Emergency Services Protocol and Fund launched
HRH The Princess Royal last night (Tuesday, 15 May) presented an Emergency Services Protocol and Fund to help horses caught up in accidents.
She presented the Protocol - created by The British Horse Society (BHS) and the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) - to representatives from all areas of the horse industry at a Buckingham Palace reception.
HRH The Princess Royal said last night: "Thank you to all those involved. It proves you can bring together different bodies with different agendas. This Protocol has done that and we should be grateful for it.
"There is a very good chance of national implementation. The Protocol is the beginning. The Fund will make it work in the long term and needs large capital sums now to make that happen."
She added: "An accident is not something horse owners would wish to happen, but if it does happen, they would want the right back-up."
The Protocol sets out a national standard with procedural guidelines for police and fire services with large animal rescue. Its creation was triggered by the rising number of horses dying slow, painful deaths in widely reported accidents on the roads and elsewhere.
The aim of the new code is to minimise delays in injured animals receiving veterinary care, to maximise the chances of a positive outcome for the animal and to ensure the safety of all those involved.
An Emergency Services Protocol Fund has also been established, kicked off with a donation of £6,000 by the BHS, which will guarantee that there is no delay in injured horses receiving veterinary care when their owners cannot be traced.
The fund will also pay for rescue training and specialist lifting and rescue equipment for the emergency services. By the end of last night's launch, the Fund was said to be topping £27,000.
Graham Cory, BHS Chief Executive, said: "I would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have already contributed to the Fund. The more the Fund grows, the greater will be the good we can do, and the better chance we will have of reducing the suffering of horses when we are now their only possible means of urgent help."
BEVA President Professor Josh Slater said: "The Protocol is a most important equine welfare initiative with which we are proud to be associated. The fund is vital for the successful implementation of the Protocol and we are delighted with the generous and universal support that the fund has received from the horse industry."
Vet Tim Adams, whose family lost a beloved horse in an accident where procedure did not work well, and Jim Green, Rural Safety Officer with Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service, spoke in support of the initiative from their experience of the reality of horse rescue.
For further information or large-file pictures of HRH The Princess Royal at the Buckingham Palace launch, please contact: Oliver Wilson, Communications Department, The British Horse Society, 01926 707738 or 07909 874918 / o.wilson@bhs.org.uk or communications@bhs.org.uk or Henry Tremaine, BEVA Information Officer, 0117 928 9326 or Henry.Tremaine@bristol.ac.uk
NOTES TO EDITORS:
1. Having published stories about horses trapped and injured in incidents, Horse and Hound suggested The British Horse Society (BHS) should establish a national standard for the recovery of horses and the provision of nationwide training for Emergency Services officers.
2. In addition to paying vets' fees the fund would also cover the training of Emergency Service Officers in horse handling skills and equine emergency management and the production and distribution of a training DVD. Further funding plans could also include the provision of specialist lifting and rescue equipment.
3. The British Horse Society (BHS) is a charity and membership organisation. It has a membership of more than 104,000 including members of affiliated Riding Clubs.
4. The British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) is a professional membership association representing equine veterinary surgeons with a worldwide membership of 2,500.
May 15th, 2007
