It took me a long time to feel comfortable seeing my horse’s ribs while he grazed in the pasture. He is healthy and full in the barrel with a nicely developed topline for a horse in full work. Seeing a little rib doesn’t mean he’s too thin, as my vet explained to me.
But to onlookers, that’s the first thing some may notice and misunderstand. Even horse show judges. According to a recent study by North Carolina State University, about 95 percent of show hunter judges said horses with too much or too little fat covering compromises a score in competition. The judges surveyed said they were more likely to penalize a horse that looked too thin over too fat. Researchers surveyed 200-plus show hunter judges about body condition, and judges rated photos of horses they thought were thin, average, overweight or obese.
The majority of judges identified overweight horses as average, according to the findings. And the average horses were more likely to be scored as thin, the survey found.
Veterinary professionals from around the globe agree that obesity among horses is becoming a larger problem. Luckily, judges seemed open to feedback. In the survey, most expressed interest in further education on body scoring. If judges need more schooling, that means we all probably do. And it’s time to abandon the misconceptions that a fat horse is a healthy one.
This hot take originally published in the Heels Down Spark in October 2021. Get more conversation starters in your inbox every weekday morning by subscribing to the Spark now.