Training programme to improve horse welfare
The Horse Trust has recently held a training course for Veterinary Inspectors and other staff involved in implementing the Control of Horses Act (1996) in County Cork, Republic of Ireland, following a dramatic increase in the number of neglected and abandoned horses.
Ireland has the most dense horse population in Europe and the impact of the recession has had a knock-on effect, with horse pounds seeing more and more horses with welfare problems.
Liane Preshaw, Welfare Development Manager at The Horse Trust, said: “We were approached about putting on the training at a horse welfare conference organised by the Irish Horse Welfare Trust last year. The recession has had a big impact on horse welfare standards in Ireland and it is imperative that people involved with enforcement of the Act can accurately assess the welfare state of seized horses and provide appropriate care for horses experiencing poor welfare”.
The course was attended by 18 people, including Veterinary Inspectors from the Department for Agriculture, Food and Marine (DAFM) and local authorities, staff from the horse pound that collect and care for horses seized under the Act, the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the private veterinary practitioners that attend the pound.
It is hoped that the training course, which included sessions on fitness to travel, caring for horses with poor welfare, handling horses humanely and donkey welfare issues, will help to improve the assessment of the welfare status of horses entering the local authority pound system and ensure that the horses are fed and cared for appropriate to their specific needs.
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.
