important for horse welfare but the results are worrying," says Roly Owers, World Horse Welfare Chief Executive. "We are literally killing our horses with kindness and as a nation we need to recognise the long term dangers of allowing them to carry excess fat. Overfeeding a horse can lead to ongoing health issues which can cause excruciating pain, such as laminitis and heart and lung problems. Horses can also suffer from a diabetes-like condition called Equine Metabolic Syndrome which can be as equally destructive as it is with humans.

"When asked to investigate concerns involving thin horses, our Field Officers often arrive to find that the horse in question is actually the correct weight, but looks thin compared its overweight field companions."

In fact, like humans, around half of all companion animals are now obese in Western civilization.

On October 13th this year, in what is believed to be the first case of its kind, a married couple from Blackpool were banned from keeping horses for five years and fined £500 each after they allowed a Shetland pony in their care to become grossly overweight. The pony was successfully rehabilitated by World Horse Welfare but it will be at risk from weight gain and attacks of painful laminitis for the rest of its life.

Roly continues: "This prosecution is likely to be the ‘tip of the iceberg' as many similar cases could reach the courts in the future. We hope that cases such as this will serve to highlight an escalating problem in our horse population, which if left unchecked will have dire consequences.

"Over the last two years, World Horse Welfare has been weighing and assessing horses up and down the country and educating their owners through our Right Weight project and we will continue to lead the way in finding solutions to combat the key causes of horse welfare problems."

If you are concerned about your horse's weight or are worried about a horse you have seen, please visit www.worldhorsewelfare.org for more information, tips and advice.

Obesity - perception versus reality

There is a disparity in the ability of the general public (SOS respondents) to recognise that under- and over-weight horses are of potential welfare concern.

• 86% of SOS respondents recognised the underweight horse as being a potential welfare concern (it was the welfare scenario that most individuals correctly recognised).
• 73% of SOS respondents recognised the overweight horse as being a potential welfare concern.
• A much bigger disparity appears when the level of welfare threat for under- or over-weight horses is considered.
• 76% of SOS respondents rated the underweight horse as a medium, high or severe welfare threat.
• Only 46% of SOS respondents rated the overweight horse as medium, high or severe welfare threat.
• In other words more than 50% of SOS respondents either did not correctly recognise an overweight horse or (if they did) indicated that it posed no or low welfare threat.
• The fact that 73% of SOS respondents recognised an overweight horse is perhaps an indication that the World Horse Welfare Right Weight campaign is having an effect. However, the low percentage (46%) of SOS respondents that recognised the welfare implications of an overweight horse suggests that further "education" is still required.
• This is highlighted in the analysis of question 14 from the SOS survey which shows that being overweight was considered the most common welfare problem by respondents with equine experience and by equine professionals, but only 3.4% of the general public considered being overweight a welfare problem.
• Worryingly, during the Livery Yard survey only 20% of respondents stated that their livery yards (were able to) implement strip grazing approaches to weight management.
• However, this would imply that if this sort of intervention could be put in place at the remaining 80% of livery yards, a significant reduction in the prevalence of obesity could be achieved.

Results from SOS Survey:
86% recognised an underweight horse    
73% recognised an overweight horse
76% believed the underweight horse's welfare to be at risk 
46% believed the overweight horse's welfare to be at risk (over three quarters) (less than a half)
15.2% believed the fit healthy horse was underweight
36.8% of people with horse experience believed  3.7% of people with no horse experience believed obesity to be the most common welfare threat in the UK  to be the most common welfare threat in the UK

This would appear to support findings from other studies in horses, dogs and cats that there is a tendency for owners to underestimate the weight [body condition, size, etc] of their pet.

Of considerable concern is the finding that less than half of those quizzed [in the SOS Survey]believed that being overweight posed a threat to a horse's welfare, compared to over three quarters who believed being underweight was a threat.

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