Coronavirus and Lockdown: Equines Must Continue to Be Examined Regularly!

While equine owners have been issued citations by the gendarmerie in recent days in Brittany, the French League for the Protection of Horses (LFPC) emphasizes that these trips are fully justified during this lockdown related to the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.

As the LFPC points out, even during this pandemic, it is essential to continue ensuring the well-being and health of our equines. Animal abuse through neglect is therefore still punishable by law.

Caring for horses and other ponies is not a problem as long as they are boarded with a professional. In this regard, the Equine Pathology Epidemiological Surveillance Network (Respe) maintains a list of all facilities in the equine industry that provide updates on the impact of this pandemic on equines. However, not all horses are boarded at such facilities, which manage the day-to-day care of the horses on behalf of their owners.

Some were able to find people within less than a kilometer of the pastures to provide for their animals. But what about the others? According to the LFPC, “if, for various reasons, no one else can step in, you are legally entitled to travel to provide care for your equine animal.”

To do so, it is essential to fill out the exceptional travel authorization form in advance. It is also advisable to carry the animal’s identification booklet and, if possible, proof that the animal is indeed at the destination pasture.

This travel, justified by the compelling need to care for a living being, constitutes a defense against liability for the offense. It should therefore not be subject to a fine by law enforcement, pursuant to Article 122-7 of the Penal Code, which provides that “a person is not criminally liable if, in the face of a present or imminent danger threatening themselves, another person, or property, they perform an act necessary to safeguard the person or property, unless there is a disproportion between the means employed and the severity of the threat.”

If an officer were nevertheless to issue a citation, the LFPC reminds you that you must under no circumstances pay the amount, but rather contest it within the applicable time limits. Any payment would constitute acceptance and would deprive you of any subsequent recourse against this unjustified citation (Article 529 of the Penal Code).

Under these circumstances, there is no justification for neglecting an equine during the lockdown related to the COVID-19 pandemic.