A vet or qualified equine dentist should be called in regularly to thoroughly examine and carry out any necessary work on your horse’s teeth. Horses aged 2-5 years should have their teeth checked prior to commencing work or at six monthly intervals. After the age of five years (when the…
Horses have evolved to eat a very high fibre diet so this should be the main component of any feeding regime. Any extra nutrients or higher energy feeds the horse may need can be added by supplementary feeding if the hay or grass is deficient or the horse is working…
You should suspect that your horse has ‘Queensland Itch’ if it develops a reoccurring, itchy skin condition every summer and if the itching occurs mainly around the butt of the tail and around the base of the mane. In bad cases the itchy areas involve the whole back area and…
NO! Feeding horses on lawn mower clippings can be very dangerous for several reasons. When lawn mower clippings are fresh they are fermenting (this is why they are warm or even hot when you put your hand inside a fresh pile of clippings). If a horse is given a pile…
The simple answer is as late as possible, when you are absolutely certain of the commitment of your child (and the rest of the family) to horse/pony ownership. Owning a horse or pony is a very big commitment and a lot of thought should go into deciding whether to take…
The RSPCA considers that there are significant ongoing animal welfare problems in the greyhound racing industry. These include but are not limited to, that too many dogs are bred and subsequently passed on which overwhelm rehoming groups; unacceptably high rates of injuries and deaths; and continued incidents of live baiting…
Hunting not only affects the target animal that is killed or wounded by a bullet, arrow or knife. It can also have a significant negative impact on other animals, particularly dependent young. If hunters do not find and euthanase the dependent young of shot females, they are left to fend…
Some hunters use a bow and arrow to hunt animals because they consider it to be an ‘art’ or challenge that requires skill and patience. However, from an animal welfare perspective it results in significant pain and suffering. Wounding rates can be high, the time to death can be prolonged…
The use of dogs in hunting can pose welfare risks to both the animal being hunted and the dog. The regulations and licences regarding the use of dogs in hunting vary between states and territories. In summary, dogs are used during hunting in the following ways: to locate and flush…
The use of dogs in pig hunting poses significant welfare risks to both the pig being hunted and the dogs involved. Hunting pigs with dogs involves the dog flushing out the pig and chasing it until it is exhausted or cornered. When the pig has been ‘bailed up’ (the pig…