Scotland publishes new equine welfare guidance - and daily turnout is in it

The facts

Who issued it

Scottish Ministers, under section 38 of the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006

Covers

Day-to-day care, feed, handling and training, vet care, breeding, and buying and selling

Key point

Daily free movement is recommended, and ridden work does not count towards it

Also included

Social contact with other horses, positive experiences, and mental wellbeing

Where to read it

The Scottish Government website hosts the guidance document

The Scottish Government has released a new guidance document on the welfare of equids. It was issued by Scottish Ministers under section 38 of the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006. It sets out the minimum expected of anyone looking after a horse, and then goes further, describing what owners can do beyond that baseline.

The line most owners will want to read twice concerns movement. The guidance recommends daily free movement, and is explicit that ridden work is not the same thing. So a schooling session or a hack does not tick that box. Alongside this sit recommendations on social interaction, on giving horses positive experiences, and on responsible breeding and on buying and selling.

World Horse Welfare was one of the organisations involved in drawing it up. Field Officer John Burns said the guidance takes a whole-horse view, covering mental as well as physical wellbeing, and argued that decisions should be judged by how the horse experiences them rather than through a human lens. Owners across Scotland fed into the work. Their responses showed that awareness of the previous Scottish Codes of Practice was limited, among professionals as well as owners, and there was strong support for updating them to cover social needs, mental wellbeing and quality of life.

If you keep horses in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, this does not apply to you directly. Defra's code of practice for horses, ponies, donkeys and their hybrids dates from 2013. World Horse Welfare's Head of Public Affairs, Kim Ayling, has called on policymakers in the other three nations to take note, pointing to how much has been learned since then about how horses learn and experience their surroundings.

What this means for you

Horse owners and keepers in Scotland

There is now a current, official statement of what is expected of you, and a separate description of how to go beyond it. Worth reading rather than assuming you already comply.

Anyone whose horse is stabled or on restricted turnout

Ridden work does not count as free movement under this guidance. If your horse's only daily movement is under saddle, that is a gap to address.

Owners in England, Wales and Northern Ireland

The Scottish document carries no legal weight where you are, but the Defra code you sit under is from 2013 and World Horse Welfare is pressing for a refresh.

Livery yard owners and managers

Turnout policy, group living and daily routine are all covered. Scottish yards in particular may want to check their setup against what is now written down.

What to do

1. Read the guidance document on the Scottish Government website before deciding whether your routine needs changing

   This month

2. Write down how much genuine free movement your horse gets each day, not counting ridden work

3. Check whether your horse has daily social contact with other horses, and what it actually amounts to

4. If you are on livery, ask the yard whether they have seen the new guidance and whether anything will change