Horse welfare

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I agree that there are serious issues concerning welfare of wild animals, whether in the wild or in captivity. 

There are also welfare issues regarding domesticated species. Welfare of horses, mules and donkeys used by the tourism industry is one such issue. 

One abuse that I have witnessed is the way that carriage horses are galloped on hard roads in hot weather in Egypt because tour operators want to cram more visits into the limited time available. Unfortunately, most visitors seem to think that this is "good fun" rather than questioning what is happening. 

There are horse riding centres (even in the EU!) that buy horses each Spring and work them so hard through the season that they go for slaughter by Winter. There are tourists who think that the aim of horse riding is to gallop everywhere with no regard for the animals' welfare. 

My experience as the owner of a respectable horse riding centre is that operators who spend the money to keep their horses in good condition are undercut in price by those who cut corners. Many clients simply ignore this. They don't want to know why an offer is surprisingly cheap. They assume that "animals won't be well kept in foreign countries" anyway. They want a beer in their hand the moment they dismount, and don't care in the least about how their mounts are fed or watered. 

Luckily we see relatively little of this thanks to working with ResponsibleTourism.com. However it is a real problem, globally. 

There need to be responsible standards set and publicised for draught and riding animals used in tourism. 

What do others think? 

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Transylvania Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 30 Oct 2007 Location: Romania Online Status: Offline Posts: 5	Quote Reply Topic: Horse welfare Posted: 13 Dec 2007 at 11:05am
	_popupControl(); I agree that there are serious issues concerning welfare of wild animals, whether in the wild or in captivity. There are also welfare issues regarding domesticated species. Welfare of horses, mules and donkeys used by the tourism industry is one such issue. One abuse that I have witnessed is the way that carriage horses are galloped on hard roads in hot weather in Egypt because tour operators want to cram more visits into the limited time available. Unfortunately, most visitors seem to think that this is "good fun" rather than questioning what is happening. There are horse riding centres (even in the EU!) that buy horses each Spring and work them so hard through the season that they go for slaughter by Winter. There are tourists who think that the aim of horse riding is to gallop everywhere with no regard for the animals' welfare. My experience as the owner of a respectable horse riding centre is that operators who spend the money to keep their horses in good condition are undercut in price by those who cut corners. Many clients simply ignore this. They don't want to know why an offer is surprisingly cheap. They assume that "animals won't be well kept in foreign countries" anyway. They want a beer in their hand the moment they dismount, and don't care in the least about how their mounts are fed or watered. Luckily we see relatively little of this thanks to working with ResponsibleTourism.com. However it is a real problem, globally. There need to be responsible standards set and publicised for draught and riding animals used in tourism. What do others think?

Holly Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 12 Nov 2007 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 7	Quote Reply Posted: 18 Feb 2009 at 4:06pm
	I didn't realise that the welfare of horses was such a big problem, even in the western world. I recently heard from the Vancouver Humane Society who are trying to raise awareness of the poor animal welfare standards at rodeos and the Calgary Stampede. ‘The Vancouver Humane Society, an animal protection organization in British Columbia, is one of the leading groups critical of rodeo in Canada and has had considerable public support. The City of Vancouver has banned rodeo and, in nearby Surrey, the Cloverdale Rodeo has banned all roping events. The Vancouver Humane Society is now drawing attention to the Calgary Stampede.’ For more info see http://www.responsibletravel.com/copy/copy900466.htm