The trained volunteers are at events to promote good equine welfare – and educate others
A GROWING army of equine welfare stewards appearing at shows hope the scheme will make a difference – to horses and all of us who ride them.
There are now about 30, including vets and saddle-fitters, who have undertaken training for the voluntary role, and they have been booked for a number of events this summer – while other shows have been urged to follow suit.
H&H reported that the Royal Three Counties Show brought in a rule last year that everyone had to be suitably mounted, and that a welfare officer was brought in, who asked 12 people to dismount.
That officer was Amanda Stoddart-West of the Great Yorkshire Show (GYS) who has been instrumental in welfare-related rule changes.
“We attended about four shows last year,” Mrs Stoddart-West told H&H. “Then we wanted to expand the idea. At the Association of Show and Agricultural Organisations conference in November, we announced that we were forming a group and working with the British Horse Society (BHS), which had agreed to help with training.”
In 2024, the stewards have been at Royal Cornwall and Three Counties. They will be at the GYS, Equifest, Kent County, Ashbourne and the Festival of Dressage.
Mrs Stoddart-West said although the stewards consider rider-to-horse weight ratio, they are looking at every aspect of equine welfare.
“It’s riding, handling, equine obesity; all of it,” she said. “And rather than being seen as negative, whenever we see good welfare, we approach those people and tell them.”
WELFARE AWARDS
SHE said the group would like to give awards for good welfare, and if a sponsor were found this could happen.
“Hopefully it will become more and more normal to see us at shows,” she said. “Someone recently said that in four years, the show that doesn’t have [stewards] will be the odd ones out. We want to promote this as a positive. At Three Counties we were encouraging people to participate and exhibitors came up with their ponies and asked to be weighed, which was brilliant. “That’s exactly what we want; people putting th
