Thank you very much, Roy. I just want to say what an amazing session this has already been, and it's a real pleasure to be involved in it. So, as Roley said, good evening, morning or afternoon, whatever time of day it may be.

And as he said, obviously, my name's Alanna and I work at World horse welfare. And I just want to highlight that although I'm not a, I have worked on the front line of animal welfare for over 14 years, particularly with owners. So I do have quite an insight into this, into this topic.

So as we can see today, I'm going to be talking about responsible ownership to the end, well, with a particular focus on end of life. So very briefly, what we're going to be touching upon today is going to be looking at responsible ownership and the horse human partnership. We'll then look at welfare and quality of life.

I'll then talk about the difficult and ethical decisions around euthanasia, followed by the implications of delayed euthanasia. I'm then going to move on to talk about the end of life options that may exist and how these might differ depending on the horse and its location. And then we're going to be touching upon euthanasia in the sporting world.

Followed by our rules within, within this topic. So, equity are involved in the lives of millions of people, as we've already been hearing about from James and others. So across the world, that might range from the very rich to the very poor.

They are relied upon by some of the poorest communities to generate an income, deliver traction and provide transportation. But equally they can sell for vast sums of money in the sporting world. The germplasm harvested and traded, as well as parts of some countries.

The economy is supported by betting. But regardless of their use, a horse is a horse and a donkey is a donkey, and the basic needs of a top show jumper in Germany are exactly the same as the needs of a working horse in Nicaragua. But how we meet the needs of the individual will differ, and, but that doesn't mean that the animal is any less important to the person who relies upon it.

We have as humans have domesticated equity, and as such, we must take responsibility for their health and welfare throughout their lifetime, from birth to death. We must provide a good life, but we also must provide a good death. The horse human partnership has endured across the world in many variations for millennia.

Responsible ownership is the cornerstone of this horse human partnership. This is true for all horses, ponies, donkeys, and mules from those used in leisure to those high level competition animals or from those used in tourism and even to the ones destined for slaughter. For this relationship to prosper, humans must be willing to constantly acquire new and build up their current knowledge of horses.

We must be ready to adapt and be ready to change our practises based on new evidence. We need to learn from experience and our previous mistakes, and crucially, we must continue to have the utmost respect for this animal. Across all of our work, we must seek to promote responsible ownership.

Owners, keepers and carers, they make decisions daily on how they can care for and meet the needs of their animal, with most focused on preventing preventing suffering and ensuring good welfare. But these decisions or actions may not always result in the in the intended good welfare. So what happens when good welfare can no longer be maintained?

Quality of life is based on a good life, as we've already heard today, and that's an overall balance that is positive. But being able to assess this quality of life is difficult, and it's especially difficult when it's your own animal. We all have our biases and we all have our own blinkers.

Even, even if an owner does understand that their horse's quality of life is reduced, making a decision based on that knowledge is hugely emotional. The veterinary profession plays a key role here in supporting owners through this type of assessment and really importantly, helping guide them through any possible interventions or decisions. Of course, of course, there are always going to be many factors at play when assessing quality of life.

And for many issues, there will be solutions that can improve the situation. But for some situations, there may not be many alternatives. This is a situation that I'm sure most owners would prefer not to think about, but one which can be made less painful if the appropriate plans have already been put in place and knowing where to go for support.

To prevent further suffering, euthanasia may be the kindest option. This often highly emotional decision must not be clouded by the belief that quantity of life is more important than quality of life. Crucially, owners must be supported to consider their horse's quality of life at all ages and be prepared to make decisions to protect their long-term health and welfare.

These decisions are often complex and difficult, but They may also be emergency decisions, and many horses do experience severe pain and suffering just prior to euthanasia. So a study carried out under the umbrella of advancing equine scientific excellence with support from wild horse well from the donkey sanctuary, aimed to provide an in-depth awareness of attitudes to equine euthanasia and end of life decisions. Results revealed that it is actually very rare for a horse to die naturally or of its own accord with 7 out of 8 horses requiring either emergency or elective euthanasia.

I just want to point out here that we need to bear in mind that of those horses that did die of natural causes, we have to, we have to bear in mind that they potentially did need to be euthanized at an earlier date, but we're left, but we're left to die themselves. The loss of the results also showed that a loss of an equine can occur at any age, with the number of horses that died between 7 and 10 years of age was very similar to the number that died between 26 and 30 years of age. And it was also found that there was a discrepancy with owners being able to understand a quality of life assessment and how this was actually implemented.

One of the key things that was highlighted was the important role of the veterinary profession and supporting owners and carers and making the decision to euthanize their their animal at the most appropriate time. So putting this into a wider context, even those with a youngster, maybe a horse on loan or one which they are planning to be home in the future. These owners all must be aware of end of life options because illness or accidents, they can happen at any age and at any time.

Unfortunately, for the vast majority of owners, there will come a time when they'll have to make the difficult decision to euthanize their horse. And it's important that they are aware of all the options available, and which option is likely to be the most appropriate. We will all face ethical dilemmas during our lives.

And when considering euthanasia, ethics is always going to play a key role. Euthanasia should be considered an option for physically healthy animals if they have unresolvable, dangerous or difficult behaviour and their owner is unable to manage them anymore. It is unethical and it is irresponsible for any horse, pony, donkey or mule to either be mis-sold or rehomed without the new owner or keeper being fully aware of that animal's history.

And it's important that the new owner keeper also has the skills and experience to manage, manage that animal and provide appropriate care. Often animals that are sold or rehomed irresponsibly end up being passed from person to person, with their welfare becoming increasingly compromised. In many cases, the most humane option for a horse that cannot be responsibly be homemed is euthanasia.

I'm really just to bring this point home. Irresponsible ownership can cover a range of situations, but in particular, it is irresponsible to mis sell a rehome and injured animal or not be truthful about that animal's history, or knowingly sell it to somebody who doesn't have the skills to manage that animal. We at World Horse Welfare, we see far too often the spiral of neglect that this that occurs because of situations like this.

Even animals that are passed on in good faith can still end up suffering because people's lives change and personal situations change. I'm sure that we will all agree that leaving a horse to suffer or die in a state of neglect is not humane and is not the actions of a responsible owner. But the decision to euthanize is often delayed due to perceived ethical or moral conflicts or a lack of knowledge and understanding about which options are available and what would be the most appropriate for their horse.

Delayed euthanasia is not always so is not always associated with irresponsible ownership. It's important that owners understand that the potential impact that this delay can have on the welfare of their animal. In the UK, delayed death, which is an effect, the keeping of an animal alive when it is inhumane to do so, is one of the most significant welfare challenges, and it's causing avoidable suffering to thousands of horses each year.

If we have a little bit of a look at availability of euthanasia now. I just want to highlight on this slide that the information is currently is probably a few years old. So it's possible that some of the positions from the individual countries may have slightly changed.

But we can see here that even a few years ago in Europe, we have a very different access to euthanasia for our animals. And if we think about this on a global scale, it's easy to see that there are going to be many differences across the world, not just legal differences, but cultural differences too. We know that legal access to euthanasia varies, and in Europe, there is a divide as to those that allow free access to euthanasia and those that do not.

Options available for euthanasia and the associated challenges differ depending on the country and the status of that animal. In some countries, elective euthanasia is only possible if a veterinarian confirms that there is no reasonable recovery for the animal and its quality of life is so severely affected. However, this may not be applicable to behavioural or performance related issues.

In other countries, owners have a much greater say over when to euthanize and what options are available. So for example, here in the UK, owners can request to have their their horse put to sleep for many reasons. This could be a change in personal circumstances, a lack of performance from the horse, or that they can maybe no longer afford its care.

So what are the end of life options? Unsurprisingly, these also differ depending on the country and the status of the animal. In general, veterinarians will be able to provide euthanasia by lethal injection and in some instances, a firearm.

Although we know that there are some countries where access to certain drugs may not be possible, and other methods may be may be used. The use of knacker men, collectors or hunt yards may also be an option in some countries where euthanasia is carried out by firearm. But regardless of the method used, euthanasia must always be undertaken humanely and meet OIE standards or higher.

Inappropriate methods such as illegal slaughter or the use of inappropriate drugs will always result in poor welfare and should never be considered. Cultural and religious beliefs relating to euthanasia in many parts of the world can be a challenge, but handled sensitively, acting in the best interests of the animal and the owner can often overcome this issue. In all cases, the horse pony, donkey or mules's quality of life must be considered the prime must be considered prime importance when deciding when the time is right and which method of euthanasia will be used.

All end of life decisions must be based on what is best for the equine, but also what's important for the owner too. We know that cost can be a major factor in delaying euthanasia. It's not only the cost of the actual act, but also the associated costs of carcass collection and removal and disposal.

Depending on the method, this cost can vary significantly. Slaughter for human consumption can also be an acceptable option, so long as the horse is eligible for the food chain, is fit to travel to the slaughterhouse and is transported and slaughtered in compliance with current regulations. However, this option is often disregarded due to the stigma associated with this end of life choice.

There's an ever increasing number of horses, sorry, also there's an ever increasing number of horses, not now, not eligible for the food chain. Across the equine industry, there's a mixed view on whether the horses with their previous use should enter the food chain. Many horses are bred for meat and they're reared and managed in a very similar way to other farm livestock for meat.

And this is not usually quite as difficult. The concern about horses with the previous use entering the food chain is actually twofold. One, are these horses safe to eat?

And secondly, is slaughter. The is the slaughterhouse a good enough end for an animal that has previously provided its service in a different capacity. We're all aware of the horse meat scandals that hit the headlines back in 2013, and there's still ongoing rumblings about around this today.

So how can we ensure that we do provide a human main end to the animal, but also ensure our own food chain is protected. This can be difficult. In regards to whether a slaughterhouse is a good enough end for a horse, this goes back to one of the first things that I'd actually talked about.

A horse is a horse, and if we accept that some horses can end their life in a slaughterhouse, then this option should be suitable for all horses. Welfare slaughter is a key concern. And if we look here in England, we've recently implemented legislation to make the use of CCTV mandatory in all areas where slaughterhouses of slaughterhouses where live animals are present.

That's not only ensures that welfare is prioritised throughout the process, but reassures owners that the slaughterhouses are regulated and that their animal will be treated with dignity and professionalism throughout. So could similar measures be adopted in other countries alongside a better competency framework for slaughterhouses and the workers involved in the slaughter of horses or equids? Conflict and dilemmas surrounding euthanasia are also evident in the world of equine sport.

When a high performance equine athlete can no longer compete at top level due to injury, behaviour or reduction in performance, the animals often sold rehomed or retired. This may be good options for many of them, but it certainly isn't the best option for all. A society's belief that it is unethical to profit from horses without fully providing for their health and welfare.

And so it is the social responsibility of all equine sporting bodies to ensure that any horse involved in sport is protected throughout its life. And this is from birth to death. So a horse in chronic pain should not be made to live out its life, and a humane death may be the most ethical, responsible option.

But similarly, if a horse doesn't have the temperament to adapt to life outside the rigours of sport, a humane death may also be a reasonable option for that animal to end its mental suffering. The level of support equine owners and carers need when assessing quality of life and then make a decision to euthanize their animal is significant and should not be underestimated. Owners are often seen as the sole providers of an equine's needs, however, all of us have a role to play.

Veterinarians are ideally placed to provide support and guidance to owners during end of life discussions. It's important that all available options are discussed and that the animals welfare is prioritised throughout. As I've mentioned, cultural and religious beliefs around euthanasia can be a challenge, but these can be overcome if handled sensitively.

In all cases, the eququis quality not quantity of life must be the prime consideration. The loss of a horse can have an enormous effect on somebody's entire life, even when this is unquestionably the right thing to do. It often leads to feelings of guilt and extreme sadness.

The role of the veterinarian in the grieving process is also evident, and it's important that vets are aware of any bereavement support that may be available to owners to provide this additional level of support. So just to summarise everything, responsible ownership means providing good husbandry and care to an animal throughout its lifetime. And this also extends to providing a good death.

Deciding to euthanize a horse is never an easy decision, but it is one that the vast majority of owners will face at some point in their horse's life. And this can occur at any age and in all types of horse. Similarly, all types of horses are at risk from suffering due to a delayed euthanasia, and sports horses are included in this.

Being prepared for the event and discussing all euthanasia options with a veterinarian can help ensure this decision is made at the right stage and at the right time for both horse and owner. So here's some links to some of the research and it really just to say thank you very much for listening everybody.