IRELAND-WHAT TO DO WITH OLD HORSES.
Animal welfare is always an emotive topic and, in the current economic climate, horse welfare has been hitting the headlines.
Thankfully, the horse industry has come together to create a new advice booklet for owners on horse welfare.
Entitled Promoting Responsible Thoroughbred Ownership, the booklet was launched on Friday in Hotel Kilkenny.
The document is aimed at giving guidance to horse owners on the care of their stock and options available to prevent horses becoming unwanted or neglected.
The booklet highlights alternative uses and retirement for horses and the inevitable end- of-life decisions, including euthanasia, humane destruction and disposal.
In terms of care of the horse, ownership, breeding and every other horse-related activity require a clear knowledge and understanding of responsibilities.
There are legal responsibilities but there are also issues such as the care of the horse, cost implications, demands on time, usage and limitations of use, legislation and, ultimately, disposal of the horse.
"Many of our horses are highly prized and valuable. However, the increased horse production of recent years is tempered by the realities of a very different national and global financial climate," it reads.
This means that every owner has to consider all the options for their horse, to prevent it becoming unwanted or falling into neglect or suffering.
Owners are warned that there is a legal requirement to have an ID document (passport) for each horse they possess, and that this should accompany the animal on journeys, when sold and during the disposal process..
The details of best practice standards of care are available from the Department of Agriculture’s Farm Animal Welfare Advisory Council in the Animal Health and Welfare Division of the Department of Agriculture. They can also be found at www.agriculture.gov.ie/fawac.
The owner’s legal obligations are covered under the Protection of Animals Act 1911 and Amendment 1965, as well as other legislation.
In fact, a new Animal Health and Welfare Bill is currently being drafted, which will update and consolidate existing law.
UCD academic and veterinary surgeon, Joe Collins, is currently working on a PhD study of horse welfare here.
He was closely involved in the production of the advice booklet and says horse owners need to think about how to re-train their animals for other uses.
"Horses are like humans in that respect -- they are always better with a job to do, they are better when they are in work," he says.
"If an owner can find an alternative use for his horse, there will be a return for him, an incentive to look after the horse better," he adds.
"For instance I have a 31-year-old pony that my daughter rides once a week but he is also fantastic for weaning foals.
"That means that I, as the owner, have an incentive to really look after that pony," he says.
The booklet says horses are best kept in an active and stimulating environment that will fulfil their needs according to their state of health and well-being. Owners can seek to place their horses in alternative use and career programmes, which can include retraining or donation to therapeutic riding programmes.
However, it warns that horse owners have to be realistic, since not all horses are suitable for these programmes and opportunities for placement within them are limited.
The Irish Horse Welfare Trust (IHWT) runs a racehorse re-training programme for around 14 horses each year. It is always full to capacity, with a waiting list of several months.
IHWT manager Sharon Newsome says racehorses have gone on to successful careers as showjumpers, eventers, dressage horses and riding club horses. It takes a minimum of six to nine months to re-train and re-school an ex-racehorse and this time can increase, depending on the individual.
Racehorses come out of a highly stressful career and it takes time for them to settle into a new type of work. Most horses adapt happily, given the chance, and can go on to do other disciplines.
However, they are not suitable for novice riders and need a lot of care and attention.
All IHWT ex-racehorses are assessed during the first few weeks for any behavioural or other problems. They are visited by the dentist and chiropractor. Horses have to adjust to a new diet (especially those straight out of racing).
Only then can the re-schooling begin. It starts with long reining and lunging, progressing later to a combination of flatwork sessions and hacking.
IHWT horses receive lots of daily handling, grooming and daily turnout in preparation for a new career living in a new home.
Moscow Flyer and Colonel Rayburn are two of the best-known ex-racehorses currently with the IHWT. However, not all racehorses have the right temperament for re-training. The IHWT can give advice on re-training options to owners and trainers (www.ihwt.ie).
If re-training is not an option, retirement could be, but Joe Collins warns that it is not an easy choice. "We can’t think of retirement as the easiest thing to do. It is not enough to throw a horse out into a field and forget about him," he insists.
Adequate long-term provision must be made to ensure that the horse cannot fall into a state of neglect. If owners cannot provide the proper retirement facilities, they should consider paying others to provide the service for them.
According to the booklet, responsible retirement can be achieved by adhering to the concept of the "five freedoms" to which every horse is entitled:
1. Freedom from hunger and thirst -- by ready access to fresh water and a diet to maintain full health and vigour.
2. Freedom from discomfort -- by providing an appropriate environment, including shelter, and a comfortable resting area.
3. Freedom from pain, injury or disease -- by prevention or rapid diagnosis and treatment.
4. Freedom to express normal behaviour -- by providing sufficient space, proper facilities and company of the animal’s own kind.
5. Freedom from fear and distress -- by ensuring conditions and treatment that avoid mental suffering.
The booklet warns that failure to ensure that these principles can be provided and adhered to for the rest of the horse’s life, is irresponsible, potentially cruel and can lead to prosecution.
It recommends that anyone who has seen an animal being abused or neglected contact the ISPCA National Cruelty Helpline on 1890 515 515.
If an alternative use cannot be found for the horse and retirement would not be an option, disposal might be the best alternative.
"If the horse’s welfare would be unfairly compromised, humane destruction may be the correct option," says Joe.
Euthanasia to prevent suffering is a well-established principle in every sector of animal care, the booklet states. Vets provide this highly skilled and humane service where horses are kept. Disposal of remains/ carcass is then the responsibility of the horse owner.
Burial is no longer an option due to restrictions imposed by EU environmental laws (European Communities Animal By-Products Regulations 2003).
Humane destruction is also available through horse slaughter facilities, which are licensed and supervised by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. These facilities dispose of horse remains/carcasses in accord with EU and national legislation.
Horses with passports stamped ’Not For Human Consumption’ or where signed by the owner or keeper on the appropriate passport page as ’Not Intended For Slaughter For Human Consumption’ may not enter the human food chain.
Recent articles in the media have tended to focus on the slaughter of horses in a sensational, inflammatory way.
"The reality is th
