If you own horses and / or are responsible for the care of horses please take five minutes to complete an important survey respecting the Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Equines (the Code). This industry-developed survey is to gauge awareness, adoption and use of the Code. Follow this link
www.surveymonkey.com/r/equinecodesurvey to the survey.

“Health and welfare of the animals in our care is the cornerstone of our equine industry,” said Bill desBarres, horse owner and Chair of the Horse Welfare Alliance of Canada (HWAC). “The future of Canada’s equine industry is dependent on establishing and maintaining the confidence of horse people and the general public.” 

This survey is for all those involved in the care of equine in Canada including but not limited to riders, owners, custodians, equine businesses owners, operators and staff including boarding/guest ranch/riding/training facilities, feedlots, racetracks, rodeo contractors, auction markets, and PMU operations.

Survey results will identify areas pertaining to the welfare of horses including deviations from the Code. The results will form the foundation to determine the need for educational programming, resources and animal care assessment tools.

The survey is brief and to the point and will relate to the participant’s level of involvement in the equine industry and awareness of the Code.

For more information contact:
– Mikki Shatosky, 403-870-8784 design@declercq.ca
– Bill desBarres, 1-888-303-1070 info@horsewelfare.ca
– Jennifer Woods livestockhandling@mac.com
– Kelly Coughlin industry@hcbc.ca

Survey of awareness, implementation and compliance to the Code of Practice in the Canadian equine industry

PROJECT BACKGROUND
The future of Canada’s equine industry depends on establishing confidence that the welfare and health standards of the animals in our care are being met. The Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Equines (Code) was developed to set these standards for all equine in Canada. Before we can begin to verify compliance to the Codes, we must first determine the current level of awareness and compliance to the requirements set forth in the standard. Verification of compliance to standards
has become critical in all aspects of agriculture for market access and accessibility.

The Horse Welfare Alliance of Canada (HWAC), working with equine sector participants, has developed a survey to gauge the level of awareness and compliance to Canada’s standard of equine care. Survey results will provide insight into how aware the industry is of the Codes and the existing level of compliance to the standards and requirements set forth within them. Results will identify opportunities for educational programming, resources and the foundation for an equine care assessment tool.

This survey is targeted at all aspects of the equine industry including: equestrians, owners, custodians, and equine based businesses including boarding facilities, guest ranches, riding, training facilities, feedlots, racetracks, rodeo contractors, auction markets, and PMU operations.

Funding for this project is a collaboration of the equine industry and Growing Forward 2

This bilingual survey was launched 15 MAR 2017 and will close 31 OCT 2017.