Equestrian Sports New Zealand Adopts Horse Welfare Policies

Equestrian Sports New Zealand has adopted three new policies that aim to support a good life for horses, at a time when horse sports are increasingly coming under scrutiny in relation to horse welfare.

The policies include a Horse Welfare Policy, a Horse Travel and Transport Policy, and an Extreme Weather Events Policy. Each contains a set of guidelines underpinned by a Code of Conduct designed by the sport’s international governing body - the Fédération Équestre Internationale -and modified to reflect the New Zealand environment. The Code covers general horse welfare, fitness to compete, that events must not prejudice horse welfare, the humane treatment of horses, education and the responsibility to report cases of suspected abuse:

ESNZ’s new Horse Welfare guidelines build on the Five Domains Model, an assessment tool that has been used globally by scientists since 1994. The Model adheres to the current scientific knowledge of animal welfare, with each domain contributing to an animal’s overall welfare including nutrition, the environment health, and behavioural interactions which can affect animals’ wellbeing and therefore become either a positive or negative influence on the animals’ experience of its world.

ESNZ’s Horse Travel and Transport Policy aims to ensure the welfare of horses during transportation by truck, horse float, aircraft or ship. The Policy requires that horses should be fit and safely managed for transportation with maximum travel durations specified, and that transport vehicles should be road worthy and safely operated.

ESNZ’s Extreme Weather Events Policy addresses the extreme heat, rain, wind and cold temperatures that are increasingly occurring globally, and likely to become a consideration for equestrian events hosted in New Zealand. The Policy draws on the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature Index that identifies when an active response is required during a weather event, and includes the impact on horse and human.

Equestrian Sports New Zealand CEO Julian Bowden said the responsibility to ensure horse welfare lay squarely at the feet of all those who participate in the sport.

“It is a privilege to involve horses in our sport, and that privilege comes with responsibilities. It is our aim that these policies will set a high bar for the standard of care and wellbeing that our New Zealand horses should be able to expect,” he said.

The launch of the new Policies comes hard on the heels of the “One Voice” Charter, created by seven organisations involved in equestrian activities that have come together in a common and collective approach that sees equestrians as caretakers with a responsibility for horse welfare.

The organisations include Equestrian Sports New Zealand, New Zealand Pony Clubs Association, New Zealand Riding for the Disabled, New Zealand Riding Clubs and Bridleways, Royal Agricultural Society of New Zealand, New Zealand Rodeo Cowboys Association and Companion Animals New Zealand.

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