Horse welfare was one of the main items on the agenda at the FEIF Conference 2008. Horse welfare is paramount in the FEIF rules and in our general policy. During the conference, a “Welfare Café” was held, where horse welfare questions were discussed. A report on the “Welfare Cafe” will be published on the FEIF website under Download – Conference – and will be used in the future work of FEIF.
In 2007, following reports of high levels of oral wounds being found at some events, a procedure was adopted at the World Championships to manage oral wound checks. As it proved to be very useful, the description of the procedure and the forms used were improved by the two veterinarians/judges responsible for this at the World Championships, Claudia Glück and Caroline van de Bunt. This policy was approved by the FEIF Sport Meeting 2008. Seminars have been held in several countries to train judges. The procedures are published under Download – Forms.
From FWVC discussions, some FWVC members feel that aspects of the oral wound checks will not achieve our aims. The FEIF board has asked the FWVC to propose alternative procedures for discussion. In the meantime, the current procedures remain in force. During their work, the FWVC visited the Swedish dentist Torbjörn Lundström. A report on this visit is published under FEIF – Welfare and Veterinary Committee.
Horse welfare
