Celebrity artwork is being auctioned to raise money for a British Horse Society (BHS) campaign to to stop the over breeding of horses in the UK.
BHS welfare executive Lee Hackett said: “You only need to visit one of the lower end horse markets to see the impact of equine overproduction — poor quality horses and ponies going for less than the price of a good night out.”
The campaign called “Drawing the Line on Indiscriminate Breeding” has already garnered support within the horse industry. Triple Olympic gold medallist Matt Ryan (sketch pictured left) and eventing legend Lucinda Green both drew pictures at Badminton Horse Trials for the auction, and television gardener Alan Titchmarsh (sketch pictured top right) has also contributed a piece.
Supported by South Essex Insurance Brokers, the campaign is seeking to make horse owners think twice before breeding with their horses.
Lee Hackett said: “Too many mare owners put their horse in foal without objectively considering her merit as a commercial broodmare.
“Our welfare officers have many distressing stories of where these horses end up and I’m sure it’s not what their breeders originally intended.”
The BHS believes that many of the 1.35 million horses and ponies in the UK lack experienced and knowledgeable homes to cope with them.
Lee Hackett said: “Putting an end to indiscriminate breeding of low quality horses and ponies will mean a more secure future for those that are bred.
“Put simply, less horses means better welfare.”
