Obesity In Horses Could Be As High As In Humans

A pilot study by The University of Nottingham’s School of Veterinary Medicine and Science showed that the rates of obesity among horses are just as high as they are among people; at least one in five horses used for leisure are overweight or obese.

Of the 160 surveys returned from horse owners, one in five showed that their horses were overweight or obese, based on the owners’ perceptions of their horses’ body condition. Subsequently, researchers assessed the body condition of 15 randomly selected horses to determine if the scores accurately assessed the horse’s weight.

On the basis of these findings, researchers estimated the true prevalence of overweight/obesity to be 54% rather than the 20% indicated by the results of the questionnaire.

Obesity is linked to a number of diseases including arthritis, laminitis, and equine metabolic syndrome.