NSW HORSE WELFARE REPORT OCT, 2016
With the support of all the NSW Zone Horse Welfare Officers, I think we have really raised awareness of Horse welfare issues in our State, particularly with regard to fields and their surrounds.
It continues to be a struggle to collate information from some Zones, so I really would like to thank HV, SH, WD and SWS for their detailed reports.
It was great for all the Clubs to be relatively honest with their grounds forms, and whilst it may have been a chore, it has provided some great information, and a bench mark for works to come.
These will continue to be a start point for works in progress, as well as lifting awareness that there MAY be issues involving safety at some venues.
I am only aware of the Care Flight Unit being called to one incident in NSW in the 2016 season (which thankfully had a great outcome). This was at the NSW Club Championships, where we all learned of the benefits of utilizing the aerator for run offs, AND fields, (during an event), and I’ll admit that it was shame that we had have an incident BEFORE we acted on seeing if it would make an improvement instantly (which I believe it did).
I think we need to continue to ‘play’ with these machines, prior to and during events, to learn of their benefits, and have knowledge that we can possibly improve playing conditions with its use.
At some venues water continues to be an issue and this must be overcome, as Clubs have a responsibility to provide good water, which is of adequate pressure.
There was also a lot of concern regarding the NSW Zone Championships at Bong Bong, hosted by the Burradoo Club. Yes it was wet, very wet. Yes it was uncomfortable, and muddy, and cold, BUT was it unsafe? The grounds, and playing fields were checked by the NSW Chief Umpire and myself on 3 occasions, and yes we deemed them to be heavy, one field was abandoned on one, day, and another field the next, but Burradoo were most accommodating by moving their Finals to the field with the better playing conditions, and whilst the polocrosse was a slog, it was not, in my opinion, unsafe.
To my knowledge (after chatting with Sam Halsted) there were only 2 horses vetted out for the whole event, and NO serious or semi serious accidents, due to the playing conditions.
And, I might say that this is way better than the previous couple of years!.
Possibly, these NSW Zones could have been called off or postponed 10 days or a week out, however, it is a massive financial call, to do so, when conditions are uncomfortable yes, but unsafe? If the conditions were deemed unsafe, there would have been NO hesitation in abandoning the Championships.
At this point I would also like to impress on all players, that most of us, umpires, officials, and all those in an organizing role are VOLUNTEERS, and that out of courtesy and respect, they should not be the recipient of personal verbal abuse. It is just rude!
On another tangent there were a number of horses sidelined by skin conditions throughout the season, and it is a challenge to ‘treat and compete’, but it is possible.However it is NOT acceptable to ignore lesions, and be deceptive regarding their treatment. All reported cases need to be followed up by the Zone HWO, and should be reported to NSW HWO, along with the appropriate treatments that have been undertaken.
We will continue to have challenges, but I think we need remain vigilant on awareness, for both horse and human safety and welfare, as, with all sports involving animals, it is their welfare that is paramount.