Horse welfare

equiculture

developing responsible horse ownership

Horse welfare

This section of the website is about horse welfare. As with other sections of the Equiculture website this section will evolve and you are invited to be a part of that process. Please let us know what you think, let us know your ideas. We would like this section to become a hub of information about equine welfare in Australia and NZ. Interested people can springboard from here to other like-minded sites and hopefully become a part (if they are not already) of a growing body of people who are both concerned about and contributing to improving the quality of the welfare of horses. Please let us know about other relevant sites so horses can benefit.

One of the ideas for this section is to have a page on which professional horse welfare organisations (that are also a registered charity) can list their organisation and their mission (see the page welfare agencies). Most of these organisations are involved with re-homing rescued horses. This page will help those who are looking for such horses to connect with local horse welfare organisations. If you are involved with or know of such an organisation get in touch and we will post their details on this page.

The subject of horse welfare is multi-faceted. Yes it is about confronting and responding to instances of neglect, wilful cruelty and ignorance. However the positive aspect of learning about horse welfare constitutes good horse care or good horse training and challenging, and if necessary rethinking, traditional practices in light of what we know about horses today. It’s a rapidly evolving subject and can be highly contentious. What was once thought to be good welfare practice 10 years ago may no longer be the case. Opinions can be divided and while there will never be a consensus about what constitutes good horse welfare (or animal welfare in general for that matter) the bar is being raised and conditions continue to be improved.

It is easy to get bogged down and think that there is nothing that you can do on a personal level but instead of feeling overwhelmed and powerless take an interest, find out about issues and discuss these with friends. In doing so you are bringing difficult issues out into the open and helping to get people thinking (and hopefully taking action). Many welfare issues are caused not through malice, but through a lack of education or understanding, and we as a horse community must take responsibility for spreading knowledge and questioning some accepted practices.

Animal welfare agencies talk about ‘the five freedoms’. These are the five basic rights that all animals should have. Translated into horse parlance these are:

1. Freedom from thirst and hunger - A horse should have ready access to fresh, clean water and sufficient amounts of the correct foodstuffs. Horse feeding practices must take into account their requirements for a very high fibre diet as that is what they are biologically programmed to eat.
2. Freedom from discomfort - A horse should have an appropriate environment. Adequate space and shelter are important. Management systems must take into account horse behaviours. Horses are herd animals and inherently social and require company. It is timely to rethink management practices.
3. Freedom from pain, injury and disease - A horse owner or carer must know at least the basics of horse care and be able to recognise when a horse needs veterinary attention or is in need of a horse dentist or farrier or other horse health professional.
4. Freedom to express normal behaviour - A horse owner or carer should understand horse behaviour. This knowledge is important not only to provide suitable living conditions for the horse/s in their care but also to train them humanely. Understanding horse behaviour is also essential for a rider or a handler’s safety.
5. Freedom from fear and distress - A horse owner or carer should not place a horse in a situation where is continues to suffer stress/distress. Nor should a horse owner or carer use training methods that cause fear, pain or distress. By using humane training methods horses can be trained effectively and safely.