Welfare and Education issues
Global warming is just one of the major issues impacting the welfare of India's horses. Drier winters, increasingly higher temperatures during extended summers, depleted water tables and rainfall have created systemic droughts throughout Rajasthan in particular. Well water contains a high level of arsenic. Breeders and farmers with resources nonetheless, will bring in fodder from central India or Punjab, often as far as 500 miles away. The IHSI offers farriery and stable management, lectures and demonstrations, and graduates young riders so they may establish a career for themselves in the equestrian industries.
UK Chapter are working in concert with IHSI to bring welfare and education projects to the horse owners in India.
Bit Donation Scheme
One the key initiatives that FOMHUK has created is the Bit Donation Scheme. Click here to read an article that shows an example of what has been set up in the Farnham area. Click here for a list of collection points in the UK. In case you have any questions, we have added a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page, hopefully with the answers you are looking for. If not, please tell us.
Bits have been coming in from all parts of the UK to support our cause.
First delivery of bits to India
A party of FOMHUK members flew out from the UK on 2nd March 2010 with the intention of delivering in excess of 80 donated bits to established breeders, professional horse traders, professional riders and individual owners of Indigenous horses. The team travelled by horse safari from just outside Jodhpur to the largest horse fair held at Balotra in Rajasthan. The team were greatly assisted by the involvement and support of Rawal Devendra Singh Nawalgarh, a major breeder and IHSI representative for Rajasthan and Thakur Durga Singh Mandawa. The team found a very receptive audience amongst the locals and created quite a gathering each time bits were being donated. A number of the more severe local manufactured bits were exchanged for the kinder UK donated bits.
The photo above shows our Chairman donating the first bit toThakur Narenda Singh Jasol, a prominent Marwari breeder at his stud at Balotra. See the photo gallery showing our visit to the Fair and some of the happy receipients.
Import / Export information
India has imposed an export ban on all Indigenous Horses, and Europe also restricts import from India, therefore we are working hard with the IHSI and EU to release these restrictions in order to allow some of these beautiful horses into Europe. No horses of either breed are currently in UK, though one Marwari stallion, Dilraj, has been shipped to France from USA where he was imported before the India ban, he is currently the only Indian breed horse in Europe.
EU rep Erika Young recently attended the Ordinary General Meeting of the National Horse Breeding Society of India, invited by one of their Council Members. There she made a presentation on behalf of the IHSI regarding the import/export of equines and illustrated a possible joint way forward. Click here to view her presentation.