The British Horse Society is to focus its welfare resources more specifically at prevention of neglect to equines by developing its on-going role of education.

The charity has always recognised that it has a key role to play in raising welfare standards for horses. The decision has been taken by the BHS Board of Trustees to re-focus the Society's resources currently spent on its national rescue centre in order to build on the expertise that already exists within the BHS to provide more education in the campaign to prevent cases of neglect.

The BHS Chairman, Pat Campbell, said today, "By focusing our attention on prevention of neglect and raising welfare standards we will effectively reduce the number of welfare cases, so negating the need for rescue.

Mrs Campbell continued, "Regional facilities will remain available to provide an immediate place of safety for the worst cases, and through this shift in emphasis our welfare work will be pro-active rather than re-active."

Since its opening six years ago, over 200 horses and ponies have been taken into care and successfully re-homed following rehabilitation at the BHS' Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre, at Oxhill in Warwickshire. The current equine inhabitants are all due to be re-homed before the Centre finally closes in September 2003.

www.bhs.org.uk

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