Press Release

12^thJanuary 2022 - For immediate release

The Horse Trust continues to pave the way in 2022, promoting awareness of healthy body condition in show horses.

The Horse Trust's Healthy Body Condition campaign in showing was well received in 2019 and 2021, and some of the most prestigious shows in the country are keen to take part in the initiativein 2022 at both affiliated and unaffiliated levels. 
 

Show organiser, Amanda Stoddart-West of the Great Yorkshire Show said"We are delighted to be involved in anything that helps re-educate people about healthy body condition in horses and think we should encourage the improvement in welfare standards generally.  The Great Yorkshire Show has been supporting The Horse Trust Project since 2019 and look forward to continuing to do so in 2022".
 

Julian Rishworth, Equine Director at vetPartners felt that the programme was growing in support and said"weran the initiative for the second time at this year's Great Yorkshire Show and it was even better received this time round. We felt that more of the judges were accepting of the concept and the competitors who were awarded the rosettes were extremely appreciative of it". 
 

The programme is supported by evidence obtained at the University of Liverpool by Behaviour Change Scientist Dr Tamzin Furtado who developed the programme in partnership with The Horse Trust. The aim is to raise awareness of healthy equine body condition in showing, to provide guidance and to encourage owners, riders, and producers to recognize the health and welfare benefits of maintaining a healthy body condition. Showing can be seen to promote horses who are overweight, and the desire is to challenge that belief and educate on what is an ideal body condition.
 

Tamzin Furtado, says "Horses who are overweight or cresty are often celebrated for their condition - and we want to slightly challenge that, by celebrating horses in ideal body condition." Fellow Liverpool University graduate and vet, Ben Curnow, MRCVS, who judged body condition as part of the 2019 pilot programme, added, "It's not about being critical of or challenging the judges, just showcasing what ideal body condition looks like."

Selected show classes in participating shows throughout the year were assessed for body condition by a vet and the horses who have the healthiest body condition were awarded one of the Horse Trust's coveted green and gold rosettes.
 

The 2021 Participating Shows Included:

At The Royal International Horse Show competitors from across the UK were scored by Dr Tamzin Furtado, and Lily Edgington MRCVS, of Sussex Equine Hospital in a variety of classes including Maxi Cobs, M&M Pretty Polly Ponies and Show Hunters, with rosettes awarded to one winner in each class.

David Ingle, Director of Showing at the Royal International Horse Show, Hickstead and former Chairman of The Showing Council, said, "Showing is keen to become more educational and we are in an era of great improvement in equine welfare, with increasing scrutiny under social license. This initiative helps to shine a light on this important aspect of showing."

Loraine Homer's five-year-old bay mare Ballinclare took the award for healthiest body condition at the Royal International Horse Show 2021 having won the large intermediate show riding type class and championship, ridden by 19-year-old Alice Homer from Warwickshire. The mare was also third in the large hack class.

When asked about Ballinclare's routine, Alice said, "She pretty much lives out and loves food, so she often comes in at the end of Winter with a bit of a tummy. But I think it's the thoroughbred in her which helps her condition". We spend most of the time keeping the weight off her as I think they look classier and much better fit", says Alice who is based with her mum Loraine in Warwickshire.

The British Equine Veterinary Association considers equine obesity to be one of the highest-ranking equine health risks today. The Horse Trust is working with several organisations in the horse world to come up with practical solutions to enable human behaviour around equine obesity to be changed for the better.

Jan Rogers of The Horse Trust says, "We all get very upset by seeing photos of underweight horses in the media, but in reality, far more horses are obese than are underweight. This is very worrying for vets who are finding that they must treat these horses with serious health conditions like Equine Metabolic Syndrome and Laminitis. Peoples' perceptions of what is a healthy weight have shifted towards the higher body condition scores. We would like to help to reset this balance".

The Horse Trust's Healthy Body Condition in Show Horsesinitiative will continue into 2022 and beyond so keep an eye out for information on the Horse Trust's social media platforms for #TheWeighToWin on Facebook, Twitter and Instagramwhere there will be more photos and comment from some of the winners.

ENDS

For more media information, contact Jennifer Cranford - jennifer@holdsworthpr.co.uk   /  01903 892060

For a selection of images from the shows throughout the year click here:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1SSIodRYtiO2YwsIJQL67ILZ40fABxO_n?usp=sharing