Horse & Hound news editor Eleanor Jones shares her views on the British Equine Veterinary Association’s new pilot scheme designed to combat the life-threating risk that obesity holds for too many horses through the UK
Equine obesity is a big issue. Vets have said they put down more horses from related conditions than any other, but it is a preventable disease – and it’s man-made. Whether it’s down to the way they are kept, and possibly the stigma associated with owning a skinny horse, the problem is not getting any better.
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"}
What do you think is the key reason vets are not seeing a reduction in the number of obese horses? Let us know your views by emailing hhletters@ti-media.com with your name and nearest town for the chance to be featured in the letters page a future issue of Horse & Hound magazine…
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Credit: .
The British Equine Veterinary Association is launching a six-month pilot of a new scheme designed to tackle equine obesity from
The owner is urging others to take action on overweight horses
Half our horses could be obese — and many owners are blind to the problem. So found a recent study
Credit: Redwings Horse Sanctuary
‘In loving our animals too much we are exposing them unnecessarily to potentially fatal diseases’
