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Photo: Hartpury Home Farm Stud
Think before you breed
The British Horse Society (BHS), with generous
sponsorship from South Essex Insurance Brokers,
has recently launched the ‘Think Before You
Breed’ Responsible Breeding campaign. Lee
Hackett, Senior Executive of Welfare at The BHS
comments:
Many of us would love to breed a horse of
our own and it can certainly be a rewarding
experience. Breeding your own horse has fuelled
people’s dreams for centuries but it is essential
to take a long hard look at your particular mare
and situation before going ahead. If anything
goes wrong, the whole experience can be hugely
traumatic for the people and horses involved.
Furthermore, breeding indiscriminately has
immense welfare implications. There are
more horses in this country than there are
knowledgeable and experienced people willing
and able to care for them. The number of horses
and ponies in sanctuaries nationwide proves this,
as there is never a shortage of animals to take
their place if they are re-homed.
So we all have a responsibility to think carefully
before breeding a foal. Even if you plan to provide
a home for the foal for life, you should consider
whether the foal is likely to have any commercial
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value. We can never predict what lies ahead
and your circumstances could change almost
overnight.
As horses nowadays frequently live well into,
and beyond, their 20s, breeding a foal is a huge
commitment and you must consider whether
someone else is likely to want your foal if you
find yourself no longer able to care for it. It is
better not to breed a foal than for it to end up as a
welfare case in ten years time.
The current recession has brought this into even
sharper focus. Private horse sales have dropped
considerably and the prices being achieved by
animals at some of the lower-end auctions are
alarmingly low. We have to be concerned about
what the future holds for a colt that has changed
hands for just £40 – less than the price of a tank
of petrol.
It is really important that anyone considering
breeding from their mare researches the whole
process thoroughly and with an open mind – we
all have a natural tendency to be blinkered when
it comes to our own horse’s faults. The whole
process is extremely complex, and the BHS would
recommend that anyone new to horse breeding
seeks expert advice.
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