Horsey Talk

The crash happened on Uttoxeter Road, near the junction with Jolpool Lane

A woman was killed and a man suffered serious injuries when the horse-drawn carriage they were riding in crashed.

The 60-year-old woman, Valerie Ann Gilbert from Stone, Staffordshire, died in hospital as a result of her injuries, the Staffordshire force said. was a passenger in the blue four-wheeled carriage, which crashed in Hilderstone, Staffordshire.

She was airlifted to hospital where she died, Staffordshire Police said.

The driver, a 55-year-old man, suffered serious leg injuries. No other vehicles were involved.

The carriage, which was being pulled by one brown horse, came to a stop near Heath Farm, about 500 yards away from the initial accident on Uttoxeter Road, near the junction with Jolpool Lane.

The horse was not badly hurt, police said.

The next stage of the AHT's Dr Sue Dyson's facial expressions and horse pain research has taken place. The behaviour ethogram1 has been put to the test on a panel of vets as a new method for assessing equine performance. How accurately the vets used the ethogram to assess pain in ridden horses during the study day will now be assessed. The participating vets collectively commended the value of the ethogram, which defines 24 ridden behaviours that may reflect pain and lameness in ridden horses.

The study was conducted at World Horse Welfare's centre in Norfolk on 21July. Twenty horse and rider combinations, together with a range of professional practitioners, volunteered their time to support the study, which has the potential to transform the welfare of ridden horses. This research is a crucial step in the verification of the use of a behaviour ethogram to help vets detect low-grade musculoskeletal pain in ridden horses. We hope this study will change the way vets assess horse behaviour and recognise pain, leading to improved diagnosis of musculoskeletal conditions in horses all over the world.

Dr Sue Dyson said:  "The behavioural differences between the lame and non-lame horses in the study were very apparent. I am currently cross-referencing analysis of the volunteers' results with me as the Gold Standard. Early indications show that by giving vets a clear understanding of pain associated behaviour markers they will be better able to recognise pain-related behaviour in ridden horses, which may reflect lameness, and to communicate potential performance problems more effectively with their clients." 

An overview of this study will be presented at the Saddle Research Trust Conference in December.

What happened on the study day?

Initially the horses were assessed by Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Animal Therapy (ACPAT) physiotherapist, Jo Spear. The back was examined to check for any areas of muscle tightness or discomfort. Society of Master Saddlers (SMS) Saddle Fitter, Liz Suddaby, checked the fit, placement, balance and suitability of each horse's saddle. The horses were then given a 15 minute ridden warm-up before executing an 8-minute purpose-designed dressage test.

During the dressage test a team of 10 equine vets, selected from 40 volunteers, scored each horse for the presence of 24 behaviours that may reflect pain.  The tests were filmed so that Dr. Dyson could make a comparison between her own real-time behaviour assessments and video analysis and so that the rider skill level could be scored retrospectively by Dr Anne Bondi BHSI.

The ten equine vets, four men and six women, who varied in their years of experience, collectively said that it was one of the best days of continual professional development that they had ever had and that they would change their procedures for both pre-purchase examinations and investigations of either lameness or poor performance in the future.

Helen Whitbread of Deben Valley Equine Veterinary Clinic summarised: "This system is such a useful tool; most of the factors we were scoring were not a surprise, but by being able to quantify the pain in a way that a client can understand and relate to is priceless.  Too often in the past our suggestions that a horse is demonstrating abnormal ridden behaviour because of pain has been brushed aside as 'it has always done that'. Now I can say, for example: 'Yes, it has scored >8 and is therefore likely to have been in musculoskeletal pain the whole time you have owned it'."  

Read more about this project here and here

Reference

1. Dyson, S, Berger, J, Ellis, A, Mullard, J. Development of an ethogram for a pain scoring system in ridden horses and its application to determine the presence of musculoskeletal pain. J Vet Behav: Clin Appl Res doi:10.1016/j.jveb.2017.10.008

Tougher sentences for animal cruelty move step closer following results of consultation

Animal abusers who commit the most heinous crimes will face up to five years in jail after draft legislation set out by Environment Secretary Michael Gove gained strong support from welfare groups and the public.

Currently the maximum sentence is six months but following a consultation the Government has today confirmed it will legislate to increase that tenfold for serious offences, sending a clear sign there is no place for animal cruelty in England.

The draft Animal Welfare (Sentencing and Recognition of Sentience) Bill was put out to consultation in December 2017.

The consultation also set out proposals to ensure animal sentience is reflected in domestic law when we leave the EU. A summary of responses has been published today and work on this will continue.

But in line with the recommendation from the EFRA Committee, earlier this year, legislation on sentencing will be brought forward separately so courts have the powers available to them.

Animal Welfare Minister, Lord Gardiner said:

This Government is making good on our commitment to make the UK a world leader in the care and protection of animals as we leave the EU.

Our proposals to raise maximum sentences for animal abusers attracted strong support. We will now legislate so courts have the power to punish offenders properly.

We will also continue to work with welfare organisations to ensure that animal sentience is properly recognised in our legislation once we have left the EU.

The Government also supported the Animal Welfare (Service Animals) Bill, introduced to Parliament by Sir Oliver Heald MP. The Bill, which passed its second reading in July, will ensure service animals such as police dogs and horses will be offered greater protection. The proposed legislation will remove a section of the current law of self-defence, often used by those who harm a service animal in the process of committing a crime.

The plans to increase maximum sentences follow a number of shocking cases where courts have said they would have handed down longer sentences had they been available.

These include a case last year when a man trained dogs to ruthlessly torture other animals, including trapping a fox and a terrier dog in a cage to brutally attack each other.

These plans are part of wider programme of reform to cement the UK's position as a global leader on animal welfare. This includes making CCTV mandatory in all English slaughterhouses and taking steps to control the export of live farm animals for slaughter as we leave the EU.

Latest figures* show the number of horses suffering long-distance transportation across Europe for slaughter has reduced from around 50,000 in 2012 to around 30,000 in 2016.

This is undoubtedly positive news and shows that the campaign is succeeding thanks to your help, but it is still 30,000 too many.

Find out more about the history of WHW campaign and the next steps towards ending this needless trade:

WHW are calling for the European Commission to introduce a short, finite journey limit of 9-12 hours, ending the torment caused by these relentless journeys. Their ition to the Commission already has over 26,000 signatures but we still need more whilst Britain's voice still counts in Europe.

Please sign today

*Figures from TRACES, Eurostat and World Horse Welfare investigations