Managing obesity in horses- how can vets help horse owners? (2021)
Overview
“Cobs are supposed to have an apple bum… not a whole orchard!” How can we use the science of behaviour change to help owners recognise and manage obesity in their horses? This practical talk will discuss the results of a three-year study about owners’ perceptions of equine weight management and behaviour change. The talk will review the principles of human behaviour change in order to impart pragmatic knowledge that can be used in practice by vets, in order to help owners recognise when their horses are overweight, and help them change. We will use examples of real owners’ experiences throughout, and attendees will take away useful applied information to help them to facilitate those tricky conversations about weight.
Presenters
Dr. Tamzin Furtado PhD
Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Liverpool
Tamzin is a social scientist with a background in global health, and has a specific interest in the interconnections between human and animal health and wellbeing. She completed a PhD at the University of Liverpool studying how we can improve the management of obesity in horses, particularly focusing on horse-human relationships and human behaviour change. She now works on projects covering a wide range of aspects of understanding human behaviour in order to improve companion animal welfare, and in using social sciences to find out more about how we can help people to change. She is working with BEVA on their equine obesity initiative, and frequently gives lectures and talks about applying behaviour change principles to help equine professionals and owners manage weight.