Equine organisations need your views to address the current equine welfare crisis

Do you own, loan, ride, breed, enjoy or work with horses? If so, a recent survey has been put together to ultimately improve equine welfare – and your views are needed!

The RSPCA has gathered a specialist team from The University of Bristol, Human Behaviour Change for Life, and University College Dublin who are collaborating and working to understand the current equine welfare crisis that England and Wales are facing.

The team will gather research that will look deeper into specific horse, pony, and donkey welfare subjects including breeding practices, availability of appropriate places to keep horses and patterns in abandonment.

The first step is to understand the equine population in England and Wales and this is where your help is needed. A survey has been created and the teams behind it are trying to get to as many members of the equine community as possible to get a wide representation of views from different sectors.

Areas the survey will explore include the current equine breeding scene, equine supply and demand, availability of suitable places to keep horses, economic and environmental changes in the world, changes in the ‘use’ of horses, people’s practical skills with horses, euthanasia and end of life options.

The RSPCA, University of Bristol, Human Behaviour Change for Life and University College Dublin would love to hear from you to understand the management, ownership, population and welfare of horses in England and Wales.

What is the ‘horse crisis?’

You may have heard the term ‘horse crisis’ or ‘equine crisis’ before. It was first used in 2012 by equine welfare organisations who were under huge pressure after seeing a surge in horses, ponies and donkeys being abandoned.

In the intervening years, the number of horses in need has varied somewhat, but the problem has remained stubborn. The number of horses in RSPCA care peaked at more than 1,000 in 2015 and at present, the number of equines in the charity’s care is around 760.

Meanwhile, equine welfare organisations estimate that there are 7,000 horses and ponies at risk of abandonment, neglect and suffering across England and Wales right now. Because of the longstanding nature of this problem, many are starting to question whether the term ‘horse crisis’ is even appropriate for something which has persisted for eight long years.

So, is it now more of a horse ‘catastrophe’ – what’s changed?

According to a blog post written by the RSPCA’s senior scientific manager for equines, Dr Mark Kennedy, the cause is the Covid-19 pandemic – or, to be more precise, the deepening financial downturn we’re now experiencing. The ‘first’ equine crisis is thought to have been triggered by the recession in 2008. Now that an even deeper downturn is predicted, the outlook is bleak.

There’s a worry that we’re going to see a ‘perfect storm.’ Horse owners may struggle to cope with the financial cost and care commitment of looking after their horses, especially with the onset of winter, when feed and other care costs rise. These pressures result in many horses falling into situations of neglect and abandonment.

This is happening at the same time that welfare charities are already at breaking point due to the longstanding effects of the existing ‘horse crisis’. On top of this, we’re seeing our resources decrease.

If any equine rescue organisations fail due to lack of income, this will add even more pressure on the remaining charities – and reports show that many horse welfare charities are struggling.

To fill in the survey, visit https://svs.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/horses-in-england-and-wales. The survey will be open until 31 January 2023.