Horse Care & Welfare

We’re here to help 

We offer free support and advice to anyone, whether you're a BHS member or not, are new to looking after horses, have been looking after horses for years, or have a concern about a horse you pass on your daily walk.

Contact us on 02476 840517* or email welfare@bhs.org.uk – You can also get in touch with us via our social media channels. 

Opening times are 8:35 am - 5 pm from Monday – Thursday and 8:35 am - 3 pm on Friday. 

*Calls may be recorded for monitoring purposes.

On-the-ground advice and support

Our experienced, friendly, and compassionate Welfare field officers and Volunteer Welfare Advisors provide advice, education, and support to equestrians to improve the lives of horses in their care. They are making a difference to the lives of horses and their owners every day and are here to help and support you.

Welfare concerns

We investigate any welfare concerns you report to us. Our officers and volunteers understand that there can be many reasons for a welfare concern to arise. By working with the owner of the horse they support them in getting back on the right track and make sure the situation improves before it becomes more serious.

Horse Health Days

We’re available to visit livery yards, equestrian centres, riding schools (BHS Approved or non-approved), or colleges with our healthcare vehicle and weighbridge. On the day we’ll weigh, and fat score each horse and offer individual support and advice to owners and carers on how they can optimise their horse’s health. We also run sessions at riding club and pony club camps to help educate and support the next generation.

Healthcare & Education Clinics

Britain’s equine welfare and overpopulation crisis is unfortunately leading to cases of neglect, suffering and abandonment. This is only exacerbated by the cost-of-living crisis. Our clinics across the UK offer health checks by a vet, castration, passporting, microchipping, dental checks, worming and hoof care at a reduced cost, as well as education, advice, and support on a huge range of issues. These clinics not only help owners improve the lives of their current horses but also prevent potential future unplanned foals from suffering. 

Horse passports

Passports are a vital piece of documentation as under current legislation, all horses must be microchipped and have a passport. It’s also important to comply with all the guidelines and keep their passport updated with changes to food status, castration, new microchip, and death. Our passport office can issue passports and we also have lots of advice on various passport-related issues and questions such as loss, replacements, exporting etc.

Friends at the end

We’re not just here to help horses, we’re also here to support owners. ‘Friends at the End’ is an initiative we’ve created to make sure that no horse owner or carer must face the loss of their equine companion alone. We offer free, confidential support before, during and after the death or loss of a horse, for example, a loan horse returning to their owner.

We offered support to Elaine, who contacted us for help with the tragic loss of Blue through court order in 1980, when she was 15 years old.