Health, Safety & Welfare
Welfare is one of our constitutional aims, and to this end we have held several educational meetings, covering such topics as 'Care of the Mare and Foal at Foaling', presented by Equine Vet Mr.Alphonso Martin, MRCVS; and 'Feeding the Native Pony', when we were advised by Declan Cullen and Craig Kilief from Irwin's Bluegrass Horsefeeds how best to balance the nutritional requirements of the native pony. On another occasion, we had the combined merits of proper handling and training in the form of 'Horse Sense' from Helen Spence, and basic welfare requirements and legal guidelines from Jane Bruce, who works with The Donkey Sanctuary, and on the B.H.S. Welfare Committee.
Specific advice given by Jane Bruce is as follows :-
If you are witness to a situation or event which appears to be a welfare concern, whether ongoing or an instance of cruelty,
1. Gather information, being specific as to the nature of the complaint. Photographs can be helpful in illustrating the situation.
2. Complain in writing to the appropriate authority - if at a mart, to the manager of the mart. If at a show or event, to the organising committee. Encourage other witnesses to do likewise in support of your complaint.
3. Be factual in your representation - not emotional. Express how strongly you feel, but do not allow your emotion to blur the facts.
4. You may wish to write to relevant local newspapers, horse magazines, and to welfare authorities such as the USPCA, ISPCA, BHS, Irish Horse Welfare Trust or others. Contact telephone numbers were supplied by Jane, and are given below.
USPCA 028 9081 4242
ISPCA ( South ) 00 353 (0) 43 25035 - mobile 00 353 (0) 86 604 7840
BHS Ireland 028 9268 3801
IHWT ( North ) mobile 078 3334 7470
IHWT ( South ) 00 353 (0) 404 45720
Crosskennan Lane Animal Sanctuary 028 9446 5384
Where the concern is about the situation at a Breed sale or Society sale, it helps if your letter of complaint is countersigned by a respected member of the breed Society. You may suggest that a member of the Society's Welfare Committee be present and oversee proceedings at sales etc. You can also request that future sales are attended by officers from some of the welfare organisations named above. If the mart itself is the problem, would the Society consider moving future sales to a location which is safer for the ponies and the public ? Remember that sales premises must be licensed by the local County Council.
If the problem is specific to an individual owner's ponies, bring the matter to the attention of local welfare officers.
Making a Complaint.
Please bear in mind that animal charities and rescue organisations have very limited resources, both in terms of time and finance. This is particularly so in the present economic climate, when so many horse owners are finding it difficult to make ends meet. However, real need should always be reported.
Assess whether a complaint is justified. If you are unsure, take an experienced equine person with you, and have a second look at the situation.
Gather as much information as possible, as this will assist the welfare authority to deal effectively and rapidly with the matter. It is vital that the EXACT location of the animal(s) in distress is given - the welfare officers have not the time to search all around a vaguely described area.
Try and discover the name and address of the owner of the distressed animal(s).
The welfare organisation will require your name and contact details. These will be kept confidential, but may be needed later for clarification or further information.
When detailing the complaint, take into consideration the animal's surroundings - the availability of food ( grazing, bucket feed or forage ), fresh water ( clean troughs, buckets or a clean natural source), and shelter ( hedges, field shelters, rugs or stabling ). Take into account the animal's age, body condition, any signs of injury or lameness and whether the animal has been attended, abnormal length of hooves, etc. Have you observed how often the animals are visited and tended to by the owner ? If there is one animal who concerns you, in a group who are otherwise in apparently good condition, it may be the case that it is old or ill. Try to observe for a few days, to see what the owner does with this animal in particular, before deciding whether the matter needs to be reported.
Thank you to Jane and her colleagues in the welfare charities.
No Hoof, No Horse ?
We are all familiar with the adage above, which is as true as ever it was. Thankfully much research has been devoted to hoofcare, both analytical and observational. It makes sense that the whole horse depends on the health and integrity of the structures upon which he stands, runs and gallops. The balance and health of the foot has a direct effect on every bone above it, and consequently on the musculature of the horses body also. It may often be the case that soreness, lack of performance, and behavioural issues stem from problems at ground level - in the hoof itself. Much can be done, albeit sometimes a long term project, by hoof rehabilitation. This may be as part of a multi- faceted approach. Diet and normal movement play a major role, and are all important when asking a horse to be the one thing 55 million years of evolution have designed him to be - a horse.
Recommended reading is to be found on www.hoofrehab.con , where Pete Ramey explains where his studies of the wild horse have led him. His books and DVDs are available on Amazon.
Another inspirational site is www.performancebarefoot.co.uk This site gives several examples of horses and ponies for whom conventional treatments had only limited sucess. Photographs and videos are provided. Watch the videos especially, and observe the difference in the way of going between the same animal shod and unshod. Remember that evolution has designed the horses foot to function as it does for a purpose, and that function is thwarted once a ring of steel is nailed onto it. Food for thought ??
Root Out Ragwort Campaign
Ragwart is poisonous to both animals and humans so always wear gloves when dealing with it.
The BHS have an ongoing campaign to 'Root Out Ragwort' ! Apart from the food requirements of the cinnabar moth, whose caterpillars feed on the toxic weed, we none of us need ragwort in our fields and hedgerows. Also known as ragweed, yellow weed, or by local names such as benweed, the plant exists in a bushy form - common ragwort ( Senecio jacobea ), and a more sparse-leaved form, marsh ragwort. The latter grows in wetter pasture, perhaps hidden among the rushes.
The ragwort plant contains senecin, which is a potent poison. It is not metabolised and passed from the body, but accumulates in and destroys the liver of animals who eat it. There is a myth that sheep are immune to the toxin, but in fact they seldom live long enough for it to cause fatality. Horses, ponies and donkeys are often seen in fields where ragwort stands, tall and green, with it's abundant yellow flower heads, above a sward cropped so short one wonders what the ponies actually have left to eat ! Most appalling of all, it is even common on some stud farms, where both mares and foals are expected to graze. Given that foals may nibble on anything, and that they are more susceptible to poisoning than adult ponies, this is an intolerable situation. Though they seem to instinctively avoid the plant, it is still the case that such ponies will consume a certain amount, as studies have shown. Complacency is not an option, as symptoms of ragwort poisoning are not observed until the liver is approximately 75% affected, by which stage there is no recovery, but only the certainty of a painful death.
The BHS Campaign involves the control and elimination of ragwort from pasture and farmland, using systemic weedkiller to target the plants, and by physical removal of the plant or it's remains. Mowing is not recommended, as it can chop up the plants, and as these become more appetising when dried, every scrap must be removed and burned before animals are allowed back onto the grazing. It is important to remember that gloves are worn when handling the plant, as the poison can enter the body across the skin, especially if the skin is damaged.
The peak of the flowering season is during August, when the yellow heads make identification easy. Larger plants are easier to pull up if first loosened around their roots by pulling in each direction ( north, south, east & west ) before removing with as much of the root system as possible. A purpose made 'rag-fork' is commercially available, which helps lever out the plant, so the work is less back-breaking. Even if the plant breaks, at least the flower removal will cut down on the number of seeds spreading on the pasture. A large plant can produce up to 250,000 ( yes - a quarter of a million ! ) seeds in a season. The old adage, 'one year's seeding, seven years weeding' was never so true !
Ragwort is a biennial plant, i.e., it flowers every second year, so every other year it occurs in it's vegetative form, called the rosette - which grows tight to the ground, in contrast to the tall reproductive form. With practice, it is possible to identify even very small plants from their distinctive curly shape.
Some groups of horse owners, perhaps sharing a livery yard, get together for ragwort pulling parties, and make an enjoyable or fundraising day out of an otherwise toilsome job !