The British Horse Foundation is a Charity which was founded in 1991 to promote education in the breeding of horses and ponies and help prevent unnecessary suffering to them by cruelty.
The Trustees, chaired by Richard Meade OBE, believe that the best way to avoid cruelty to horses and their being abandoned or neglected is through the introduction of programmes to educate and inform on ways of producing horses and ponies with a higher worth.
Experience shows that it is the non-performers, be they recreational, competition or working horses and ponies, that are likely to be neglected, abandoned or otherwise ill-treated.
The Foundation therefore supports many programmes which are designed to avoid the indiscriminate breeding of horses and ponies from low quality stock. Such programmes include the establishment of a National Equine Database (now launched as NED) which has the objective of compiling breeding and performance data from all equines in Great Britain. Such data is invaluable to those intending to breed equines as it clearly indicates bloodlines to be followed to avoid producing inferior, low value stock.
The database, which lists all entries by a Unique Equine Life Number (UELN) is also invaluable in the tracing of abandoned or stolen animals, many of which find their way into the abattoirs for slaughter for human consumption overseas.
Other programmes supported include initiating a quality mark scheme for studs which gives reassurance to both purchasers of animals and those sending their stock for mating that those establishments have met specific standards with corresponding high standards of care.
