15,000 unrecorded foals born each year, warns charity
Around 15,000 “invisible” foals could be being born in the UK each year, according to research by an equine welfare charity.
World Horse Welfare contacted 66 equine passport issuing organisations (PIOs) in the UK to ask for information on the number of foals they recorded in 2014.
Thirty-eight PIOs responded. Based on their statistics, plus estimates for those which did not reply, the charity calculated around 25,000 foals were born and recorded in the UK that year.
“Based on a total UK equine population of 800,000 the true number is likely to be around 40,000, with thousands of foals born every year that are unrecorded,” said Roly Owers of World Horse Welfare.
“We knew a good number were slipping under the radar but this is a shocking estimate, and we need collective action to make things change.”
EU legislation requires all horses and ponies to have a valid passport and corresponding microchip by the age of six months, or by 31 December in the year they were born — whichever is later.
“Not knowing this is certainly no excuse for what is a very basic part of responsible ownership,” Mr Owers told H&H. “Equally though, people need to have confidence in the whole system of equine identification, and that is simply not the case at the moment — the sector needs to continue working with government to bring about radical change (news, 18 February).”
Never miss out on the latest happenings in the equestrian world
Related articles:
- Plight of invisible horses highlighted by charity
- RSPCA warning: welfare calls higher than in 2014
- RSPCA warns of Kent ‘horse crisis’: 300 calls in two weeks *warning graphic images*
He added foals not on a PIO database cannot be linked to anyone responsible for their care and vets cannot give medicinal products to equines without passports.
Around 70% of equines collected by the RSPCA do not have a microchip.
“The RSPCA and other equine welfare charities are still seeing the effects of the horse crisis, which has been going on for several years now,” the RSPCA’s David Bowles told H&H.
Ref: H&H 3 March, 2016
Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now
Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.