Description

Leading vets and horse welfare organisations are coming together to debate the welfare of the UK’s one million horses at the annual Animal Welfare Foundation (AWF) Discussion Forum.

The session, “Are vets failing our horses?”, will explore the current relationship between vets and horses, looking at where the boundary lies between treatment and prolonging life, particularly in older horses. The three-strong veterinary panel will also debate the case of performance enhancement and the impact this can have on horse welfare.

Roly Owers, CEO of World Horse Welfare, who will introduce the session, said:

“There are around one million horses in the UK, however we believe many don't receive appropriate veterinary care.  I think this discussion is important because, as a profession, vets haven’t always been the best at openly debating these type of issues, however it’s becoming ever more important to do so, not least with the evolution of social media. Vets don’t ‘own’ animal welfare, but play a fundamental role in helping to achieve and maintain it."

‘Are vets failing our horses?’ will be chaired by AWF Trustee Ben Mayes and speakers for the session include:

• Roly Owers, World Horse Welfare – Introduction
• Lesley Barwise Munro, Alnorthumbria Vet Group - “Is killing kinder – has geriatric medicine gone too far?”
• Tim Greet, Rossdales Veterinary Surgeons - Pushing horses to the limit – the ethics of performance optimisation.