Horse owners invited to #FeelForFat at Badminton Horse Trials

This year’s Badminton Horse Trials, which runs from 7^th – 11^th May, will see us showcase our new weight management resources designed to help horse owners get hands on with fat scoring. Our new practical #FeelForFat materials have been specially designed in response to feedback about the realities faced when fat scoring horses.

Sam Chubbock, Head of UK Support at World Horse Welfare, said:

“Equine weight management can be a sensitive issue, fraught with worries about associated health risks. Our new #FeelForFat resources are aimed at helping horse owners to feel more confident in assessing their horses’ weight. They reflect feedback from some recent fat scoring surveys and workshops which suggested making the process clearer.”

Visitors to the World Horse Welfare stand at Badminton will be able to try out the new fat scoring resources for themselves with the use of our charity’s life-like equine model named ‘Freddie’. Representatives from our team will also be on the stand every day to listen and provide advice.

Fat scoring is a valuable tool for horse owners to monitor their horses’ weight, however research shows that horse owners often find it difficult to accurately fat score their own horse. To further explore the issue, we asked staff from across the charity to complete a survey examining motivations and barriers to fat scoring and then take part in a series of fat scoring workshops.

The results from the survey and feedback from the workshops were used to update our existing weight management materials and incorporate a new way of presenting each of the body areas that are scored during the fat scoring process.

Instead of using the traditional whole-body diagram per score, the new resources simplify the process by separately covering each of the three body areas scored:

• Neck and shoulder
• Back and barrel
• Hindquarters

Further testing was conducted with horse owners at Your Horse Live in November 2024, with 97% preferring the updated resources and over 70% being very likely to use them when fat scoring their own horses. Responses included:

• “Clear visual and bright images which are easy to interpret for any age and experience”
• “Really clear methodology, people can follow and have a good foundation in assessing their horses”

Health implications associated with obesity in horses include equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) a recurrent condition for which there is no ‘cure’ and laminitis, a painful hoof condition that can be a particular problem for horses prone to weight gain. According to Agria, the UK’s only lifetime provider of equine insurance in the UK, the average annual claim of dealing with these conditions are £514.98 for laminitis and £365.15 for EMS.

Sam said:

“As well as being expensive and incredibly challenging for horse owners to deal with, long-term illnesses like EMS and laminitis can cause pain and discomfort to the horses suffering from them,” explained Sam. “This is why, alongside our fat scoring resources, we are offering practical advice to horse owners about steps they can take to help manage their horses’ weight.

“We can’t wait to meet this year’s visitors to Badminton and support them on their equine weight management journeys. Look out for our distinctive, life-like model horse Freddie and be prepared to get hands-on and #FeelForFat.”

The World Horse Welfare stand at Badminton can be found at 92 Beaufort Way.

The new resources are available to download as part of our ‘How to know if your horse is the right weight?’ leaflet and as poster downloads for yards.