Horse welfare and client safety requirements

The Colombian Way’s guidelines relating to horse welfare and client safety requirements for the provision of equine tourism activities in Colombia.

Scope

This document seeks to ensure animal welfare and client safety standards for the provision of horse-riding services within Colombia. It defines the permitted standards to which service providers must adhere.

Biological characteristics and behaviour

Horses must be kept in conditions which permit and enable normal equine behaviour.

• Social interaction with other horses
• Normal communication including sight, sound, vision, touching, posture and smell.
• Normal comfort behaviour including nibbling, scratching, social grooming, rubbing and rolling
• Available social space
• Movement
• Foraging and grazing
• Sleep

Horses should not exhibit any sign of aggression or other stress related symptom.

Accommodation

• Horse accommodation should be regularly cleaned
• It should be sufficiently large to afford movement, standing and lying naturally.
• Bedding material should be dry
• Doors should open outwards
• Passageways should be non-slip and sufficiently wide to permit the passage of two horses.
• Accommodation must have adequate ventilation.
• Accommodation must have adequate natural light.
• Mechanical, constant, sudden or loud noises should be avoided.

Turnout

• Horses must have daily access to paddocks or pasture with other horses.
• Paddock areas must have adequate shelter for all horses.
• Fences should be well maintained.
• Horses should not be tethered in a paddock.

Care

• Horses should be cared for by a sufficient number of persons who possess the appropriate ability, knowledge and professional competence.
• Horses should be checked daily. Ill or injured horses should be given appropriate care without delay. When necessary veterinary advice or attention should be obtained immediately.
• Horses with signs of disease should be separated from other horses.
• Accommodation should be cleaned and disinfected between occupation by different horses.
• Horses should have a veterinary examination at least once every 12 months.
• Horses should have appropriate current vaccinations including but not limited to tetanus and equine influenza.
• Hooves should be trimmed at regular intervals, horses must be professionally shod.
• Horses should be fed a sufficient quantity of food to maintain a healthy body weight and avoid malnutrition, poor condition or obesity.
• Access to a plentiful supply of water must be available.

Handling

• Persons with responsibility for the use, handling or training of horses should have appropriate knowledge, experience and skills so that they know and understand the normal behaviour of horses as well their facial expressions and body language.
• Training for riding should not start until the horse has reached a developmental stage where the horse is physically and mentally capable of performing the activities, without risk of injury or distress in either the short or long term.
• Training methods should be adapted to the age of horses and their physical and mental capacity to protect them from pain, suffering, anxiety, injuries and permanent disability.
• Excessive force should never be used.

Equipment

• Equipment used for handling and training of horses should be fitted and adjusted correctly and should not cause harm or be used as coercive measures.
• All equipment should be kept safe, functional, clean, and well maintained. It should be checked before use.

Client safety

• Service providers must adequately match clients to horses.
• All horse-riding services must include an induction relating to best practice and handling when riding a horse.
• A maximum permissible client bodyweight must be submitted to The Colombian Way. In no circumstance may a maximum client bodyweight exceed 100kg
• Equestrian helmets must be provided and be compliant with ASTM F1163, EN 1384, AS/NZ 3838 or ISO Guide 65

Carriages

Without exception The Colombian Way will not enter into service agreements with any equine service provider offering any form of horse-drawn carriage, trap, trailer, cart or similar hitched vehicles.

Inspection

Service providers must agree that a representative of The Colombian Way or agent thereof may visit their facilities periodically and without notice during normal business hours in order to assess continued compliance with these standards.

About this policy

This policy document is based on the principles laid out in the EU Guidelines on Horses, first published in 2018 and endorsed by EU Platform for Animal Welfare, Eurogroup for Animals, and World Horse Welfare.

The guidelines expressly seek to be easy to follow and extend real value to jurisdictions with no national legislation or existing guidance on equines.

The Colombian Way is registered in Dublin, Ireland and operates exclusively in Colombia. Our company supports the principles of the EU Guidelines on Horses and is wholly committed to improving animal welfare standards within tourism.