Abandoned, Stray and Fly-grazed
Fly-grazing, straying or abandoned horses present numerous difficulties for landowners, the public and the horses themselves. For example, horses may present a risk to public safety, particularly when left on public land, such as parks; and private land, such as residential property. The impact that horses have on the land can be considerable, particularly in […]
Animal Welfare - Unnecessary suffering and the duty of care
Prior to the Animal Welfare Act 2006, people only had a duty to ensure that an animal didn’t suffer unnecessarily. The Animal Welfare Act 2006 now imposes a broader ‘duty of care’ on anyone responsible for an animal. Section 9 of the Animal Welfare Act defines five basic needs for an animal's welfare. An owner […]
British Horse Council, BEF, BHA - who are they and remit
British Horse Council The British Horse Council was formed in 2018 to combine the work of the British Horse Industry Confederation and the Equine Sector Council for Health & Welfare. The British Horse Council is the channel through which all parts of the UK’s equine industry can join forces. Where consensus exists, they will engage […]
Codes of Practice for the Welfare of Equidae
Equine Codes of Practice in England, Scotland and Wales provide a fundamental basis for assessing if an individual horse, pony, donkey or mule is a concern. They summarise the legal responsibility under the Acts and provide guidance on how keepers are expected to meet the needs of their animal. As such, they are effectively a […]
Equine Dental Technicians and other paraprofessionals
Equine Dental Technicians A wide variety of people perform equine dental procedures, qualified Equine Dental Technicians, Veterinary Surgeons and some inexperienced people who have had minimal training, but nevertheless perform very advanced dental procedures. Under the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966, only qualified Veterinary Surgeons, registered with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) are permitted […]
Horse Passports
The Equine Identification (England) Regulations 2018 came into force on the 1st October 2018. The regulations followed the introduction of the Central Equine Database (CED) which became operational in March 2018. The legislation was primarily introduced to protect the human food chain, however, it may have secondary benefits in terms of enabling the identification of […]
NEWC Guides: Cutting Costs not Care, and Responsible Rehoming
Member charities of NEWC have collaborated to produce two practical guides; one to help equine owners find ways to cut costs without compromising on care and another on making the difficult decision to rehome a horse, pony or donkey. Equine charities are continuing to receive large numbers of calls from owners seeking alternative homes for […]
Reporting a welfare concern
REPORT A WELFARE CONCERN: At all times our member organisations are required to operate within the law. They do not have the authority to remove an equine from their owner. Only the Police, or an authorised Local or National Authority Inspector have powers under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to remove animals and only if […]
Starting a New Equine Welfare Organisation
The work of equine welfare charities usually falls into three categories: 1. Sanctuaries or Homes of RestHorses, ponies and donkeys stay in the care of one organisation for the rest of their lives. They are often old, may be unsound and need appropriate care in a peaceful environment. 2. Rescue, Rehabilitation and Re-homeThese are centres […]
Tethering
Tethering is the practice of securing a horse to an area with a long rope or chain tied from its headcollar/neck strap to ideally a stake in the ground. Seeing horses tethered can be upsetting for many people. There are acceptable standards of tethering that are recommended in the Codes of Practice to ensure the […]
Transporting horses
Transport of Animals (Cleansing and Disinfection) (England) (No 3) Order 2003 Any person transporting horses shall ensure that: They are loaded onto a means of transport which has been cleansed, and where necessary disinfected Any soiled litter and excreta are removed as soon as practicable There are no exemptions for transporting your own horse in […]
What is welfare?
Welfare is a description of an animal, or human’s state of wellbeing and can therefore be either negative or positive. Poor welfare is often described in terms of ‘cruelty’, ‘abuse’ or ‘neglect’. Meanwhile good welfare is associated with the needs of an animal, both psychological and physical, being met. In fact, welfare is much wider […]
