Equine welfare safety net ‘at breaking point’ thanks to perfect storm, horse world warned

Equine welfare centres are “running out of space”, the sector is at “breaking point” and vulnerable horses “will soon be left with nowhere to go”.

Those are the headline messages from a new survey into the picture facing the UK’s equine welfare sector this year.

The National Equine Welfare Council (NEWC), a not-for-profit membership organisation, surveyed rescue centres, rehoming organisations and sanctuaries in the UK. It received 38 complete responses, the majority of which came from managers of rescue organisations that operate at least one site in England.

The survey found that 50% of respondents are at or over capacity and the rest are nearly full. Collectively, they have around 4,500 equines in their care. It highlighted the fact more horses are coming into rescue centres and fewer are being rehomed, so those running the centres have difficult decisions to make.

“This survey makes it painfully clear that equine welfare organisations are doing everything they can to protect the horses in their care, but the system is under unsustainable strain,” said NEWC chair Carolyn Madgwick.

“Rising costs, fewer rehoming opportunities and increasing calls for help means we are being asked to do more with less. Without coordinated action and greater support, more horses could be left without the safety net they urgently need.

“Financial pressures and climatic conditions have made horse ownership and care increasingly challenging, with prices of hay more than doubling in the past five years, and rises in veterinary and energy costs. Wet winters have impacted pastures and grazing, while drought in summer has required owners and rescue centres to use hay stocks meant for winter. This all adds up to challenging conditions for everyone involved in keeping horses.”

More than 90% of respondents are concerned about costs, 81% reported an increase in requests to hand over equines, and 67% a rise in welfare concern calls.

Malcolm Morley, director of UK at World Horse Welfare, said: “The findings point to serious consequences for horses and owners if current trends continue. Ongoing financial and operational pressures could further reduce capacity, while extreme weather patterns and an ongoing cost-of-living crisis for struggling owners may increase the number of horses becoming welfare cases.”

Redwings chief executive Lynn Cutress told H&H it has been “an extremely difficult year for people who care for horses”.

"We have over 1,000 horses in our daily care here at Redwings, and 600 more out in guardian homes who may need to return at any time,” she said. “So we must be very careful about ensuring that we can meet the needs of the horses, ponies, donkeys and mules we are already responsible for while doing everything we can to help those beyond our paddock fences.

"It is an incredibly challenging balance at the moment, and we'd urge anyone who can afford to donate to us here at Redwings to please consider doing so in order to help us continue this vital work for the love of the horses."

Bransby Horses deputy CEO Emma Carter told H&H the charity is seeing more horses coming into its care “than ever before” and that its admissions increased by about 30% in the last year.

She said the charity’s biggest concern is not simply the number of horses needing help but the growing complexity of the welfare challenges they are facing when they arrive.

“As horse lovers, we all want the best for our horses, but we're seeing more owners facing challenges than ever before. That's why prevention and early support work are so important, because while charities provide a vital safety net, there is no safety net behind the welfare sector itself,” she said.

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