FEI considers welfare recommendations for equine sports
The recommendations have been welcomed by World Horse Welfare.
The International Equestrian Federation’s (FEI) equine ethics and wellbeing commission has presented a new strategic approach for equine welfare alongside 24 recommendations at the FEI Sports Forum 2023 in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The strategic vision, titled ‘A Good Life for Horses’, aims to address ethical concerns by ensuring that the welfare of equines involved in sport is protected through ethical, evidence-based practices and policies.
To make this happen, the commission has set out 24 draft recommendations which it argues would allow the FEI to advance equine welfare around the globe. The recommendations include creating a body to advocate for the welfare interests of horses in sport, implementing additional checks by trained professionals and officials to ensure horses are fit to compete, and a zero-tolerance approach to practices which compromise equine welfare and safety.
Delegates discussed the draft proposals on Monday, 24 April and the recommendations received strong support, with FEI president Ingar De Vos stressing the importance of assuring a good life for horses. The comission will now consider feedback before presenting the recommendations to the FEI board for approval before the FEI General Assembly in November.
The Equine Ethics and Wellbeing Commission was founded by the FEI in June 2022 to independently consider concerns that could affect the social acceptance of the use of horses in sport.
Concerns about the welfare of animals involved in equine sports have become more prominent in recent years. After this year’s Grand National, which was the scene of protests by animal rights activists, the RSPCA called for a review into the deaths of three horses during the weekend’s events.
Launching the new strategic vision, Professor Natalie Waran, chair of the commission, said: “This vision and these draft recommendations, as well as the FEI Charter, are just a starting point to affect change across equestrianism. They have been created primarily around the concept of providing our horses with a good life and the responsibility we all have to deliver on that. This will require the long-term commitment of not just the FEI, but all who want horse sports to have a bright future.”
The recommendations were welcomed by World Horse Welfare. Roly Owers, chief executive of the charity, said: “Against a backdrop of increasing questions being raised from both the public and equestrians around the welfare of horses in sport, these recommendations are a hugely positive step forward. We applaud their scope and how they are informed by evidence and present a holistic vision that all equestrians can subscribe to and be involved in.”
With Strangles Awareness Week just around the corner (5-11 May), vets are being encouraged to share a survey about the disease with their horse-owning clients.
