TWO years ago the Irish National Stud was honoured with an historic visit by the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, and on Thursday the stud again played host to the Duchess. The Duchess has been a frequent visitor to Ireland over the years and it was particularly pertinent to welcome her to the Irish National Stud almost exactly six years after the visit of Queen Elizabeth II.

The Royal visit coincided with the first of what is hoped will become an annual seminar on horse welfare in Ireland, and many of the guests welcoming the Duchess are active in the field of welfare, charity and care of animals, including veterinary surgeons and racehorse owners and trainers. The speakers at the seminar were introduced to the Duchess, as were the 25 resident stud management students, who hail from nine different countries, including New Zealand, Australia, Canada and India.

With equine welfare the theme of the day, appropriately those on show included the stud’s Living Legends, most notably Hurricane Fly and Hardy Eustace, and stallion Invincible Spirit. The Duchess has a foal this year by his son Cable Bay, who was also bred by the Irish National Stud.

Concluding her visit, the Duchess was introduced to some of the artists who have created many of the sculptures on view throughout the gardens, the centrepiece being the sculpture commemorating Colonel William Hall Walker created by Bob Quinn, who explained how it came to be. Sculptor Simon Carman was present to explain to the Duchess how he hopes to create an image of Invincible Spirit in limestone, which has never been tried before.

On her departure, the Duchess was presented with a Bonsai Irish Birch tree by the chairman of the Irish National Stud, Matt Dempsey.

TALKING POINT

As exciting as the Royal visit was, it has to be said that the seminar was the main topic of conversation for all those in attendance and it must be hoped it continues to be discussed and mulled over in the days to come. The Irish Field’s Leo Powell was the moderator of the seminar where six speakers gave concise presentations on varying welfare issues. One statement came through loud and clear throughout – the need for a unified approach for a better chance of a sustainable solution. While the need is clear, the question of who might take up that baton remains unanswered.

Veterinarian Peter Webbon made a strong case for the need for transparency within the racing industry, holding up the threatened ban of greyhound racing in New South Wales as an example of the dangers of withholding information, however unpalatable, from the public domain. “The mythical man in the street ultimately decides if an activity is acceptable or not,” he warned. “We must always be aware of the need to satisfy the general public.”

Webbon echoed the opening speech of John Osborne, who pointed out the potential public relations disaster if a prominent owner were to sell a horse, which is later sold on again and ultimately falls into neglect. The onus of responsibility must lie with the horse’s original owner in ensuring adequate care throughout the length of that horse’s life.

When it comes to making a call on the length of life, Joe Collins, of The Donkey Sanctuary, offered advice on the end of life choices that many of us are reluctant to confront. If we cannot ensure quality of life then we must ensure a humane end to that animal’s life. “Recognise it comes to an end and recognise the end when it comes.”

The alternative in shirking such responsibility was presented by Sharon Newsome from Irish Horse Welfare Trust, and Hilary Robinson of the Hungry Horse Outside charity. They are at the coalface of equine welfare, dealing with distressing cases on an all-too regular basis and their slides showed the suffering horses and ponies are subjected to if allowed to fall through the net and slide down the slope to neglect. Re-homing must be for life and euthanasia presents an alternative solution if that cannot be guaranteed, in the face of these often-horrific outcomes.

“We need champions of welfare,” declared Joe Collins and he wasn’t alone in the call. “We all share a passion and need to pull together as a unit to get this sorted out,” said an impassioned Hilary Robinson. Sharon Newsome, in detailing the struggle for IHWT to stay afloat, asked for “a welfare council, where IHWT helps rather than being helped.”

NEED FOR DATA

Given the audience, it wasn’t surprising that much of the focus was on the thoroughbred sector and although the majority of equine welfare issues in Ireland extend beyond thoroughbreds, it was made clear that the reputation of the industry and disease-free status of the thoroughbred is dependent on the successful solving of the wider welfare issues.

Webbon reminded us of our potential weaknesses as an industry and the serious need for adequate data on the numbers of horses reaching the racecourse, provision for their retirement from racing, injuries sustained during their careers and the contributory risk factors. “We must have a clear vision of what needs to be done and the commitment to go ahead and do it.”

Michael Sheahan, Director of Veteniary Operations at the Department of Agriculture, spoke of the improved legislation in place to identify horses and ensure traceability. While not yet up to the “Rolls Royce standard” of the cattle industry, that is the ultimate goal and, given that prior to the introduction of registration of equine premises in 2013 there was no knowing where horses were or how many were in the population, we have come a long way forward in a short space of time. Enforcement of regulation needs to be stepped up, but welfare issues are interlinked with shortfalls in ID and traceability and that is being rapidly improved.

As well as detailing the excellent sustainable solutions of urban horse projects funded by the Department throughout the country, which educate young people in the care of horses and are now establishing links with RACE, Sheahan reminded us of the negative affect unwelcome media attention has on all horse sectors. At the height of the abandoned horse problems in 2011 and 2012, foreign media crews actually arrived in Dublin expecting to film stray horses roaming the city centre.

“The thoroughbred sector is part of the problem and part of the solution,” he pointed out and although responsible ownership is promoted and widely delivered, Newsome and Robinson have evidence to support him, in both factors. A small number of thoroughbreds do end up as welfare cases, but the thoroughbred industry is also hugely supportive of the IHWT.

KEY TO THE FUTURE

The seminar was prompted by Diana Cooper and Jane Myerscough and it was Cooper’s presentation that may hold the key to the future. Introducing us to the International Forum for the Aftercare of Racehorses (IFAR), Cooper showed videos of the vast repertoire of second career opportunities awaiting the racehorse.

IFAR was formed in late 2015 to promote the care of thoroughbreds during their lifetime as a worldwide mission, with each racing nation part of the discussion. The object was to share best practice between all aftercare organisations and to adopt a Working Document between international racing jurisdictions for the lifetime care of racehorses. The list of jurisdictions and thoroughbred bodies supporting IFAR is impressive and includes Godolphin, the US Jockey Club, France Galop, the BHA and Racing Queensland.

When we hear the pleas of equine charities to all pull together, and are reminded of the unsuccessful attempt to form an umbrella group of all the charities and welfare organisations, which failed only because the organisations themselves lacked the staff and funds to establish a leader, we can’t help but look to the success of IFAR.

The racing industry may not consider itself a major contributor to Ireland’s equine welfare problem, but it is at the mercy of the negative publicity and risk of disease it could bring. As every speaker pointed out, equine welfare is everyone’s concern.

Listening to the presentations, it is apparent that only the thoroughbred sector has the necessary potential funding and major players to make a welfare council a reality. Cooper herself said of the suggestion for a unified welfare council: “It needs leadership and structure.”

Having made such a good case for IFAR, perhaps we need look no further?