Equine Health and Welfare
The health and welfare of horses, ponies and donkeys is fundamental to the industry's future growth. The horse industry must continue to acknowledge that good health and welfare are intrinsic necessities in all aspects of its achivities, and to ensure that health and welfare considerations are core to any training or education conducted in the horse industry.
Because of its special position, equine health and welfare is the subject of a separate but related Health and Welfare Strategy for the Horse, Pony and Donkey currently being developed as part of the Animal Health and Welfare Strategy for Great Britain. The vision for the Health and Welfare Strategy is that by 2015
- All equids should enjoy good standards of health and welfare
- All individuals responsible for the health and welfare of equids will possess sufficient knowledge to meet effectively their responsibilities and fulfil the duty of care.
Current standards for welfare are described in the Equine Industry Welfare Guidelines Compendium for Horses, Ponies and Donkeys (2005) which can be downloaded from the National Equine Welfare Council website .
The Equine Health and Welfare Strategy for Great Britain was launched at the National Equine Forum in March 2007. The Strategy sets out a vision for equine health and welfare in Britain. Eight Aims support the achievement of the vision, and key health and welfare issues are identified under the Aims. A dedicated website for the strategy is www.equinehealthandwelfarestrategy.co.uk
