Book Review

"Equine Welfare"

by Marthe Kiley-Worthington

Published by J.A. Allen

Price £19.95

I am all in favour of books that question how we regard and treat the equines in our care and am quite open minded that there will be better ways of doing things that I have been encouraged to believe in the past. So I read this book with considerable anticipation. In a way I was slightly disappointed by it. The author is making serious points and because she wishes to be taken very seriously she propounds her views in a very scientific way which has the result of making the book less readable and therefore it may, ironically, undermine it s effect.

Basically the author believes that the way in which we keep our horses is based purely on our convenience and that their needs are usually overlooked as a result. She also suggests that the horse s natural way of life i.e. as a member of a herd, and various relationships involved in being the member of any group, are often denied by us, again as a matter of convenience; that lack of understanding on our part is the cause of considerable stress to equines in general and that we should learn to look at a horse s life from its own point of view - not ours.

I believe that horse owners are becoming more enlightened and the majority are more conscious of how horses communicate with each other and their need to do so, and that, on the whole, we are aware of the horses needs mentally as well as physically. Most horse owners want their horses to be happy and consider this to be a prime concern but there are always new areas which we should seriously consider. For instance, the author questions whether the ways in which we currently use horses is cruel. Interestingly she concludes that horse racing is ahead of most other equine sports as far as equine welfare is concerned but she urges far ranging changes in the way that racehorses are kept and trained if we consider ourselves to have a serious interest in equine welfare. Also in question is the use of horses in our competitive areas such as eventing, dressage, polo and long distance riding- in particular the unnatural lifestyles of many of these horses and the physical and mental stress that may result from such use of horses.

This is a book which raises many questions, too many to summarise in a simple review, but if you read it you will certainly respond or react to it in some way or other! It was not written to evoke a passive response and to that end the author has been successful. I am in no doubt that the author raises many a valid question which deserve a re-think on our part, nevertheless, most equines of my own personal experience do seem to live happy and fulfilling lives and have devoted care and understanding from their human handlers and it is important to bear this in mind when reading this book. But do read it - you will find it thought-provoking!