How you can help secure a healthier future for horses

In just 5 minutes horse owners can help to secure a healthier future for horses. The National Equine Health Survey (NEHS) is the only project of its kind, enabling horse owners to give anonymous feedback about the health of their horses, ponies and donkeys so that the most common diseases and problems can be identified, prioritised and addressed. It has now been running for 5 years and is already helping to make an important difference to equine health and welfare. It is run by Blue Cross, in partnership with the British Equine Veterinary Association, and with the support of many of the country's leading equestrian charities and organisations.

The results are referenced in leading veterinary and equestrian publications and papers and are regarded as valuable benchmarks for our general knowledge of horse health. Last year survey records were returned for almost 15 000 horses ponies, donkeys and mules.

A key finding in 2015 was that lameness is three times more likely to be caused by conditions such as osteoarthritis in the limb rather than problems in the foot. In addition almost a quarter of horses were recorded as overweight or obese, continuing the upward trend shown in previous years. The consistent pattern of results year on year shows that evidence rather than opinion is now being generated by the report, helping owners and experts to understand and improve the health of the country's horses.