Major show gives signs of hope in battle against equine obesity horseandhound.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from horseandhound.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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The owner of a healthy two-year-old colt who was deemed “too skinny” by a showing judge says she is concerned about the effects such comments could have.
Emma Louise Armstrong entered her Welsh section D Sangrug B That Fancy for an in-hand class at a local show on 11 July, having bought him as a foal to regain her confidence in showing, with dreams eventually of qualifying for Horse of the Year Show (HOYS).
She told
H&H she asked someone else to show “Oakley” at his first competition, then took him to another local one herself.
“The feedback from that judge was lovely, and he did really well, so I had the adrenaline to keep showing him,” she said. “I really enjoyed it, and he’s such a sweet-natured colt, so I took him out again to a riding club show last weekend.
British scheme challenges concept of the "ideal" show horse horsetalk.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from horsetalk.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Hefty horses are prone to a range of health issues (Pic: Sarah Shephard) DIFFICULT conversations about equine obesity are needing to be had between some horse owners and their vets. According to equine veterinary body BEVA, obesity is now one of the biggest threats to horse welfare in the UK, and it is ramping up its efforts to help vets and owners recognise and address the problem, with help from a video on how best to tackle the topic. “Equine obesity may not be a huge issue for those working with racehorses and elite sports horses, but for those of us working with almost all other members of the UK equine population it is an all too familiar encounter,” said BEVA president Lucy Grieve. “Approaching the conversation about a horse’s weight with an owner can be difficult; sometimes what we say is not what the other person hears but by making small changes in how we word things can have a big impact.”