The #WeighToWin Roadshow Arrives at the GB PRE!

The Weigh To Win (#weightowin) team was thrilled to take its training programme on the road at the kind invitation of GB PRE.

The #weightowin scheme aims to help people, particularly within the showing community, understand the importance of maintaining horses at a healthy body weight. This is essential because, in some breeds and types, excess weight has unfortunately become normalised.

This has not been the case with GB PRE. On Sunday, 20th October, The Horse Trust and The University of Liverpool were welcomed by Karen Manzi-Bourdon to Premier PRE Dressage, where they conducted a hands-on training day with seven members of the organisation.

Who are GB PRE?

GB PRE is an association committed to promoting and supporting competitions across all disciplines for the PRE breed in the UK. They also host and promote training clinics, educational seminars, and endorse equine welfare, making their involvement well-aligned with our mission.

Throughout the course of the day…

After a classroom session covering the importance of healthy body weight, identifying the location of fatty deposits, and discussing the risks these pose, we were provided with three different horses for our practical session. Everyone had the chance to Body Condition Score (BCS) the horses, share observations, and ask questions. The horses were then weighed individually using a portable weighbridge and scored with a weigh tape. This allowed us to compare data and discuss gaps and challenges.

In the afternoon, we discussed the veterinary risks associated with equine obesity and returned to the yard, where participants split into two groups. They had the opportunity to BCS three test horses, using a formative assessment process to assess their competence and confidence in scoring horses on the 0-5 BCS scale.

Weight Assessor Certificates!

All participants passed with flying colours and were awarded a framed certificate affirming that they could “Effectively and confidently BCS a horse or pony, whether their own or another’s, and assess the horse with the best BCS in a class of multiple horses or ponies, specialising in their own breed or type, while providing constructive feedback.”

The next training day will be in Cheshire in April 2025. Please contact us for more details, and be sure to follow us on Facebook here for live updates.

Find out more about the Weigh To Win scheme by heading to the link below.

Weigh To Win