On Thursday 22nd February the North of Ireland Veterinary Association hosted over a hundred vets, paraprofessionals, equine industry leaders, horse-owners, academics and politicians at the island of Ireland’s first Equine Welfare Symposium.
Delegates came from the length of Ireland and from across the UK for a packed afternoon of thought-provoking presentations from a variety of leading horse welfare experts (Dr David Marlin President UK National Equine Welfare Council; Dr Meta Osborne, vet, stud owner and MSc in Animal Welfare, Ethics and Law ; Mr Roly Owers OBE Vet and Chief Executive World Horse Welfare ; Dr Jane Williams, Associate Professor Hartpury University)
The event acknowledged a need to engage the entire equestrian and veterinary community in considering the changing landscape of equine welfare, and to support NIVA in its vision to co-produce a consensus paper as a call for action to both the equestrian community and NI government around key priority areas.
Proceedings were opened by organiser Dr Esther Skelly-Smith, NIVA President and practising equine vet. She set the scene by describing the current situation in this part of an island which has been described as “the land of the horse”. (It is the largest producer of thoroughbred horses in Europe and the 4th largest in the world. It is also a major exporter of Irish Sport Horses, Irish Draughts, and the ever-popular Connemara pony). There are thought to be over 34,000 horses in Northern Ireland and in 2019 DAERA commissioned an analysis which valued the equine industry’s contribution to the country as exceeding £210million. Despite this, it continues to suffer from a lack of government policy, legislation, and strategy. A stark example of this is that Northern Ireland is the only region in the UK which does not regulate farriers – a major welfare concern, and a frustration for those highly professional farriers who have worked tirelessly to raise standards.
Esther went on to highlight some recent strides in equine welfare, including the use of active turnout for horses at CAFRE and in racing yards, and the great work done by the Donkey sanctuary and organisations such as The British Horse Society. These were contrasted with some of the cases she still comes across – inappropriate stabling, poor dental care, poor hoof care, ill-fitting saddles, inappropriate nutrition, obesity, delayed euthanasia, unresolved stress and pain behaviours, and coercive training methods, which can all be the cause of poor wellbeing in horses.
The speakers’ presentations were wide-ranging and covered topics from the results of a recent public opinion survey (almost 20% of the general public won’t accept the continuing use of horses in sport under any circumstances, and twice as many more will only accept it if welfare issues are addressed) to research methods for studying physical, physiological and psychological stressors in equine athletes, and upcoming rule changes in equine sport internationally (including a whip ban in elite endurance racing and the removal of the equestrian element from modern pentathlon after the Paris Olympics). There was much emphasis on the need for research to establish an evidence base, and education as well as regulation.
NIVA was delighted with the positive response to the symposium and hopes that it will be the foundation of collaboration between all stakeholders to adopt and communicate an ethics-based, pro-active, progressive, and holistic approach to the protection of equine welfare.
In a time of increasing scrutiny, all those involved in owning or working with equines have collective responsibility and opportunity to proactively address obvious and less obvious welfare concerns. The trust required to permit a continuing social license to operate for horse sport will only ensue if society is confident that equestrianism operates transparently, that its leaders and practitioners are credible, legitimate and competent, and that its practice reflects society’s values. Earning and maintaining this status will undoubtedly require substantial effort and funding – inputs that should be regarded as an investment in the future of the sport.
The event concluded with a panel discussion chaired by Dr Malcolm Morley, Senior Vice President of the British Association, the panel included the keynote speakers and Dr Inge D’Haese of Tullyraine Equine Clinic. The key theme themes of the day, the discussions which ensued, and the written feedback given by delegates will be analysed and added to NIVA’s equine welfare strategy.
NIVA appreciates the engagement of delegates and will endeavour to do justice with the information gathered at the symposium.
NIVA welcomes the recent return of the NI Assembly and looks forward to local government addressing the many gaps in current animal welfare legislation. This ground-breaking event could not have taken place without the very generous support of main sponsor, Agria Pet Insurance, and supporters British Horse Society and World Horse Welfare, to whom NIVA is very grateful.