Why Join?

Join NEWC and show your commitment to raising welfare standards nationwide

NEWC membership provides an assurance to both the public and the industry that horse welfare is the priority.  It is the National Equine Welfare Council’s mission to raise awareness of equine welfare issues and to help improve equine welfare standards.

Why Join
Member Requirements
Apply Now

Joining NEWC

Streamlining education, regulation and enforcement initiatives are NEWC priorities to ensure equine welfare standards steadily improve. Everyone in the equestrian sector benefits from the horse, who has been our loyal servant for centuries. 

It is the National Equine Welfare Council’s mission to protect the welfare of the horse, pony and donkey and ensure that everyone who has an interest or association with the horse makes its health and welfare the overriding factor in all decision-making.

Benefits to members

  • Forum for discussion and exchange of experiences
  • Welfare advice and interaction
  • Governance
  • Wider issues
  • ‘Quality Mark’
  • Vehicle for wider representation
  • Vehicle for projects of common interest
  • Vehicle for education and information
  • Benefits to the equine industry as a whole

Benefits to industry

  • Unified voice – Government attention
  • Central information resource on equine welfare matters
  • The focal point for matters of common interest to welfare and rest of industry
  • Binding disparate interests
  • Gradual advancement of welfare into the mainstream equestrian world

NEWC currently has two different membership categories so if your organisation actively keeps equines, or doesn't keep equines but has equine welfare as one of its principal objectives then you have the opportunity to support NEWC and make a tangible difference to equine welfare in the UK by adding your voice.  

We are exploring opportunities to broaden the membership base to encompass the support of different organisations and individuals who commit to supporting equine welfare.

Member Requirements

Become A Member

Objectives

To promote effective methods of dealing with abuse, neglect, cruelty or unnecessary suffering concerned with horses.

To encourage and assist all equestrian and equine-related organisations to achieve and maintain the standards laid down in the NEWC Code of Practice for Organisations Involved in the Keeping of Horses, Ponies and Donkeys.

Member Requirements

Governance

The rules governing the conduct of NEWC’s affairs are set out in the Company’s Articles of Association and can be found on the Companies House website.

The Directors may admit membership to organisations or official representatives of organisations that have the status of a registered Charity, Community Interest Company or formally constituted FE or HE establishment, and either:

  1. have an active involvement in keeping horses or
  2. do not actively keep horses but have equine welfare as one of their principal objectives

Only those persons or organisations who qualify for membership, under the terms of Article 29 of the Articles of Association shall be admitted as members.

All members of NEWC must comply with all relevant legislation (including but not exclusively, The Animal Welfare Act 2006 in England and Wales and the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006welfare of animals during transportation; employment legislation; Health and Safety regulations) and the NEWC Code of Practice for Organisations Involved in the Keeping of Horses, Ponies and Donkeys.

In accordance with Article 30 of the Articles of Association membership can be terminated if a member ceases to comply with the criteria set out in Article 29, or if continued membership is harmful to or likely to become harmful to the interests of the company. In the latter case, the member would be given 14 clear days’ notice and the opportunity to contend this decision.

 

Members are expected to:

Share the NEWC vision

To provide one voice for our members to ensure improved welfare for all equines

Engage with the NEWC mission

To raise awareness of equine welfare issues and to help improve equine welfare standards nationwide

Our Goals

  • Promote best practice in equine rescue, rehab and rehoming 
  • Coordinate the partnership working response to the horse crisis
  • Improve communications within the industry of those invested in improving equine welfare standards
  • To grow the membership and profile of NEWC to broaden our reach and impact

For those organisations that fulfil the criteria, there are two membership categories:

Equine Welfare Membership (organisations that actively keep equines)

Welfare Membership (organisations that do not actively keep equines but have equine welfare as one of their principal objectives)

 

Supporters of NEWC

Organisations and individuals who provide funding for NEWC in the form of a donation will be acknowledged as Supporters of NEWC. Credit will be given to each donating organisation or individual on the NEWC website, in NEWC information packs and in the NEWC annual accounts.

We are also offering students the opportunity to get involved with NEWC by becoming a student supporter. This opportunity is open to all students, regardless of whether or not their institution is a NEWC member. Access to a private Facebook group is included, where students will be able to access equine welfare news and information, discuss research project ideas, find out about job and career opportunities within the welfare sector and much more.

Please contact info@newc.co.uk for more details.

Apply Now - Membership Categories & Subscriptions

  1. Equine Welfare membership (organisations that actively keep equines)

Annual subscription: £175

Application for NEWC Equine Welfare membership is open to organisations that actively keep equines and are either registered charities, Community Interest Companies or formally constituted FE or HE establishments.

In addition to consideration of the information provided in the application form, accreditation visits to the place in which the equines are kept will be made by one of the NEWC directors or their representative.  If the applicant falls slightly short of the standards required for Equine Welfare membership at the initial visit, support and follow-up visits may be offered at the directors’ discretion before Equine Welfare membership status is attained.

Examples of the topics covered during an accreditation visit can be viewed here: NEWC Member Standards

  1. Welfare membership (organisations that DO NOT actively keep equines)

Annual subscription: £125

Application for NEWC Welfare membership is open to organisations that do not actively keep equines but have equine welfare as one of their principal objectives and are either registered charities, Community Interest Companies or formally constituted FE or HE establishments.

All membership applications will be reviewed by the Directors per the criteria outlined above and Article 29 of the Articles of Association. Membership will only be granted if, in the opinion of the Directors, the organisation is a fit and proper organisation to be a member of NEWC.

You can apply for the relevant membership by first registering as an applicant member of NEWC. You can then go through the process of applying online on our application portal.

Register as an Applicant
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