Recently, the General Assembly of the WBFSH took place in Florida, where President Jan Pedersen highlighted that horse welfare and ICSI were among the main topics.
There is growing interest in how organizations address horse welfare from the society around us. As Jan Pedersen, the chairman of Dansk Varmblod and president of the WBFSH, stated during the annual meeting in Florida when presenting his report, the "License to operate" can no longer be taken for granted. It is essential that society continues to accept our sport. Jan Pedersen emphasized, "If public opinion turns against us, we will be in serious trouble." Therefore, the WBFSH has entered into a partnership with Hartpury University with the aim of formulating a statement on horse welfare and best breeding practices.
Debate Over the Use of ICSI
The use of ICSI came up for discussion, and there was consensus that it is undoubtedly transforming horse breeding, both positively and negatively. (ICSI stands for intracytoplasmic sperm injection, which refers to the actual fertilization process where a single sperm cell is injected into the egg.)
"80% of the foals offered at this year's auction at Zangersheide in connection with the UVM were the result of the use of ICSI. This makes it challenging for the regular breeder to compete with this 'industry' where selected top mares in breeding and sport are used. Various rumors are circulating, but we have no information about ICSI offspring. Therefore, we will map the use of ICSI and advocate for the registration of ICSI foals in horse databases so that they can be traceable in the future," explained Jan Pedersen.
Source: Dansk Varmblod / Ridehesten