Bravo BHS.

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Elvis

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I have just read the BHS' report on the equine welfare crisis.

I'll just quote a couple of parts that really stood out to me:

"Let's lose the view that good welfare always means keeping animals alive. We can't afford to think like this any longer. Finding a horse a new purpose or a new home so we can avoid putting them down really is not always the best solution. Humane euthanasia is far from the worst fate that can befall a horse."

"Finding a companion home for an unwanted horse is frequently not the answer. It may well be just passing a problem on, which is rarely the best thing for the horse involved."

"The indiscriminate breeding of poor quality horses and ponies has to stop. There can be no more excuses. No more pretending that breeding just one more won't really affect the problem. It will. Whatever else you do, please think before you breed."

I really commend the BHS for providing such a direct and honest report, that really grapples with the PTS question in regards to equine welfare.
 
Too complex to reply in detail, but I think BHS members should be like members of a club, and accept some responsibilities and help out other members.
The BHS is a charity which should carry out its responsibilities in accordance with its charter.
 
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MrsD123 said:
Well this would be fine, if I had not recently had a problem with some BHS people who essentially decided that my horse could be exterminated, as he was surplus to their requirements.
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I take it you mean a couple of BHS members not the organisation? With over 34,000 members I don't think they can be held responsible for the actions of every individual?

Lee Hackett is totally committed to the welfare of horses, & has a very realistic view of the current equine welfare crisis.
 
MrsD123 said:
Too complex to reply in detail, but I think BHS members should be like members of a club, and accept some responsibilities and help out other members.
The BHS is a charity which should carry out its responsibilities in accordance with its charter.
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Totally off topic really as the OP posted this thread in praise of an article in the BHS magazine written by one of the senior members of staff, but the only club I know that looks after other members in the manner you seem to be suggesting is the Masons ! I am guessing that you have sold / gifted a horse to a BHS member / s , who have for whatever reason decided to have the horse PTS?
 
Zebedee not bhs member but i "choose" to put my mare to sleep aged 14.Beautiful well bred mare with gorgeous striking action.why? Bought her 7 years previous to rescue her from horrific abuse. Very stressful mare with failing sight. i moved but knew i couldnt move her. my rock my friend.so I made that decision. Guilt? Yes.Do I hold my hesd up against the abuse i got? yes. Do i miss her? Every god damn day .
 
Zebedee said:
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I am not against the reasoning behind the article, I am just suggesting that a charity has to be very careful if it strays from its main " raison d'etre" , as the main "Horse organisation in the UK", the BHS has a lot of "hats", one of them is training, another is welfare, there is access, education and other aspects, Politics [capital P] are also important.
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hnmisty said:
Ah. Some sense.
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How else can we address the problem of overbreeding, fly grazing, irresponsible ownership..they get my vote - this is a kind solution to the problem....charities and rescure centres are full...there are more neglected horses than places to put them. Anyone else got any better ideas? Well done BHS.
 
a lovely person typed up the whole article to share it and i have to say it is the most sensible bit of writing i have read in a very long time. if only more people would think like Lee or heed his words!!
 
MrsD123 said:
I am not against the reasoning behind the article, I am just suggesting that a charity has to be very careful if it strays from its main " raison d'etre" , as the main "Horse organisation in the UK", the BHS has a lot of "hats", one of them is training, another is welfare, there is access, education and other aspects, Politics [capital P] are also important.
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But welfare is one of the main things the BHS focus on to tackle?? So how would this be straying?

The responsibilities should not just fall on those who are members of the BHS, but to every single person involved in the equine industry.

There are so many unwanted and useless horses in this country, you only have to look at the rescue centres that are saturated and pleading for donations to keep these animals alive. If the equine charities heeded the advice that is written in this article, they would be scrutinised less and able to help horses who really need helping. If they deem a horse unsuitable to rehoming, and then keep said horse in a field as an ornament, is there really any reason for the horse to be kept alive? It would be kinder, and dare I say it easier, to PTS, as this would free funds to help horses who are physically damaged but potentially able to be rehomed after rehabilitation.
 
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Commom sense and sound advice, next step in the breeding saga needs to be legislation of some sort and not just against amateur breeders, but the big studs churn out horses every year by the thousands that end up sold for peanuts or slaughtered for not making the grade
 
JustKickOn said:
MrsD123 said:
But welfare is one of the main things the BHS focus on to tackle?? So how would this be straying?

The responsibilities should not just fall on those who are members of the BHS, but to every single person involved in the equine industry.
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I think I meant "changing their position" rather than straying, and I don't disagree with the main points in the article, , I just think we have to be careful, and I wonder if this actually going to help the situation. I am not convinced that it will. Sadly.
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Not read the whole article but those are excellent points highlighted in the OP. I actually think the first paragraph could also apply to some dogs in rescue kennels.
 
I thought this was a very sensible article and definitely very important, the key to the problem we have at the moment is education and this is a step towards that. People need to understand that we have FAR TOO MANY HORSES in this country and many of them are being abused and neglected. There is a far worse fate than the bullet for many of these poor creatures, who endure terrible living conditions and starvation and cruelty - and then either die horribly or are often passed on to people who have no idea how to deal with their issues, so they get passed around and passed around. We need to protect these animals by helping people understand that they should not just keep on breeding regardless and that by buying these neglected ponies , people are actually perpetuating the problem and encouraging the a abusers to continue. Good on the BHS for publishing this. Let's hope all the charities can club together to educate people.
 
I don't really agree with the companion home bit, we have ponies out on loan and while two are ridden, one is a very much loved and well looked after companion pony. She keeps the youngsters company as she has such a sweet nature she can be turned out with the youngest to the oldest. She gets the same care the others get, and we check on her often.
 
I read the article today and it was very good. They also had one in the last issue on indiscriminate breeding which was very good. That article also talked about a recent clinic providing castration to people at a low cost, which I thought was a good idea.

It covered a wide range of issues, from rescuing horses from European meat markets, that "free to a good home" or selling for a nominal price is not a good idea. I think we have reached crisis point in this country with low quality horses being overbred and there not being the homes for them, and people need to be told that passing on a problem is not a solution.

The article also highlighted that if you want to "rescue" a horse, you should do so through a charity, rather than from a private home, as this way you get a known quantity and back up, and you aren't perpetuating the problem.
 
rascal said:
I don't really agree with the companion home bit, we have ponies out on loan and while two are ridden, one is a very much loved and well looked after companion pony. She keeps the youngsters company as she has such a sweet nature she can be turned out with the youngest to the oldest. She gets the same care the others get, and we check on her often.
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The article did mention that there are exceptions to the companion pony issue, and that some are loaned successfully. However they also mentioned that those looking for a companion should seek them from rescue centres, as you are given a full health profile, as much information as they can gather and the guarantee they will take the horse back if you can no longer have them. Unfortunately there have been enough cases of horses abandoned on loan, for me to think that the rescue centre route is wiser.
 
Without wishing to go slightly off track...

Does anyone else feel that part of the problem is that these days many horses are being 'started', 'produced', 'educated' etc etc by less experienced people than in days gone by and so there are a whole heap of poorly educated horses out there who, if they'd been started off well, would've potentially fallen on better times?

My vet is very much of the opinion that 'nice horses get nice homes' and I have to say I agree to an extent.

Yes, over-breeding has to stop, but that's not the whole problem.

It is lovely to have a youngster and produce them yourself. But so many people will not or can not enlist the help of a professional when things start to go wrong - either for financial reasons or because of their own pride. (Not everyone, so please don't anyone take that personally.)

I think also in days gone by, many less experienced people would've kept a horse at part or full livery (and to me part livery means the horse is looked after 24/7 and the owner comes up to ride, often with input from more experienced staff) rather than on DIY yards which has seemed to be the trend lately. Although it seems that in order to make more money, more yards and farms seem to be trending back towards part and full livery these days, albeit with slight differences to the marketing descriptions.

I am in no way trying to tar every horse owner with the same brush and am doing what I dislike generally - and that is to make sweeping generalisations about things which have so many variations - but I don't believe that over-breeding is the only problem.

I whole-heartedly agree that there are fates worse than death. And that more people need to be willing to face up to doing what's right by the horse rather than passing on a problem to avoid the heartache themselves.

I love one of JK Rowling's sentiments in a Harry Potter book:

'Just because it's the easy thing to do, it doesn't make it the right thing to do' (or words to that effect).
 
Any article which opens up debate and gets people thinking is a good thing The BHS is part of the group of Equine charities who have been producing reports and trying to get MP's and DEFRA to take action to help improve the situation.

The BHS has for many years been involved in welfare of equines, my Mother as far back as 1970's used to go to some very difficult situations to improve welfare of equines as a voluntary BHS representative.
 
Summer pudding said:
How else can we address the problem of overbreeding, fly grazing, irresponsible ownership..they get my vote - this is a kind solution to the problem....charities and rescure centres are full...there are more neglected horses than places to put them. Anyone else got any better ideas? Well done BHS.
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I think you missed my point- I entirely agree with them. There are far worse fates for an animal than a clean and quick death.
 
Boodles said:
Without wishing to go slightly off track...

Does anyone else feel that part of the problem is that these days many horses are being 'started', 'produced', 'educated' etc etc by less experienced people than in days gone by and so there are a whole heap of poorly educated horses out there who, if they'd been started off well, would've potentially fallen on better times?

I think also in days gone by, many less experienced people would've kept a horse at part or full livery (and to me part livery means the horse is looked after 24/7 and the owner comes up to ride, often with input from more experienced staff) rather than on DIY yards which has seemed to be the trend lately. Although it seems that in order to make more money, more yards and farms seem to be trending back towards part and full livery these days, albeit with slight differences to the marketing descriptions.
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Agree with both these points.

You see so many bedraggled looking ponies in unsuitable fields that look like they get a cursory check by a bored parent once a week. People are just rushing into buying because they can get a pony for £200 without actually having the skills or knowledge to look after it.

I wouldn't even buy a goldfish without doing thorough research.
 
Zebedee said:
I take it you mean a couple of BHS members not the organisation? With over 34,000 members I don't think they can be held responsible for the actions of every individual?
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Over 78,000 members, if we might nitpick! :) And very grateful to every one we are, too.

Thank you all on behalf of Lee and the BHS: firstly for your feedback and comments, and secondly for the membership and support that allows us not only to produce reports like this one in British Horse but crucially, to actively work to highlight welfare issues like those discussed and to deal with concerns reported to our welfare officers.
 
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