Pearlsasinger
Up in the clouds
Some way of restricting breeding would be a good step, culling poor quality stock is probably a necessary step which is unlikely but that comes back to pts which is not going to please some.
Going back to having every stallion licensed would help, although if DEFRA policed that scheme as well as they police passports ................
I agree that far more people should buy older horses, we might not see so many 'lost my confidence' threads on here. I bought a sound, healthy 17 yr old and am fully expecting to keep her into her 30s. At one time we had 4 mares here, all well over 20, although they were all bought as much younger horses.
I once had an unrideable mare, bought as a 4 yr old, who developed behavioural problems, which eventually proved to be caused by her feed. We were going to have her pts aged 12, when fortunately we discovered what was causing her problems but we effectively kept her as a companion until she was 24. Not every-one is in a position to do this and I would far rather they pts than try to palm their horse off onto a charity or send it round the markets, waiting for the meat-man to pick it up. I have nothing against horses going for meat but from a welfare pov, I'd rather they went straight to the slaughterhouse than via several markets.
And something else we should bring back is the small local slaughterhouse.