Our lobby has been successful; there is finally a TOTAL ban on exhibiting horses with docked tails. This was just announced by the Dutch Minister of Agriculture, Mrs. Schouten.
Sinds it became illegal to show horses with docked tails in 2001, many traditional draft horse breeders used a loophole in the law and had the tails amputated by corrupt veterinarians. These issued a fake statement that the tail had to be removed for medical reasons so the horses could still enter competitions.
A total ban will ensure that not a single horse with a docked tail can participate in inspections, competitions, exhibitions and horse markets. The Dutch authorities NVWA have already announced that it will maintain strict compliance.
Breeders and owners who wanted to continue this barbarous docking tradition have finally been given a clear signal that it must stop. At last, the next generations of draft horses will get to keep their tails so that they can communicate normally and can keep away flies.
