Horse Welfare

For genuine concerns about a horse in distress, please complete Remus Horse Welfare Watch Report Form and email to: info@remussanctuary.org.

For out-of-hours emergencies, please call the RSPCA on tel: 0300 1234 999.

To find out more about the Remus Horse Welfare Watch, click here.

There are 1.35 million horses in the UK with the largest proportion in the South East – where we have some 310,500 horses. The majority of these horses live a much loved and pampered life but sadly we still witness too much cruelty or suffering including Traveller’s Horses tethered without food or water in sub zero temperatures or searing heat, old horses left in fields in poor condition and cases of cruelty just through ignorance.

The Five Freedoms

There are many reasons why an equine may be distressed or need assistance, and Remus have chosen to align our Horse Welfare Watch with the ‘Five Freedoms’ identified by The Animal Welfare Act 2006, which enshrines the animal owner’s ‘Duty of Care’ in British Law:

Freedom from hunger or thirst – the animal has little or no access to fresh water and/or food
Freedom from discomfort – the animal does not have somewhere to lie down or gain shelter or exposed to extreme weather conditions
Freedom from pain, injury or disease – the animal clearly shows disease, an untreated injury or perhaps severely overgrown hooves.
Freedom to express (most) normal behaviour – the animal is tethered incorrectly and/or does not have sufficient space or proper facilities and living conditions. Further information on tethering can be found here
Freedom from fear and distress – abandoned animals, those subject to dog attacks, low flying aircraft or similar or those suffering from any of the above

For genuine concerns, please complete the form above and email to: info@remussanctuary.org. For out-of-hours emergencies, please call the RSPCA on tel: 0300 1234 999.

Please do not turn a blind eye to what is going on all around us – get involved now – report horses that you are concerned about, help us to fight for better conditions for our horses, ponies and donkeys.

Below are links to three main pieces of legislation that should give these animal’s protection but sadly fail to in so many instances: