Britain is facing an equine welfare catastrophe, an animal charity has warned. The number of abandoned horses and ponies has tripled since the last recession in 2009, and it’s feared the situation will only get worse due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Although new rules making it compulsory to microchip all horses and ponies came into place on Thursday, it’s thought that around 7,000 animals are still at risk of neglect.
The RSPCA already has more than 750 horses in its care – and as winter approaches, it is bracing itself for an influx of abandoned animals.
Chris Sherwood, the charity’s CEO, said: “Around 70 per cent of the horses we rescue are not microchipped. “When legislation demanding compulsory microchipping came in for dogs, the number
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