Our work in Romania
Romania is a country that has great respect for the horse, but a lack of skills and knowledge have led to a desperate welfare situation, particularly among the country's one million working horses.
World Horse Welfare has worked to improve the basic care of Romania's horses through education and training since 2004.
Greatly supported by the country's passion for horses and people's eagerness to learn more about horse welfare, we've run seminars and training courses for vets and others involved in caring for horses, and delivered public awareness campaigns. We've met many horse lovers whose enthusiasm and willingness to be involved has contributed significantly to Project Romania's success.
Our campaign
Project Romania was a five-year campaign (started in 2006) that involved seminars and training schemes at veterinary faculties throughout Romania. The aim of the project was to help educate owners and those looking after horses; equipping them with the skills to ensure their horses were healthy and fit for work.
This training complemented schemes run by our International Training Department, focusing on practical elements of horsecare such as farriery and nutrition. Each year, we held six seminars aimed at student veterinary surgeons and four tailored to the needs of practising veterinary surgeons. We also ran a seminar for the country's 60-or-so official Government vets in 2007 and 2009.
In addition to the seminars and training schemes, we've worked at Government level to push horse welfare up the political agenda in Romania. During 2008 we saw the introduction of law 205/2004 regarding the protection of animals. In 2009, we helped key decision makers put in place a long-term equine health and welfare strategy; the aim of which was to focus horseowners, equine professionals and the Government on improving infrastructure and working conditions for horses.
The legacy of Project Romania
From 2011, we will have a reduced presence in Romania. We'll support the Romanian Equine Veterinary Association AVER (Asociatia Veterinara Ecvina din Romania*), which we helped set up; giving advice and expertise on welfare issues and monitoring the long-distance transportation of horses to slaughter. We'll also continue to provide financial support by sponsoring one veterinary seminar per year for the next three years.
Through a strong partnership between ourselves, AVER and horse lovers across Romania, the work started by back in 2004 will continue, helping to safeguard the future of the country's horses.
You can follow Project Romania at www.worldhorsewelfare.ro (please be aware that this website appears in Romanian, with an English version available by clicking on the "English version" navigation tab along the top).
* Please note: AVER's website is currently only available in Romanian but parts can be translated in your browser by using Google Translate.
