Equine obesity scheme shows progress, but welfare must be embedded in judging

The Weigh to Win awards, a scheme funded by The Horse Trust and supported by the University of Liverpool, has been running since 2019 to recognise the horse or pony in the healthiest body condition within a showing class. It has grown every year since, and in 2026 the number of participating events rose by 19% to 60 shows across the UK. Data collected since 2021 shows a measurable improvement in body condition scores across participating classes, and the scheme's championship, held alongside the London International Horse Show, has become a fixture for repeat award winners.

Organisers, vets and judges discussed the scheme's progress at the Royal International Horse Show in July, and the consensus was clear: recognising healthy weight with a rosette is not enough on its own. Some classes, including maxi cobs, Welsh section Cs and Ds, and Highlands, remain more resistant to change, and producers noted that horses carrying excess weight are still sometimes placed above healthier ones in the final line-up. The British Equine Veterinary Association's president backed the initiative but flagged that a shortage of people trained to judge body condition at local shows remains a practical barrier to wider rollout.

The wider message from the discussion was that tackling equine obesity in the show ring depends on embedding body condition assessment into mainstream judging criteria, not treating it as a side award. For breeders and owners involved in showing, it is a reminder that a horse's condition at the point of sale, and the standards it is judged against afterwards, are increasingly linked to welfare outcomes rather than just presentation.