England and Wales will not follow Scotland’s lead in forward-thinking equine guidance
The Scottish Government updated its guidance to reflect the latest scientific evidence in equine welfare
England and Wales have no plans to follow Scotland’s lead in updating outdated equine welfare guidance – but industry stakeholders say there is “no excuse”.
H&H reported that the Scottish Government published new equine welfare guidelines to replace the 2009 code of practice (news, 10 September). The guidelines – a result of a major collaboration across the Scottish equine sector led by the National Equine Welfare Council – reflect the latest scientific evidence, focusing on equine mental wellbeing and how owners can take measures that will “truly provide their horses, ponies and donkeys with a good life”.
World Horse Welfare was among those involved and the charity’s head of public affairs Kim Ayling told H&H it was “a really big step forward” for a government to take such a proactive approach.
“The Scottish Government was very open to having conversations about the guidance and it being sector-led,” she said, adding that the guidance can be updated “as and when needed” to incorporate new evidence.
Jo Hockenhull, head of research and ecology at The Donkey Sanctuary, added that what makes the guidance so strong is the “breadth of collaborators”, including charities such as The Donkey Sanctuary, researchers, vets and more.
“Although there have been guidelines before, they’ve sort of said: ‘It’s your duty of care to make sure your horse has food and water and shelter’ – but this goes so far beyond that,” said Dr Hockenhull.
“There’s been such a flush of research on welfare and what equines need to have a good life and I think this is the first guidance that I’m aware of that incorporates all of that. Scotland has really led the way, when you look at the dates of the English and Welsh codes of practice, so much has changed since then – we need to update these and there’s no excuses now.”
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Redwings’ head of welfare and behaviour Nic de Brauwere told H&H the Scottish guidance drew on expertise from a “much wider range of stakeholders in the industry than any previous code was able to”.
“As a result the guidance reflects up-to-date, balanced and evidence-based expertise,” he said, adding that existing codes have not “achieved their full potential” to support keepers in meeting their equids’ needs.
Mr de Brauwere added that the Scottish guidance does not place “unrealistic expectations on keepers”, but for the first time focuses “more clearly on helping them consider how their efforts are impacting their horses”.
“With the detail in the guidance there is also ample, evidence-based information on how making a few key changes can give their horse a better quality of life. A life that not only meets the legal requirements but also is likely to reward the keeper with a more settled, healthier and therefore more enjoyable horse. A happy horse should make a happy owner,” he said.
“The Scottish guidance has succeeded where previous codes fell short, giving clarity and detail about what the goal of meeting an equid’s needs should be; and therefore I cannot see how England and Wales can resist bringing their codes up to date in the foreseeable future.”
When H&H asked if the English and Welsh governments have plans to update their 2018 codes of practice to reflect new research, both said no.
A Welsh Government spokesperson told H&H its code of practice “sets out clear standards” and focus “remains on promoting awareness of the existing code”. A Defra spokesperson confirmed to H&H there are “no plans” to update guidance.
Ms Ayling said these responses were “disappointing”.
“Updating England and Wales’ codes would be relatively straightforward, as all the hard work has been done,” she said.
“The Scottish guidance reflects current evidence and expert understanding and already has the endorsement of the whole sector”.
- What are your thoughts on the Scottish guidance? Let us know your thoughts at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and county, for the chance to have your thoughts published in a future issue of Horse & Hound magazine
Since joining H&H in 2018, Becky has covered a broad range of equestrian news including welfare matters, veterinary studies, FEI Tribunal hearings and road safety campaigns. She has also interviewed top riders including Scott Brash, John Whitaker and Ian Stark, to name just a few. Becky’s reporting has taken her to Canada for Spruce Meadows and France for Pau five-star, as well as the Royal Highland and Blair Castle International Horse Trials closer to home. She was also a key part of the remote reporting team for the Tokyo Olympics and the Europeans.