Cuffey
Well-Known Member
Think before you breed - BHS Announces Responsible Breeding Campaign
The British Horse Society, sponsored by South Essex Insurance Brokers, has announced plans to launch a Responsible Breeding Campaign later this year.
The Society is alarmed by the number of horses and ponies being bred in the UK without adequate consideration being given to the animals future. Whilst many, including the BHS, have long held these concerns, the current recession has brought the issue into even sharper focus.
The horse market has slowed down and rescue centres and sanctuaries are full to bursting. With an estimated 1.35 million horses and ponies in the UK, there are simply not enough experienced and knowledgeable homes to cope with our current equine population. The BHS is urging everyone involved with horses to think very carefully before breeding a foal and adding to the problem.
It is not uncommon for horses to reach 30 years of age, and ponies even older, so even with the best of intentions nobody can guarantee a foal a home for life. Whatever the breeders plan for the foal, it is essential to do everything possible to ensure healthy, well-put together animals are produced that will have a future value on the commercial market.
Too many mare owners put their horse in foal without objectively considering her merit as a commercial broodmare. To their owners all mares are special, but there are many defects and diseases that are heritable and could be passed on to a foal, limiting its worth. Not all such traits are visible and an alarming number of people go into horse breeding on a whim without sufficient thought to the consequences.
BHS Welfare Senior Executive Lee Hackett said You only need to visit one of the lower end horse markets to see the impact of equine overproduction poor quality horses and ponies going for less than the price of a good night out. Our welfare officers have many distressing stories of where these horses end up and Im sure its not what their breeders originally intended.
We are hugely grateful to South Essex Insurance Brokers for their very generous sponsorship of this campaign. Thanks to them we are able to highlight this very genuine equine welfare issue and hopefully encourage people to think carefully before breeding from their horses.
A number of events are planned for the campaign and will be announced in due course.
Breeding Awareness Day
The first event to be announced is a BHS SEIB Breeding Awareness Day where a practical demonstration will be given by world-renowned equine behaviourist Richard Maxwell.
The awareness day, to be held at Hartpury College on Saturday 2 May 2009, is part of a responsible breeding campaign launched by the BHS and kindly sponsored by South Essex Insurance Brokers. The campaign aims to begin tackling the worrying overproduction of horses in the UK.
The Breeding Awareness Day is aimed at anybody interested in breeding horses, from the complete novice to those with more experience. An exciting panel of speakers has been assembled with more names to be announced in due course.
Renowned equine reproduction vet Tim Gayler (Peasbrook Equine Clinic) and Redwings veterinary surgeon Nick de Brauwere will be on hand to talk about selecting the ideal broodmare and some of the issues that can occur during pregnancy and foaling.
BHS Welfare Senior Executive Lee Hackett said: We are really looking forward to the BHS and SEIB Breeding Awareness Day. The quality of our speakers means that there will be something for everybody to learn and we hope it will encourage people to think very carefully before breeding from their horses.
We are particularly excited to announce that internationally famous equine behaviourist Richard Maxwell will be giving a practical demonstration on the importance of the proper handling of young horses, and some of the problems that may arise when initial handling is managed incorrectly.
Tickets for the SEIB-sponsored event, which takes place at Hartpury College on Saturday 2 May 2009, are strictly limited and priced at £5 each. Anybody wishing to reserve a ticket or request further information is asked to contact BHS Welfare on welfare@bhs.org.uk or 01926 707804.
For more information please contact Lee Hackett on 01926 707804, 07968 214008 or l.hackett@bhs.org.uk
The British Horse Society, sponsored by South Essex Insurance Brokers, has announced plans to launch a Responsible Breeding Campaign later this year.
The Society is alarmed by the number of horses and ponies being bred in the UK without adequate consideration being given to the animals future. Whilst many, including the BHS, have long held these concerns, the current recession has brought the issue into even sharper focus.
The horse market has slowed down and rescue centres and sanctuaries are full to bursting. With an estimated 1.35 million horses and ponies in the UK, there are simply not enough experienced and knowledgeable homes to cope with our current equine population. The BHS is urging everyone involved with horses to think very carefully before breeding a foal and adding to the problem.
It is not uncommon for horses to reach 30 years of age, and ponies even older, so even with the best of intentions nobody can guarantee a foal a home for life. Whatever the breeders plan for the foal, it is essential to do everything possible to ensure healthy, well-put together animals are produced that will have a future value on the commercial market.
Too many mare owners put their horse in foal without objectively considering her merit as a commercial broodmare. To their owners all mares are special, but there are many defects and diseases that are heritable and could be passed on to a foal, limiting its worth. Not all such traits are visible and an alarming number of people go into horse breeding on a whim without sufficient thought to the consequences.
BHS Welfare Senior Executive Lee Hackett said You only need to visit one of the lower end horse markets to see the impact of equine overproduction poor quality horses and ponies going for less than the price of a good night out. Our welfare officers have many distressing stories of where these horses end up and Im sure its not what their breeders originally intended.
We are hugely grateful to South Essex Insurance Brokers for their very generous sponsorship of this campaign. Thanks to them we are able to highlight this very genuine equine welfare issue and hopefully encourage people to think carefully before breeding from their horses.
A number of events are planned for the campaign and will be announced in due course.
Breeding Awareness Day
The first event to be announced is a BHS SEIB Breeding Awareness Day where a practical demonstration will be given by world-renowned equine behaviourist Richard Maxwell.
The awareness day, to be held at Hartpury College on Saturday 2 May 2009, is part of a responsible breeding campaign launched by the BHS and kindly sponsored by South Essex Insurance Brokers. The campaign aims to begin tackling the worrying overproduction of horses in the UK.
The Breeding Awareness Day is aimed at anybody interested in breeding horses, from the complete novice to those with more experience. An exciting panel of speakers has been assembled with more names to be announced in due course.
Renowned equine reproduction vet Tim Gayler (Peasbrook Equine Clinic) and Redwings veterinary surgeon Nick de Brauwere will be on hand to talk about selecting the ideal broodmare and some of the issues that can occur during pregnancy and foaling.
BHS Welfare Senior Executive Lee Hackett said: We are really looking forward to the BHS and SEIB Breeding Awareness Day. The quality of our speakers means that there will be something for everybody to learn and we hope it will encourage people to think very carefully before breeding from their horses.
We are particularly excited to announce that internationally famous equine behaviourist Richard Maxwell will be giving a practical demonstration on the importance of the proper handling of young horses, and some of the problems that may arise when initial handling is managed incorrectly.
Tickets for the SEIB-sponsored event, which takes place at Hartpury College on Saturday 2 May 2009, are strictly limited and priced at £5 each. Anybody wishing to reserve a ticket or request further information is asked to contact BHS Welfare on welfare@bhs.org.uk or 01926 707804.
For more information please contact Lee Hackett on 01926 707804, 07968 214008 or l.hackett@bhs.org.uk
