Dengie Recognises Student’s Achievement
Student Lily Thomas has won the prestigious equine dissertation of the year award at the Royal Agricultural University for her dissertation ‘An Evaluation of Public Opinions and Perceptions on Equine Bodyweight in the Showing Sector’. Dengie have supported the prize for many years providing books and gift vouchers to the winners.
Lily has previously worked at the Horse Trust which is what sparked her keen interest in equine welfare with obesity and behaviour being her key areas of interest. Lily’s dissertation involved her conducting a survey which was completed by 174 participants. “I had to keep sending out the survey and reminding people to complete it” commented Lily. “It was hard work, but I’m really pleased with the number of survey responses I collected in the end!”
Some of the key themes from the survey included the need for judges to take a firmer stance and not place or reward horses that are obese. A few respondents even went so far as to suggest that a vet should inspect horses before they go in the ring and not let those that are obese compete. It was also interesting to note that only 10% of the respondents thought that awarding a rosette for the healthiest weight would be effective in reducing equine obesity in the show ring.
Lily’s survey findings suggest that horse owners are aware of the health risks associated with obesity and can recognise when their horses are overweight which contrasts with some previous studies. It is doing something about it that seems to be the challenge. “The change in behaviour needed to make a difference is an area I found particularly interesting”, comments Lily. “It’s an area that people like Tamzin Furtado have started to explore in studies and I found it fascinating that an awakening event often has to happen before people take action. Sadly, in the case of horses and ponies, that event is often laminitis”.
Equine obesity is considered to be one of the UK’s most serious equine welfare concerns which is why it is so important that horse owners have support from vets, nutritionists and others to help them take appropriate action. Lily’s key takeaway is for horse owners to know that there is help available and not to be afraid or embarrassed to ask for advice from a reputable professional. The nutritionists at Dengie are practical horse owners and have experienced many of the challenges associated with keeping horses at a healthy weight too.
“There are many different reasons why horse owners struggle to achieve weight loss in their horses” adds Dr Katie Williams, Technical Manager at Dengie. “In some areas of the UK it is increasingly hard to find a good livery yard that will help you to manage your horse or pony’s access to grass. Finding suitable forage can also be a challenge with many being much higher in energy and sugar than is ideal for a horse that is overweight. Studies like Lily’s help to raise awareness of these challenges and explore what is needed for change to happen. I think she’s done a great job tackling a potentially contentious topic!”
Having now successfully completed her degree, Lily is embarking on her career in the equine industry with an exciting opportunity working in Spain.
