Equine Welfare Issues: An Overview (AAEP 2010)

One of the American Association of Equine Practitioners’ (AAEP) ongoing goals is to address the welfare issues that many horses and their owners face. During a presentation at the 2010 AAEP Convention, held Dec. 4-8 in Baltimore, Midge Leitch, VMD,
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One of the American Association of Equine Practitioners’ (AAEP) ongoing goals is to address the welfare issues that many horses and their owners face. During a presentation at the 2010 AAEP Convention, held Dec. 4-8 in Baltimore, Midge Leitch, VMD, of Londonderry Equine Clinic in Pennsylvania, described the steps that the AAEP has taken–and continues to take–to improve equine welfare in the United States. Leitch is the immediate past chair of the AAEP Welfare Committee, which is dedicated to "protecting the … welfare of the horse." She outlined three key welfare initiatives the AAEP has undertaken in the past decade in the United States.

The Unwanted Horse: The Beginning

She began by describing the phrase, "unwanted horse." The first time that many Americans heard this was in 2005, when the AAEP hosted the first Unwanted Horse Summit, a one-day conference at which presenters and attendees addressed apparent welfare issues in the industry.

The Unwanted Horse Coalition (UHC) was borne out of the summit. According to the UHC website, the group "represents a broad alliance of equine organizations that have united under the auspices of American Horse Council to educate the horse industry about the unwanted horse issue

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Erica Larson, former news editor for The Horse, holds a degree in journalism with an external specialty in equine science from Michigan State University in East Lansing. A Massachusetts native, she grew up in the saddle and has dabbled in a variety of disciplines including foxhunting, saddle seat, and mounted games. Currently, Erica competes in eventing with her OTTB, Dorado.

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