Hight Quality bamboo horse stalls horse stables in black coating

Hight Quality bamboo horse stalls horse stables in black coating

In 2014 the Commission held a meeting on the welfare of horses, where both Member States and stakeholders from the horse sector attended. The discussions during this meeting revealed that there are challenges concerning horse welfare in the European Union. As a consequence of this, World Horse Welfare and Eurogroup for Animals prepared the report “Removing the Blinkers”, which in more detail illustrates the welfare challenges. On 14 March 2017 the European Parliament adopted a resolution on responsible ownership and care of equidae. In its resolution the European Parliament calls upon the Commission to develop European Guidelines on Good Practice in the equine sector for various users and specialists, drawn up in consultation with stakeholders and organisations from the equine sector and based on existing guides. The OIE (World Organisation for Animal Health) adopted in May 2016 a chapter on welfare of working equids to the Terrestrial Animal Health Code. Based on the above background, a set of draft guidelines on the keeping, care, training and use of horses have been drawn up. Although these guidelines in general apply to all categories of horses, they do not specifically address working horses, as these are already covered by the OIE chapter. The guidelines do not address donkeys, asses, and mules, as they may have behaviours/needs different from horses. Horses are kept for a variety of purposes, such as sport, pleasure, breeding, therapy, and tourism. The regulatory level on keeping and care of horses differ between Member States. Only a few have adopted specific legislation on the protection of horses. In some Member Countries guidelines have been drawn up either by competent authorities or stakeholders. Common EU guidelines are believed to help enhance the welfare of horses throughout the Union.

It is difficult to assess the number of horses in the EU with any certainty. Figures may be available for example from breeding, racing or equine sports organisations. When it comes to the part of the equine sector where there is no formal organisation, however, figures are unavailable or uncertain. It is estimated that EU’s horse population range from approx. 4 million to approx. 7.7 million. These guidelines address areas where there is no specific EU legislation on horses. This means that transport, killing, including slaughter, identification and registration, and zootechnical and genealogical matters are not addressed. Nor do these guidelines address horses that are kept under wild or semi-wild/feral conditions. In this guideline the term “horse” is used meaning both a horse and a pony.

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