Equine welfare charity World Horse Welfare has launched a new tool to help yard managers and horse owners assess the welfare of the horses in their care. The Horses’ Experiences on Yards (HEY) tool is based on the Five Domains Model for animal welfare assessment and was developed working alongside animal welfare scientist and consultant Dr Jill Fernandes, of Animal Centric, and equine welfare scientist Cristina Wilkins.
The Five Domains – nutrition, environment, health, behavioural interactions and mental state – are key areas that influence horses’ ability to not just survive but thrive in their environment.
World Horse Welfare’s Director of UK, vet Malcolm Morley, explains what went into developing the tool, “Having used Animal Centric’s expertly facilitated Welfare Assessment of Horses on Yards (WAHY) process to gauge the experiences of the horses at our own rescue and rehoming centres, we know how valuable it is to sit down as a team and objectively assess your horses’ wellbeing in their current environment. It prompted everyone involved to step back, reflect on what we do day-to-day and, in some cases, rethink our assumptions. That shared reflection has helped us to identify what’s already working well and where we can make some adjustments to improve our horses’ mental and physical experiences.
“We saw an opportunity to take this concept and develop a tool that was accessible at a yard level with a view to encouraging those involved in the day-to-day care of horses to consider what changes they might be able to make to improve their horses’ welfare.”
The two-part HEY process guides users through scoring the experience of horses in their care against 15 essential needs and then encourages them to come up with both short and long-term actions for any needs where there is an opportunity to provide a more positive experience.
“The shorter, free-to-use HEY tool has been developed to enable owners, grooms, and yard managers to easily assess their own horses’ experiences,” explains Malcolm. “We hope it gets people talking and sharing their thoughts, with the horses at the centre of the discussion. Everyone’s opinion matters in this process – this really should be a team effort!”
Whilst the HEY tool is suitable for all owners with multiple horses, it was primarily designed to consider welfare at the overall yard level. As such, it’s most suitable for yard managers/owners to work through with their teams.
“It’s really important that people using the HEY focus on what the horses in their care are telling us through their behaviour,” adds Malcolm, “It can be easy to assume we’re meeting our horses’ needs, but if we really pay attention, their behaviour might show otherwise.”
Animal Centric’s Dr Jill Fernandes says, “The process of developing the HEY with World Horse Welfare and Cristina Wilkins has been so thought provoking, and what I like most about the HEY is that it continuously brings us back to the horse’s perspective. We are challenged to keep asking ourselves, ‘What actually matters to the horse?’”
“Even the most experienced teams can become accustomed to the way things have always been done. Bringing in a structured process – especially one supported by external expertise, such as that offered by Animal Centric – can reveal opportunities that might otherwise go unnoticed. It’s heartening to see World Horse Welfare taking this initiative a step further and developing a tool that enables other yards to begin this process themselves, making reflective, horse-centred welfare assessment more accessible across the sector,” says Cristina Wilkins.
World Horse Welfare has produced some accessible videos explaining how to use the HEY tool, which can be found, along with the HEY itself, on World Horse Welfare’s website.