Exploring human behavior change in equine welfare: Insights from a COM-B analysis of the UK's equine obesity epidemic.
Authors: Furtado Tamzin, Perkins Elizabeth, Pinchbeck Gina, McGowan Catherine, Watkins Francine, Christley Rob
Journal: Frontiers in veterinary science
Summary
Equine obesity remains endemic in UK leisure horses despite widespread professional acknowledgement of its welfare significance, yet interventions have typically relied on owner education alone—an approach that ignores the complexity of human behavior change. Researchers conducted qualitative interviews with horse owners and equine professionals, analysed open forum discussions, and facilitated focus groups, then applied the COM-B behavioural framework (which examines capability, opportunity, and motivation) to identify barriers to weight management across multiple domains. The analysis revealed that environmental and social factors substantially undermined owners' ability to recognise overweight horses or perceive long-term health risks, particularly when weighed against the immediate difficulties of implementing weight management; notably, owners struggled to accurately assess body condition and underestimated obesity-related consequences. Rather than intensifying educational messaging, the findings suggest that sustainable behaviour change requires interventions addressing capability gaps (identifying obesity), opportunity constraints (social and physical environmental factors), and motivation tensions (balancing short-term inconvenience against distant health benefits). For equine professionals, this implies moving beyond information-delivery toward collaborative, contextually-informed approaches that work with owners' existing values and reshape the practical and social circumstances influencing their management decisions.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •When advising owners on weight management, address not just what they should do but why their environment and social circle make it hard—provide practical solutions that work with their existing routines and peer group
- •Help owners recognize overweight horses objectively using body condition scoring and ultrasound where possible; don't assume they see what you see
- •Frame weight management as solving multiple problems (movement, health, performance) rather than just preventing future disease, and provide visible short-term wins to maintain motivation
Key Findings
- •Behavior change in equine obesity management requires holistic intervention across capability, opportunity, and motivation (COM-B model), not education alone
- •Owners struggle to identify overweight horses and underestimate long-term health risks while focusing on short-term challenges of weight management
- •Social norms and physical environment significantly limit owners' proactive engagement with horse weight management
- •Education-focused interventions are insufficient without addressing environmental and motivational factors driving obesity in UK leisure horses