Equine

CODE UNDER REVISION

The Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Equines was released in 2013. The equine Code’s 5-year review was completed in 2018, and the outcome of the review can be found here. An update to the equine Code was initiated in 2023.

Code update timeline:

Start: January 2024
Public comment period: January - February 2026
Projected completion: January 2027

Timeline for all Codes of Practice being amended or updated.

Code update resources:

Current Code of Practice and related resources are below.

Committees

Code Committee members

The Code Committee is populated in accordance with Step 1 of NFACC’s Code development process.

Role	Committee Member	Organization
Veterinarian	Bettina Bobsien (Chair)	Canadian Veterinary Medical Association
Producer representative	Glenn Flewelling	Feedlot sector representative
	Charlotte Nagy	Canadian Sport Horse Association
	Calandra van Massenhoven	Donkey representative
	Geoff Maltby	Racing representative
	Renée Lévesque	Cheval Québec
Animal welfare advocacy association	Susi Cienciala	Humane Canada
Provincial animal protection enforcement authority	Lisa Joachim	Manitoba Agriculture
Provincial government representative with responsibilities in animal welfare	Alison Moore	Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
Federal government	Angela Rouillard	Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
	Corrie Rot	Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Technical expert	Jennifer Woods	Horse Welfare Alliance of Canada
	Erica Cheung	Nominated by Equestrian Canada
	Allister Gray	Nominated by Equestrian Canada
Researcher/academic	Kathleen MacMillan (Chair of the Scientific Committee)	University of Prince Edward Island

Scientific Committee members

The Scientific Committee is populated in accordance with Step 2 of NFACC’s Code development process.

Name	Named by
W. Michael Scott, DVM, MVSc, DACVS & DACVSMR	Canadian Veterinary Medical Association
Kathleen MacMillan, MSc, DVM, DABVP (Eq)	Canadian Veterinary Medical Association
Katrina Merkies, PhD	International Society for Applied Ethology & International Society for Equitation Science
Carissa Wickens, PhD	International Society for Applied Ethology & International Society for Equitation Science
Robert J. (Bob) Coleman, PhD, PAS	American Society of Animal Science

There are various ways to view the Code:

HTML version (or select from the Table of Contents below)
PDF version (1.9 MB)
EPUB (please note that you will need an application on your device [phone or tablet] to download and open the book)

There are a limited number of hard copies of this Code. NFACC encourages use of the electronic version and does not store hard copies. If hard copies are required, please contact Equestrian Canada.

Please note that content in the transportation section of this Code, along with additional transportation-related content (e.g., glossary terms) that had referenced or reflected the outdated version of Part XII (Transport of Animals) in the Health of Animal Regulations (HAR), or the now archived Compromised Animals Policy, has been updated to align with the amended regulations, which took effect on February 20, 2020. Hard copies of the Codes that were printed prior to this alignment will not include these updates. For clarity, Codes that have been updated will include a statement on the front cover that reads “Alignment with Part XII (Transport of Animals) of the Health of Animals Regulations: 2021”.

This update process was strictly aimed at revising existing text that no longer aligned with the amended HAR. Every effort was made to respect the original priorities and decisions of the Code Development Committee (e.g., text from the HAR was not added if it was not covered in the original Code). In case of a discrepancy between the hard copy and online version of a Code, the online version shall take precedence.

Other resources:

Equine Code of Practice Online Training Program
Scientific Committee report - Review of scientific research on priority issues - July 2012
Equine Code Backgrounder - Do You Know the Code?
NFACC Code development process
Animal Welfare Research Needs
Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA)

Use of Thermocautery for the Treatment of Lameness in Horses – Position Statement
Elective and Non-Therapeutic Veterinary Procedures for Cosmetic or Competitive Purposes (Formerly Cosmetic Alteration) – Position Statement
Surgical Castration of Horses, Donkeys and Mules – Position Statement

Horse Welfare Alliance of Canada (HWAC)

Preface
Introduction
Glossary
Section 1 Duty of Care
Section 2 Facilities and Housing
Section 3 Feed and Water
Section 4 Health Management
Section 5 Feedlot Management
Section 6 Husbandry Practices
Section 7 Reproductive Management
Section 8 Transportation
Section 9 Change or End of Career
Section 10 Euthanasia
References
Appendices:
	Appendix A - Template Budget for Horse Ownership
	Appendix B - Sample Water Intakes
	Appendix C - Vital Signs in Horses and Donkeys
	Appendix D - Body Condition Scoring - Horses and Ponies
	Appendix E - Body Condition Scoring - Donkeys and Mules
	Appendix F - Key Points for Owners of Donkeys or Mules
	Appendix G - Understanding Flight Zone, Point of Balance and Field of Vision
	Appendix H - Transport Decision Tree
	Appendix I - Anatomical Landmarks for Euthanasia
	Appendix J - Technical Guidelines for Euthanasia Methods
	Appendix K - Resources for Further Information
	Appendix L - Participants
	Appendix M - Summary of Code Requirements

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Codes Of Practice

Developed through NFACC

Under Revision

Archived Recommended Codes of Practice

Code Development Process

Equine

CODE UNDER REVISION

Committees

Table of Contents