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About Horse Health & Welfare

Health and Welfare Committee 

The health and welfare of horses in Canada is of the highest priority for Equine Canada, its members, the Canadian equine industry and the Canadian equestrian community. The EC Board of Directors mandated the establishment of an Equine Canada Health and Welfare Committee as a committee of the Board to serve as a resource to the EC Board, and to provide expertise, feedback and guidance on the development of policy positions related to issues of equine health and welfare.

 It is essential for Equine Canada that the Health and Welfare Committee has a solid structure that will address this core responsibility efficiently, effectively, seamlessly and with longevity. It is the opinion of the Committee members that this can best be achieved if the Health and Welfare Committee works with the EC Board of Directors to identify and eliminate gaps in our information and to improve communications within the organization related to issues of equine health and welfare.  

The purpose of the Equine Health and Welfare Committee is to assist Equine Canada in its endeavours to protect the health and welfare of every horse in Canada. Terms of Reference have been established, to define the mandate, composition, terms of service and general responsibilities for Committee members. The Terms of Reference have been adopted and included in the current Governance Policy Manual for Equine Canada. 

Mandate

The mandate and responsibilities for the Equine Canada Health and Welfare Committee include: 

  • Monitoring and making recommendations for policies to protect the health and welfare of horses at all Equine Canada sanctioned competitions
  • Monitoring the status of current issues (and initiatives) surrounding equine health and welfare
  • Providing regular updates to the EC Board of Directors on current (and impending issues) related to equine health and welfare
  • Apprising EC members of health issues that could potentially affect the Canadian horse
  • Providing recommended policy guidelines and position papers to the EC Board for their approval to stand as accepted EC policy
  • Providing recommended policy guidelines to the EC Board for their approval, recommended as policy initiatives that EC should pursue with federal government agencies
  • Establishing and fostering liaisons with federal and provincial government agencies, with industry groups and with other equine health and welfare related groups
  • Developing required expert resources to support the Committees work
  • Establishing sub-committees as required to complete its responsibilities
  • Such other responsibilities as identified by the Equine Canada Board of Directors

 The Health and Welfare Committee includes:

  • One representative from each of the Equine Canada Divisions (as designated by the respective Division Council)
  • A designated liaison to the Equine Canada Board of Directors (as designated by the Board of Directors)
  • A Canadian FEI-certified veterinarian
  • A Canadian FEI-certified Steward
  • A high performance athlete, as designated by the Sport Council

In addition to the core committee membership, additional committee members can be added that provide expertise which compliments the committee’s core membership in dealing with current (or impending) problems and issues. The Chair of the Committee is designated through a process identified by the Equine Canada Board of Directors.