Mission
Statement
Our mission: to protect horses from abuse and alleviate their
suffering by rehabilitating, campaigning and educating worldwide.
Information
about the ILPH
Who Are We?
The International League for the Protection of Horses
was founded in 1927 by Miss Ada Cole, the main aim being to
prevent the ill-treatment of horses exported to Europe for
slaughter. It has grown to become the world’s leading
international equine welfare charity and is the official welfare
arm of the FEI. Milestones
What
do we do?
At
home - In the United Kingdom the ILPH runs five Recovery and
Rehabilitation Centres with around three hundred equines undergoing
rehabilitation at any one time. Fifteen full time ILPH field
officers, nearly all ex-mounted policemen, investigate cases
of cruelty and neglect, inspect markets and ports and also
check the horses on the ILPH's horse loan scheme. Nearly 1,700
rehabilitated horses and ponies are currently in approved
homes.
Worldwide
- Working in the developing world, the ILPH runs educational
and training courses in saddlery, farriery, veterinary care
and nutrition to combat the major causes of equine suffering
and help the owners to help themselves.
We
believe
In
rehabilitation the ILPH will attempt to return every horse
that comes into our care to health, happiness and a good quality
of life.
In
rehoming - any horse capable of an active life will be placed
with a new loaner allowing us to take care of those still
needing rehabilitation. The ILPH retains responsibility for
these horses throughout their life.
In
education - In all areas of its work the ILPH believes that
it is better to educate and inform than to criticise or provide
purely financial support.
In
sustainable solutions - the ILPH believes in using locally
available materials and imparting knowledge to allow permanent
rather than temporary solutions to Third World problems
The
International League for the Protection of Horses is funded
entirely by voluntary contributions, and relies on the generous
support of those concerned for equine welfare around the world.
If you like or admire horses then help us help horses everywhere.
Join us today.
Loan scheme
We are now taking telephone applications on 0870 8731927
for all horses except Ridden horses. This is due to us currently
having 1885 applications on the system. This list will reopen
on the 15th September.
Preparing the horse for loan
Once
the ILPH equines have been rehabilitated we try to find them
new homes either as ridden or companion equines. The ILPH
centres fully assess each equine to determine the kind of
work that they are suited to before a new home is found. The
loan equines come from various backgrounds - they may come
in as welfare cases or been gifted to the ILPH. Depending
on their background and conformation they could be rehomed
for various uses such as hacking, jumping, driving or showing.
They may be youngsters need ing to be brought on or purely
non ridden companions.
ILPH Centres
ILPH
horses are only rehomed from our centres, which are in Norfolk,
Surrey, Herefordshire, Lancashire and Aberdeenshire. Therefore
applicants must be prepared to travel to one or more of these
centres to have the riding assessment and to collect the equine.
It is responsibility of the borrower to meet the costs of
the equine's transportation.
Matching up horse and borrower
When
the horse is fully rehabilitated all Loan Scheme applicants
are considered in order to match the horse with the most suitable
home. We have many applicants and because of this there can
sometimes be a wait before a suitable horse is found. If a
horse seems that it would suit a particular applicant, we
will call and ask them to come for a riding assessment. This
may involve several trips back to the farm to get to know
the horse. If this is successful we then send one of our Field
Officers to do a home check to make sure that the home will
suit the horse. Please note that ILPH equines are not loaned
out for commercial use. They may be stabled in livery at riding
schools provided they are not used in the school.
Once
a horse comes into our care we will own that equine for the
rest of it's life in order to permanently guarantee their
well being. Naturally personal circumstances change and riders
outgrow ponies or move on. Should the circumstances of a loan
home change we will always be happy for the equine to be returned
to one of our centres. Although we do ask for at least one
months notice of any return.
Taking the horse home
The
relationship between the Field Officer and the borrower is
ongoing, as they will be the first port of call if any problem
should arise and are responsible for carrying out regular
checks to make sure everything is running smoothly - these
checks can be unannounced. The borrower will be given a loan
pack which is a record of all the worming, shoeing and veterinary
care. It is a condition of loan that all of these procedures
are kept up to date and are paid for by the borrower, including
any extra veterinary costs that arise. Once the horse is taken
on loan the borrower takes on all the costs of the horse,
including a minimum of third party insurance. The ILPH does
request a donation for loan of a horse or pony. The horses
are not loaned out with any tack or rugs.
How to apply.
To
apply to be considered for a loan horse you should call headquarters
on 0870 8731927. The application process involves answering
some simple questions about where you would be keeping the
horse and your experience of riding and caring for horses.
Once all the information is recorded, we hold it on file and
contact you should a suitable horse become available. Applicants
are free to call at any time to discuss how an application
is progressing.
Please browse our 'ILPH Horses' menu where there is information
on the rescue, rehoming, and latest updates on horses we have
rehomed.
Visit
us at www.ilph.org
THE INTERNATIONAL
LEAGUE FOR THE PROTECTION OF HORSES
