World Horse Welfare is a registered charity in the United Kingdom that was previously named the International League for the Protection of Horses.

Anne, Princess Royal Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950) is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the only sister of King ...

is its patron.

History

International League for the Protection of Horses was founded in 1927 as a campaigning organisation to prevent the export of live British horses for slaughter. The charity's founder,

Ada Cole Ada Merrett Frances Cole (1 January 1860 – 17 October 1930) was a nurse, animal welfare activist and founder of the International League Against the Export of Horses for Butchery, later renamed the International League for the Protection of Ho ...

, was spurred into action after witnessing a procession of British work horses being unloaded and whipped for four miles to slaughter in Belgium. The Irish branch was founded in 1928 by Eleanor Whitton. In 1937 after political lobbying by the charity, the Exportation of Horses Act was introduced to protect the welfare of horses destined for the slaughterhouses of Europe. This introduced the concept of 'Minimum Values', which effectively stops the export of live horses for slaughter from Great Britain. The charity opened its first horse rehabilitation centre in Britain, in 1949, and started its first international training course in Morocco in 1985. In 2008, the organisation was renamed to World Horse Welfare.

Activities

World Horse Welfare works in the United Kingdom in recovering, rehabilitating and rehoming horses. The charity has 16 full-time field officers based around the UK who investigate concerns reported by the general public. Horses needing attention are taken into one of the charity's four Recovery and Rehabilitation Centres, based in

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

(the Glenda Spooner Farm),

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

and

Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire (; ) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the Shires of Scotland, historic county of Aberdeenshire (historic), Aberdeenshire, which had substantial ...

. The charity works in the

developing world A developing country is a sovereign state with a less-developed industrial base and a lower Human Development Index (HDI) relative to developed countries. However, this definition is not universally agreed upon. There is also no clear agreeme ...

, training local people in skills such as

saddlery Tack is equipment or accessories equipped on horses and other equines in the course of their use as domesticated animals. This equipment includes such items as saddles, stirrups, bridles, halters, reins, bits, and harnesses. Equipping a horse is ...

farrier A farrier is a specialist in equine hoof care, including the trimming and balancing of horses' hooves and the placing of shoes on their hooves, if necessary. A farrier combines some blacksmith's skills (fabricating, adapting, and adju ...

y, nutrition and horse management. World Horse Welfare campaigns to achieve welfare improvements through changing policy, practices and attitudes.

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Animal charities based in the United Kingdom Animal welfare organisations based in the United Kingdom Horse sanctuaries Organisations based in the United Kingdom with royal patronage Organizations established in 1927 Charities based in Norfolk Horse welfare organizations