Safer Horse Rescues - About Us

Safer Horse Rescues aims to ensure minimal delays in an animal receiving veterinary care when trapped or involved in an accident, and to maximise the chances of a positive outcome for the animal and everyone involved.

The initiative was launched by the equine industry in 2007, most notable Horse and Hound magazine, the British Horse Society (BHS) and BEVA, in close partnership with Animal Rescue Specialists at Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service. This followed a number incidents highlighted in the press, where horses had suffered during lengthy rescues.

Through generous initial donations from the equine industry, the Equine Rescue Fund was set up, and over the past few years, has funded various initiatives which has meant we have achieved much more than we expected to! This includes publication and wide communication of the protocol and register, numerous awareness raising and training initiatives for Horse Owners, to Fire Service and Veterinary surgeons and students, to name a few.

Through this work, and the ongoing support of everyone involved, outcomes have greatly improved for horses and people involved in these rescues. There is an ever growing number of emergency rescue trained vets, who are working increasingly closely with the Fire Service and other stakeholders in regions across the country, but there is still a great deal of work to be done in terms of awareness, and getting stakeholders to work together, to ensure the best outcome for every incident.

Recent activities include:

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With your support we can continue the valuable work of the Safer Horse Rescues initiative, to benefit equine welfare and to ensure more positive rescue outcomes.

Please contact Clare Ascroft (clare.ascroft@beva.org.uk) to make a donation or enquire about Sponsorship opportunities.