News

URGENT CARE: FOR OVER 70 HORSES IN CAMBRIDGESHIRE

World Horse Welfare has enlisted the assistance of equine charities and the Cambridge Veterinary School to help an overwhelmed owner of 72 horses which had been breeding unmanageably at a site in Cambridgeshire.

World Horse Welfare’s Field Officer, Chris Shaw, initially visited the site to speak with the owner. At the time the total number of horses involved across a number of large fields was not known, but the owner was keen to help improve the conditions for her horses. She admitted that the number had got out of hand and that she was struggling to cope with providing the necessary care for them all and sensibly asked for help. World Horse Welfare quickly made arrangements with a number of different organisations including Redwings, Bransby Horses, the British Horse Society (BHS) and even Cambridge Veterinary School to attend the horses and representatives from each have been working closely together. Each horse is caught and then examined by the vets who are treating for worms and lice, and any farriery and dental needs. The horses are then passported and micro-chipped by the BHS. An important part of this processing of each animal is the gelding of each of the colts and stallions by the Cambridge vets to prevent the number of animals increasing again. The owner is paying for the passporting and castrations.

WORLD HORSE WELFARE: REOPENING VISITOR CENTRES

The latest Covid-19 lockdown has delayed World Horse Welfare re-opening its four Visitor Centres until the Easter holiday. Britain’s largest horse rescue and rehoming charity had planned to re-open its centres - which have been closed since the first lockdown in March 2020 - in mid-February. However, the charity is now aiming for Easter.

The Visitor Centres, one of which is in Norfolk, are very popular with both locals and tourists. The centres allow visitors to learn about the work of the charity and meet horses that are currently being rehabilitated before rehoming. The Visitor Centres are also a source of income for the charity which has continued to take in, care for and rehabilitate horses and ponies during the pandemic.

www.worldhorsewelfare.org

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NOMINATIONS ARE OPEN

Nominations are still open for the 2021 SEIB Insurance Brokers Livery Yard and Riding School of the Year Awards. These awards have been set up by SEIB to celebrate excellence in teaching, training and horse care.

The SEIB Livery Yard and Riding School of the Year Awards have categories for best small riding school (under 20 horses), best large riding school (over 20 horses), best full livery yard, best do-ityourself livery yard and best Riding for the Disabled riding school. To nominate your favourite livery yard or riding school, visit

www.seib.co.uk/

awards before 16th March 2021.

EXMOOR PONY BLOODLINES: BROUGHT BACK TO EXMOOR

Aproject to bring rare Exmoor pony bloodlines back to the moor has been a resounding success, says the Exmoor Pony Society.

Just fifty moorland ponies survived World War 2 and, while the breed is still officially ‘endangered’, there are now more than 4000 registered ponies on Exmoor and across the world. However some bloodlines have been missing on the moor for decades, including the Moth bloodline which was close to extinction. Exmoor Pony Society established the Exmoor Committee of Herd Owners (ECHO), a sub-committee to discuss moorland matters. ECHO launched an initiative to reintroduce certain bloodlines to the moor. Thanks to their hard work, the structure of the breed’s gene pool on the moor is starting to look much healthier.