A project which will
radically improve the lives of working horses in Romania and
thereby assist the country in meeting the requirements for
their entry into the European Union was launched in
London at the Romanian Embassy by her Royal Highness the
Princess Royal on March 22nd.
Originally instigated by the UK based International League
for the Protection of Horses (ILPH), one of the world’s
leading horse charities, the five year project has been
welcomed by the Romanian people. This follows successful
ILPH projects in Mexico, El Salvador, Fiji, South Africa and
The Gambia.
With the breakdown of Communism Romania has returned to
small units farmed by horsepower, but horse husbandry skills
have disappeared. During half a century of Communism
horsepower was replaced by tractor power on giant collective
farms and many horses were slaughtered. Today, however, the
country has approximately one million working horses – one
of the greatest numbers in Europe – and they play a vital
part in the daily lives of rural Romanians.
Historically Romania has been a nation whose people love
their horses and horse welfare problems are not a result of
blatant cruelty and neglect, but of a lack of knowledge,
resources and awareness.
The problems facing the horse in Romania are far reaching.
Typically horses in rural communities are housed in small
stables, with little or no ventilation where high levels of
ammonia and faeces are present. Horses and cattle live
together in a hot, oppressive environment, leading to
respiratory problems and issues of disease. Unsound horses
remain in work. Feet do not receive the care they so
desperately need to avoid problems of lameness and long-term
injury.
There is a lack of even the most basic equipment. Much of
the available equipment is in a state of disrepair and often
mended with nails, wire and rope, leading to sores and
wounds. There is a serious lack of understanding of
nutritional requirements and basic first aid and care to
avoid preventable problems.
A nationwide shortage of horse veterinary expertise means
there is a lack of knowledge about how to diagnose and treat
horses. This is compounded by a lack of equipment and
resources to undertake treatment. This shortage of equine
veterinary knowledge in Romania and lack of basic equipment
such as humane killers means that, at the end, the owners of
the lucky horses ensure they receive a merciful end in the
form of hunter with a gun. Less fortunate horses face an
uncertain end, with reports of horses having their throats
slit, being electrocuted or given a cocktail of drugs
leading to a slow and painful death; or put through an
exhaustingly long journey in awful conditions to a
slaughterhouse in southern Europe.
Ian Kelly, Head of International Training at the ILPH and Jo
White, Head of Political and European Affairs together with
the ILPH’s Master Saddlers and Farriers and top vets from
the UK’s veterinary colleges are embarking on a minimum five
year programme which involves:
• Educating and training existing veterinary surgeons and
final year students, both practically and academically.
• Educating Ministry and State vets in horse welfare-related
matters and thorough enforcement of the current EU
legislation.
• Educating and training prospective farriers and saddlers
at village level.
• Educating general Romanian horse owners on basic aspects
of horse welfare.
The ILPH’s International Training Teams specialise in
improving the infrastructure for working horses around the
world through developing knowledge of the basics of horse
care. The most gifted students on ILPH training courses are
selected to become trainers passing on the knowledge to
future generations. Many of these set up successful farriery
and saddlery business producing widely available good
quality tack and shoeing using local materials.
JOHN SMALES Chief Executive of the ILPH commented: “We have
found that Romanians have a thirst for knowledge and are
keen to improve the welfare of their animals. The accession
of Romania into the EU makes this the appropriate time to
work with the citizens to impact horse welfare at every
level. The ILPH produces real, long term solutions to
problems and in five years time when we have left Romania we
will have made a permanent change for the better. Our work
to improve welfare of horses will also have a direct impact
on human welfare and the country’s skills base. It is hoped
that Romania’s example can be used to encourage higher
standards of welfare in other former Eastern bloc countries,
where several generations of knowledge and horse husbandry
skills have been lost through Communism.” |
