The welfare of horses is so much more than health and safety – and we need the right legislation and role modelling to ensure it is the best it can be.
British Equine Veterinary Association president Imogen Burrows, H&H editor-in-chief Sarah Jenkins, top eventer Zara Tindall and MP and horse owner Liz Saville Roberts discussed the way forward.
To start the conversation, broadcaster David Eades, who was chairing the session, asked: “What can we do to improve policies towards equine welfare so they reflect modern approaches from a horse’s perspective, which go beyond purely health issues?”
Ms Saville Roberts said the industry needs to be aware there will be “more and more questions” about the way we involve horses in our activities.
“Many people here will be very aware of what happened to hunting, and quite possibly [trail] hunting is going to follow the same route,” she said. “And there are questions about dressage. I think for everybody who loves horses, we need to be very alert to not being hidebound and automatically saying no to all changes that are going to be expected. We have to be ahead and make sure we respond in a way that is seen to put horses’ welfare first.”
She said that much legislation covering horses is devolved and stressed the importance of not assuming MPs know all the issues, so people should make them aware.
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“In terms of legislation for welfare, the role in which we can enforce versus the role in which we encourage is always a very fine line,” she added. “And if enforcement is through environmental health and officers in local authorities, it may be statutory, but it’ll be way down from social care and education at a time when there’s been a decade of cuts.”
Future change
Asked about how she sees the horse world changing in the next 10 years, Ms Jenkins said she sees public perception and social licence as separate from what the horse world does.
“There’s a job to do in explaining to the wider public what we do and why we do it, but first we need to sense-check that what we’re doing is the right thing,” she said.
“If, for example, we can honestly go to the public and say our ceremonial horses are kept in a way that ensures they have the freedoms they need, we can genuinely reassure them there’s no reason for concern over their welfare. If that’s not the case, we won’t convince them.
“I think step one, understand what horses actually need. Step two, make sure that as horse people, we’re implementing that. Step three is letting the public know that’s what we’re doing. We can’t just go and tell them we’re OK.”
Changing approach
The panel was asked how yards, vets and others should approach truly seeing through horses’ eyes, and Ms Burrows said this could be done much better.
“We’re an industry that’s really being reflective around this, and I’m so privileged to be part of that,” she said, adding that her key in moving away from just equine health to overall better welfare was “what that horse’s experience was and how I could make that better”.
Panellists considered the fact that there are no mandatory qualifications to own or run a livery yard, and the possibility of licences for horse ownership.
“It does seem that the degree of knowledge of people working in the sector and owners is a matter of luck whether people are well informed,” Ms Saville Roberts said. “If people are in livery yards, you have an opportunity. But we need to be able to engage people with understanding animals’ needs in a way that is not necessarily looking to penalise, but that rewards knowledge.”
Ms Jenkins pointed out that enforcing any livery licensing scheme would be a challenge.
“We can try to ‘force’ people, but also we can show people how the best do it, and if the best are doing it in a way that’s brilliant for the horses, others will take that on,” she said. “Change can come about outside legislation, if enough people want what’s right for their horses.”
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Eleanor is an experienced journalist who spent over eight years working for local and national newspapers before joining H&H as news editor in March 2016. Passionate about equine welfare and exposing the truth, Eleanor has reported on all aspects of the industry, from Brexit to anti-bullying campaigns, and from dressage rules to mules. Her sport of choice is showjumping, in which she competes her own horses, and she also enjoys reporting at local jumping shows through to international championships.
