Friends, forage, freedom: The Use of Alternative Grazing Systems for Horses (2021)
Overview
Alternative grazing systems for horses are gaining attention as traditional horse management practices struggle to meet the evolving needs of modern equine care. This webinar will explore how these systems address common welfare challenges—such as obesity, laminitis, and gastric ulcers—by supporting horses’ natural behaviours through improved access to friends, forage, and freedom.
This veterinary webinar explores alternative grazing systems for horses that are designed to meet their natural behavioural needs for social interaction (friends), continual access to forage, and the freedom to move. These systems offer practical strategies for preventing and managing common chronic health issues such as equine metabolic syndrome (EMS), laminitis, arthritis, and gastric ulcers.
Whether you’re a veterinarian, equine professional, or owner seeking welfare-focused pasture management, this session offers insights that can transform how we think about equine care.
Presenters
Dr Tamzin Furtado is a social scientist with a background in global health and a strong interest in the connections between human and animal health and wellbeing.
She completed her PhD at the University of Liverpool, focusing on improving the management of equine obesity, with a particular emphasis on horse–human relationships and human behaviour change.
Tamzin now works on a variety of projects aimed at better understanding human behaviour to improve companion animal welfare. She applies social science insights to explore how we can effectively support people in making positive changes in animal care.
She collaborates with BEVA on their equine obesity initiative and regularly delivers lectures and training on applying behaviour change theory to help equine professionals and horse owners manage weight more effectively.
