The equine welfare war

Baltimore

-- Dr. Thomas R. Lenz will headline AAEP's meeting dubbed "The Equine Welfare Wars: When Emotion and Fact Collide."

The presentation will provide members of the veterinary profession a better understanding of society's varying ideas about the acceptable treatment of horses with a close look at the pressing issue of the unwanted horse, AAEP reports.

His 30-year-career has spanned from private equine practice to academia to corporate business. Lenz is past president of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP). He is chair of the AAEP's Animal Welfare Committee, the American Horse Council's Unwanted Horse Coalition and is a member of the AAEP President's Advisory Board and Public Policy Committee.According to AAEP, Lenz has been a prominent veterinary voice regarding equine welfare issues.

Currently, there an estimated 100,000 unwanted horses in the United States. According to a recent survey from the University of California-Davis, there are some 326 registered non-profit equine rescue facilities in the United States. The maximum capacity is about 13,400 for each facility, which is well below the numbers of unwanted horses.

The Unwanted Horse Coalition contends the current facilities need more funding and there needs to be more rescue/adoption/rehabilitation facilities created to manage the numbers.

Lenz is expected to touch on the problems and solutions to the unwanted horse crisis in the United States.