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France Now Requires Horse Owners To Be Licensed; Nonpayment Of Fees Considered Abandonment

France has enacted three new laws to combat animal abuse and protect horse welfare. One requires horse owners to obtain a “knowledge certificate,” another requires “nerved” horses to be identified, and the third considers nonpayment of boarding fees to be abandonment.

Horse owners who aren't licensed by a governing body (like the French Equestrian Federation) will be required to complete a course that demonstrates their knowledge of equine management. This certificate will be required to be completed by all private horse owners within a year.

Horses that have received a neurectomy must have the procedure noted in their identification documents. Chronic hoof pain might necessitate the procedure, which involves cutting the nerve and making it insensitive to pain. Horses which have been nerved are not permitted to race or compete.

A horse owner who doesn't pay boarding or lease fees on a horse, leaving it in the care of an equine facility, will be charged with abandonment. After the horse owner or lessor has been served with a formal notice and three months have passed, the facility housing the horse can apply to have the horse auctioned to recoup lost fees.

KHRC Issues Warning To Licensees About Cargo Ship Transport

The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) has issued a warning to licensees regarding recent reports of inhumane, dangerous, and sometimes lethal practices used in transporting horses internationally, via cargo ship, from the United States.

Overcrowding horses in makeshift containers has reportedly led to numerous deaths and injuries. These cargo shipping practices are alarming, abusive, and will not be tolerated in Kentucky.

The KHRC will take immediate licensure action against any licensee who knowingly or willfully directs or participates in activities that abuse, neglect, or harm horses. The Commission also urges Kentucky's racing associations and training facilities to take immediate steps to ensure that horses are protected from these practices.

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Kentucky Legislature Broadens Definition Of Property Destruction To Include Livestock

The Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP), Kentucky's equine economic advocate, released the following statement regarding the Kentucky Legislature's passage of HB 229:

“We applaud the Kentucky Legislature's passage of HB 229. By broadening the definition of property destruction crime to include livestock, this legislation is a big step forward in further deterring the abuse of horses. KEEP has long been a leader in advocating for the health and welfare of Kentucky's horses and is wholeheartedly supportive of this legislation.

“KEEP is grateful to Representative Matt Koch for his work to advance this legislation. Representative Koch is a champion for Kentucky's horse industry and community and we appreciate his work to ensure that the horse industry's $5.2 billion economic impact on the state continues to grow.”

ABOUT KEEP
The Kentucky Equine Education Project, Kentucky's equine economic advocate, is a not-for-profit grassroots organization created in 2004 to preserve, promote and protect Kentucky's signature multi-breed horse industry. KEEP is committed to ensuring Kentucky remains the horse capital of the world, including educating Kentuckians and elected officials of the importance of the horse industry to the state. KEEP was the driving force in the establishment of the Kentucky Breeders Incentive Fund, which has paid out more than $177 million to Kentucky breeders since its inception in 2006, and pari-mutuel wagering on historical horse racing, which has been responsible for more than $50 million to purses and more than $24 million to the Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund.

KEEP works to strengthen the horse economy in Kentucky through our statewide network of citizen advocates. To learn more about how you can become a member or support our work, please visit www.horseswork.com.

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Report: The Difference Between ‘Training’ And ‘Abuse’ Not Always Clear

The way horsemen and the public think about training and abuse is changing. In some cases, the line is clear, but in others, it's a more subjective question, according to a recent report from The Horse.

Though equine training methods differ between breed and discipline, certain practices can be considered abusive regardless of the goal. In the past, more attention has been paid to getting a horse to submit to a rider's will than to ensuring a horse's welfare is protected. Situations that create obvious pain like tying a horse's head down or to the side, rollkur, or too-tight nosebands are one kind of abuse. The Horse reports than in other cases, abuse is the absence of something; keeping horses in stalls with no social interaction as punishment, or limiting diets can also be considered a type of abuse.

Often, horses subjected to these methods are emotional scapegoats for a stressed trainer, or they may be pushed to achieve a particular financial or performance result. There is also a disconnect between some horsemen about certain training tactics that are overlooked as things that have “always been done.”

Horse owners may be reluctant to speak up against perceived abuse as they feel the professional knows what is best for the horse.

A horse in an abusive training situation may be at increased risk of harm and even death, as the horse may injure itself while in training or colic from the stress. Generally speaking, The Horse reports, physical and mental welfare of horses is becoming better understood and that understanding is guiding changes in philosophies and training methods.