Marketing & PR for The Horse Trust’s Healthiest Body Condition Programme
Holdsworth PR Ltd
Equestrian & Rural PR & Marketing Services
The Old Nursery Office, Rock Road, Washington, West Sussex, RH20 3BH
01903 892060     07905 370198
jennifer@holdsworthpr.co.uk
holdsworthpr.co.uk 

PRESS RELEASE - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

25th April 2023

The Horse Trust's Healthiest Body Condition Awards at
Royal Windsor Horse Show 2023
 

The Royal Windsor Horse Show and The Horse Trust are delighted to announce that The Horse Trust's Healthiest Body Condition Awards will be presented in various showing classes at this year's Royal Windsor Horse Show.  The Awards aim to raise awareness of the importance of keeping all horses at a healthy weight.

Obesity is a major problem in horses, leading to a number of health problems, including laminitis, arthritis, and respiratory problems. It can also make it difficult for the horse to perform at its best. The Healthiest Body Condition Awards, instigated by The Horse Trust in association with Liverpool University, aim to raise awareness of this issue and to encourage owners, riders and producers to keep their horses at a healthy weight.

A spokesperson for RWHS said, "The welfare of horses participating at RWHS is of paramount importance and we are delighted to welcome the Horse Trust's Healthiest Body Condition Awards initiative to the show". 

During selected classes at Royal Windsor Horse Show, horses and ponies will be assessed by experienced equine vets including Lucy Penrose BVMedSci BVMBVS MRCVS who will be evaluating based on several factors, including the horse's body condition score.  "The Horse Trust's Healthiest Body Condition Awards are a great initiative, rewarding horses who are in a healthy body condition in the ring. I am happy to support these awards at Royal Windsor 2023 because I believe they are, alongside work from Societies, making a positive influence in competing horses' welfare", said Lucy. 

Also judging will be Dr Jane V M Hastie nee Nixon MA Vet MB BSc MRCVS "The Horse Trust's Healthiest Body Condition Awards is important to me because it is working to address the serious problem of obesity in some show horses. I believe that all horses deserve to be healthy and happy, and this program is helping to make that happen. I am giving my support to this program because it is providing education and resources to help owners and judges make healthier choices for their horses and is rewarding the producers of horses who are in a healthy body condition.  I believe that this program is making a real difference in the lives of some show horses, and I am proud to support it."

Jan Rogers, Head of Research and Policy at The Horse Trust, says, "We 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 worrying for vets who are finding that they must treat these horses with serious health conditions like Equine Metabolic Syndrome and Laminitis. People's perceptions of what is a healthy weight have shifted towards the higher body condition scores. We would like to help to reset this balance."

These Awards reward owners and producers for having their horse in gold standard condition and also provide education and resources for people to help make healthier choices for their horses and ponies. 

The winners of the Awards will be presented with a prestigious green and gold rosette.

For more information on The Horse Trust's Healthiest Body Condition Awards, visit
horsetrust.org.uk/healthy-equine-body-condition/

ENDS

For more media information on RWHS, contact Niki McEwen: nmcewen@revolutionworld.com

For more media information on The Horse Trust, contact Jennifer Cranford on 01903 892060 or email jennifer@holdsworthpr.co.uk

High-res editorial photographs maybe downloaded here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ufh3drV-AusOsEksZeoSmRIdr1Aj7m8i?usp=sharing