New welfare guidance has been published for owners and keepers of horses, ponies, donkeys and their hybrids in Scotland, setting out modern expectations for their care, health and wellbeing.
This guidance applies to Scotland only.
The new guidance provides practical information to help those responsible for equines ensure their animals’ physical, mental and emotional welfare needs are properly met. It covers a wide range of issues, including diet, accommodation and the environment, social interaction, exercise, natural behaviours, tethering and horse passports.
It replaces the previous Welfare of Equidae Code of Practice, which was published in 2009. The new guidance recognises that understanding of animal welfare, scientific knowledge and management practices have developed considerably since the previous code was introduced.
A modern approach to equine welfare
One of the key features of the new guidance is its recognition that good welfare is about more than simply keeping an animal physically healthy.
Modern approaches to welfare also consider an equine’s mental wellbeing, emotional state and quality of life. This includes providing opportunities for positive experiences, appropriate social interaction and the ability to express natural behaviours.
The guidance therefore encourages owners and keepers to look at the whole life of an equine and consider not only whether its basic physical needs are being met, but whether the animal is able to experience a good quality of life.
An animal’s quality of life can broadly be considered as:
- a life not worth living;
- a life worth living; or
- a good life.
The guidance aims to help those responsible for equines ensure that, as a minimum, their animals have a life worth living, while encouraging owners and keepers to go further and provide the conditions and experiences that can contribute to a good life.
Who does the guidance apply to?
The guidance is intended for anyone who owns, manages or cares for an equine, regardless of why the animal is kept.
This includes equines kept for:
- leisure and pleasure;
- sport and competition;
- showing;
- breeding;
- working purposes; and
- environmental conservation.
It applies to horses, ponies, donkeys and their hybrids. Throughout the guidance, the term equid is used to refer collectively to these animals, with specific advice identified where requirements differ between horses, donkeys or hybrids.
The guidance is therefore relevant not only to individual owners, but also to keepers, yards, professionals and others who have responsibility for the day-to-day care of equines.
More than food and shelter
The guidance emphasises that responsible equine care involves much more than providing adequate food, water and shelter.
Owners and keepers should consider the animal’s environment and whether it allows the equine to behave in ways that are natural and important to its welfare. Social contact with appropriate companions, opportunities for movement and exercise, suitable feeding practices and an environment that supports natural behaviours are all important considerations.
This reflects a wider understanding of animal welfare, where the absence of illness or injury is only one part of ensuring an animal has a good life.
Developed with the Scottish equine sector
The guidance has been developed through collaboration across the Scottish equine sector, led by the Scottish Government and the National Equine Welfare Council.
Its development reflects the importance of bringing together current scientific understanding, practical experience and the knowledge of people working across the equine sector.
The intention is to provide owners, keepers and professionals with clear direction on maintaining high standards of equine care while taking account of scientific best practice, ethical considerations and legal responsibilities.
Horse passports and tethering
As well as addressing everyday welfare considerations such as diet and the environment, the guidance also covers important practical and legal issues, including horse passports and tethering.
This provides a more comprehensive source of information for people responsible for equines and recognises that good welfare depends on appropriate management throughout an animal’s life.
A responsibility for everyone caring for an equine
The welfare of horses, ponies, donkeys and their hybrids is a fundamental responsibility of those who own, manage or care for them.
The new guidance is intended to help those responsible understand what their animals need and to encourage management practices that result in positive welfare outcomes throughout an equine’s life.
It is particularly important that owners consider their animals as individuals and assess whether their current management arrangements are genuinely meeting their welfare needs, rather than simply providing the minimum essentials.
Scottish guidance only
It is important to emphasise that this guidance applies to Scotland only.
It is issued by the Scottish Ministers under section 38 of the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006, with the aim of securing the welfare of equids.
The guidance should therefore not be presented as applying across the whole of the United Kingdom. Different legislation, codes and guidance apply in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
For anyone responsible for an equine in Scotland, however, the new guidance provides an important reference point for understanding modern expectations around equine welfare and responsible ownership.
Ultimately, its message is straightforward: providing for an equine’s welfare means considering the whole animal—its physical health, environment, behaviour, social needs and emotional wellbeing—and taking steps to ensure that it has, at the very least, a life worth living, with the opportunity for a genuinely good life.