Did anyone see the section on the pony being kept in a back yard today? I missed what as wrong with him and why it was considered by the inspectors to be an OK environment.
I very nearly watched that; tho' frankly the reason I didn't was because anything and everything the RSPCA does, especially where horses are concerned, winds me up big-time.
No different to city stables where there's no turnout. Or Household Cavalry where the horses live in stalls rather than stables. Or training yards where the racehorses live in stables. One difference - no other equine company.
Used to be a lot of horses kept in back yards in cities - aside from the lack of company, I don’t see that, if done properly, it’s much different to having a stable at a yard.
Surely the lack of company is a major issue? And what people used to do isn't necessarily how we know they should be done? One of the five freedoms under the Animal Welfare Act is the freedom to express normal behaviour - that must include contact with your own kind, the ability to move more than around a small yard. I only caught it half way but the inspectors didn't seem to check how long the pony had had the mud fever and what long term plans were for it. Lots of equines get it over winter but they aren't moved to a back yard.
There were plenty of unasked questions in the limited part that was shown. They didn’t show much.
Lack of company isn’t ideal of course, but how many horses are on individual turnout? Stabled all day? Lots of horses kept on lots of yards in what I would personally feel was less than ideal circumstances.
I appreciate that what we saw may have been limited but it's the fact that the inspectors didn't seem to challenge it in any way and as they left seemed very satisfied with the conditions. I thought that the five freedoms had been agreed by all animal welfare charities. The pony wouldn't have been able to move outside of a walk in the yard. Individual turnout is one thing but at least on a yard they can see other horses and can have a scratch over the fence.