Sustainability in equine practice

According to the British Equestrian Trade Association, there about 850,000 horses in the UK (Haseler et al., 2024). The average 500 kg horse will produce about 25 kg of manure daily and, where horses are kept in stables, another 4 to 7 kg of waste bedding can be added to this (Wheeler, 2008). Currently, the main use for horse manure in the UK is as fertiliser for fields, and the quality of horse manure makes it an ideal product for this, producing many beneficial effects for the soil (ScienceDir

By Judy Scrine, Subgroup Founder and Chair, and Laura Higham, Founder and Director of Vet Sustain. In this article, we introduce the work of Vet Sustain, before outlining how our equine subgroup will help practitioners to embed sustainability principles into veterinary work to help tackle planetary, social, and animal welfare challenges. Who and what is Vet Sustain? Vet Sustain is a not-for-profit social enterprise championing sustainability in the veterinary professions. Led by eight directors,

The BEVA Sustainability Working Group have been developing guidelines on the use of equine endo- and ecto-parasite treatments, focusing on minimising their environmental impact. These expand on a number of recently published articles, including the CANTER guidelines for sustainable equine parasite control. The BEVA Guidelines will take the form of guidance for vets, a helpsheet for clients, and a number of additional resources. For more information in the meantime, take a look at the following:

In June, two members of the BEVA Sustainability Working Group, Julia Shrubb and John Walmsley, attended the Dung Beetle Conference at Yeo Valley Farms, Blagdon. Here, John and Julia (who additionally gave a lecture on the state of play in the equine industry) report back on an inspiring conference, and the lessons that we in the equine industry might learn. The conference was organised and run by the Farm Carbon Toolkit and brought together farmers, vets, soil scientists, entomologists and resea

Don’t miss your chance to nominate an exceptional individual or organisation within the equine sector, for the National Equine Forum (NEF) Sir Colin Spedding Award 2025. This prestigious award champions the cause of those who strive to make difference in the horse world but are, as yet, unacknowledged. Nominations can be made quickly and easily online. Sir Colin Spedding was the founding chairman of the NEF and chaired the event for 20 years until his death in 2012. He ensured that represe

How can we help equine clients to manage their land more ecologically? A case study from Ash Rescue Centre, Dartmouth. At last year’s World Horse Welfare Conference, Jenny Rogers, from Ash Rescue Centre, was invited to talk about their remarkable work. Ash is both a rescue centre for elderly horses and a conservation site, encompassing wildflower meadows, species-rich grasslands, hedgerows, native trees and wildlife ponds, with rescue horses playing a key role as conservation grazers. Jenn

It is widely accepted that our dietary choices have an impact on the environment, but how does this relate to the diet of our horses? The average 500 kg horse eats between 7.5 and 8 kg of hay per day, which equates to some 225 to 240 kg per month per horse. To produce it, a variety of grasses are grown in fields then cut, dried and bailed. Meadow hay is the most common type, consisting of a mix of plants from mature meadows including Timothy and dandelions. Other hays, differing in plant composi

Third year veterinary students, in collaboration with the BEVA Sustainability Working Group, are asking vets and owners to share their views on the use and environmental impact of equine anthelmintics in two surveys. Every response will help to understand the issue better, and each respondent will be entered into a prize draw to win a £10 Amazon voucher. Please spare five minutes to complete the survey and share the links below amongst colleagues and clients. Complete the vet survey Co

For the first time, global warming has exceeded 1.5oC over an entire 12 month period, according to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. This does not break the Paris Agreement 1.5oC limit – as that refers to long-term warming – but it “does bring the world closer to doing so”. It is considered by many to be a “significant milestone” that highlights the challenges of keeping the 1.5oC long-term limit in reach. The temperature rise in the past year