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Horse Racing Personalities Join Support for Charity Ride


Jockeys, trainers and media personalities alike have come out in support of a long distance charity ride this summer to raise awareness of the slaughter horse transportation traffic across Europe.*

Richard Pitman, Carl Llewellyn, Clare Balding, Jonjo O'Neil, Terry Biddlecombe, Henrietta Knight, John Francome, Richard Dunwoody, and Graham Thorner have all added their names to a growing list of personalities from the field of entertainment and the horse world supporting the ILPH (International League for the Protection of Horses) Transportation Awareness Ride from Scotland to Westminster this summer.

"We are fortunate in the UK that regulations governing the transportation of horses, and indeed all animals, for slaughter are enforced. This sadly is not the case on the continent and many equines suffer unnecessarily, travelling for days without stopping for rest, food or water.

"We fully support the work of the ILPH in trying to see the same standards on slaughter horse transportation that are in operation in this country, applied in mainland Europe, with the eventual aim of stopping the live traffic altogether," they commented.

In addition Richard Dunwoody, Clare Balding and Graham Thorner are all hoping to join the ride on horseback at some point over its 6 week duration.

Adds John McCririck, of Channel 4 Racing, "We should all back the ILPH's initiative to stop the live traffic of horses for slaughter in Europe - no horse ought to suffer appalling transportation conditions particularly on its final journey."

Full details on the Ride can be obtained by calling 0870 366 6910. Those wishing to offer their support in any way can call 0870 908 1927 where they will be able to leave a message. Additional information can be found on the ILPH website at www.ilph.org


Slaughter Horse Transportation Awareness Ride 2002

A host of celebrities from the worlds of entertainment and horse sports have pledged their support to a long distance charity ride this summer.

The ILPH (International League for the Protection of Horses) Transportation Awareness Ride will start from the Border Union Show at Kelso, on Saturday 27th July and will finish in Westminster, London in early September.

The objective of the Ride is to raise awareness of the hundreds of thousands of horses, ponies and donkeys that travel for days in lorries across Europe, in appalling conditions, often without rest, food, or water (from as far afield as Bellarus, Lithuania, and Romania) for slaughter within the European Union.

Comments HRH The Princess Royal, ILPH President, "Most of the very valuable work that the ILPH does towards the welfare of horses transported across Europe for slaughter is not visible - it is 'behind the scenes' working with the European Commission and Governments as well in source countries at a grass roots level.
"I am extremely pleased that, through its Transportation Awareness Ride this summer and in its 75th Anniversary year, the ILPH will be raising public awareness not only to the plight of these poor horses, but to the admirable work the ILPH is doing to help alleviate the suffering in the short term with the long term aim of stopping the traffic altogether."

Jeremy James, ILPH Transportation Consultant, will be giving public talks in towns/villages along the Ride route about work that the ILPH is doing to improve slaughter horse welfare and about his fact finding journeys through Europe. He is no stranger to long distance rides - he rode from Turkey to Wales in 1987, and in 1990 during the collapse of communism he rode from Bulgaria, through Romania, Hungary, Czechoslovakia (as it was then), Poland, East Germany to arrive in Berlin on Unification Day.

Says Pam St. Clement, well known TV personality and animal lover, "The traffic in horses and donkeys across mainland Europe for slaughter is horrific - it is inconceivable that in the 21st century this is allowed to happen. I fully support the work that the ILPH is doing and their efforts to improve the welfare of these suffering equines. I hope that they achieve their eventual goal of stopping such unnecessary cruelty altogether."

Equine clubs and societies, horselovers and all those concerned about the traffic in live horses for slaughter are invited to join the Ride when it's in their area. The route will be off road as much as possible.

Those wishing to offer their support in any way can call a dedicated phoneline 0870 908 1927 where they will be able to leave a message. Full details about the Ride can be obtained by calling 0870 366 6910. Both of these lines will be operational from 10 May. Additional information can be found on the ILPH website at www.ilph.org, in the Horse and Hound, or in local news media.

Approximately 120,000-140,000 equines are legally imported into the EU annually, mostly into Italy, to satisfy the human demand for fresh horse flesh. For many of them arrival in Italy does not mean their long journey is over. They travel down to the southern tip, some even crossing on the ferry for their eventual slaughter in Sicily.
ILPH is working closely with the European Commission to:
" in the short term, improve the conditions for the slaughter horses by lobbying for welfare improvements to legislation and seeing that legislation already in place is enforced,
" and in the long term to bring an end to the live trade altogether.

www.ilph.org


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