Colin Phillips
At the Start
From today's Guardian site:
Thousands of horses and ponies face being abandoned or suffering from neglect as irresponsible breeding, spiralling bills, and rockbottom sale prices take their toll, according to six leading equine welfare organisations.
Increasing numbers of animals may have to be put down as they are forced to fend for themselves by so-called fly-grazing, according to their report, On the Verge.
Some horse owners still believe they can make a profit from breeding but prices for live animals have dropped so far that some cannot even be sold for £5, while shelter, food and vets bills are reaching £100 a week.
With UK abattoirs paying £230 for a horse or £400 for a mare and foal, raising animals for meat may be a factor for dealers trying to cash in on exports to Belgium, France and Italy, the report says.
Rescue centres capable of housing about 2,800 animals are full, while the RSPCA is spending more than £3m a year on privately boarding animals. Prosecutions of irresponsible dealers and owners are becoming increasingly expensive.
The organisations are calling for legislation that will enable them to more quickly identify owners and punish them with fines and the seizure of animals for fly-grazing. They also want a review of agreements allowing the free movement of horses not intended for slaughter between Britain, Ireland and France.
The British horse population is thought to be just under 1m. The vast majority are owned privately for leisure – a sector which, unlike the horse racing industry, is not tightly regulated.
Roly Owers, the chief executive of World Horse Welfare, said: "The organisations are already at breaking point, with a severe shortage of available places, and we are aware of an additional 6,000 horses which could be at risk over the winter.
"These are all groups of horses that are on the edge of becoming welfare concerns, either because their owners are struggling to look after them or because they are not getting the care they need and ownership is unclear. We could not cope if even a fraction of this number needed to be rescued."
Nicolas de Brauwere, head of welfare at Redwings Horse Sanctuary and chairman of the National Equine Welfare Council, said: "It is an extremely serious state of affairs. In February this year, for example, we had a situation where a group of more than 60 horses and ponies that had been left to fend for themselves in Wales were facing euthanasia by the local authority, which had found itself in an impossible situation through the irresponsible actions of a callous owner.
"On that occasion several charities stepped up at the last moment and offered them a home, but we had to stretch ourselves and our teams to the limit to do so. Another case like that may be the final straw."
Thousands of horses and ponies face being abandoned or suffering from neglect as irresponsible breeding, spiralling bills, and rockbottom sale prices take their toll, according to six leading equine welfare organisations.
Increasing numbers of animals may have to be put down as they are forced to fend for themselves by so-called fly-grazing, according to their report, On the Verge.
Some horse owners still believe they can make a profit from breeding but prices for live animals have dropped so far that some cannot even be sold for £5, while shelter, food and vets bills are reaching £100 a week.
With UK abattoirs paying £230 for a horse or £400 for a mare and foal, raising animals for meat may be a factor for dealers trying to cash in on exports to Belgium, France and Italy, the report says.
Rescue centres capable of housing about 2,800 animals are full, while the RSPCA is spending more than £3m a year on privately boarding animals. Prosecutions of irresponsible dealers and owners are becoming increasingly expensive.
The organisations are calling for legislation that will enable them to more quickly identify owners and punish them with fines and the seizure of animals for fly-grazing. They also want a review of agreements allowing the free movement of horses not intended for slaughter between Britain, Ireland and France.
The British horse population is thought to be just under 1m. The vast majority are owned privately for leisure – a sector which, unlike the horse racing industry, is not tightly regulated.
Roly Owers, the chief executive of World Horse Welfare, said: "The organisations are already at breaking point, with a severe shortage of available places, and we are aware of an additional 6,000 horses which could be at risk over the winter.
"These are all groups of horses that are on the edge of becoming welfare concerns, either because their owners are struggling to look after them or because they are not getting the care they need and ownership is unclear. We could not cope if even a fraction of this number needed to be rescued."
Nicolas de Brauwere, head of welfare at Redwings Horse Sanctuary and chairman of the National Equine Welfare Council, said: "It is an extremely serious state of affairs. In February this year, for example, we had a situation where a group of more than 60 horses and ponies that had been left to fend for themselves in Wales were facing euthanasia by the local authority, which had found itself in an impossible situation through the irresponsible actions of a callous owner.
"On that occasion several charities stepped up at the last moment and offered them a home, but we had to stretch ourselves and our teams to the limit to do so. Another case like that may be the final straw."