30/12/2025
In 2025, IHP continued its oversight of public grazing land management, both in contexts where uncontrolled practices are justified as “tradition” and in order to protect those environments that are genuinely feral.
In Molise, with regard to the Pentro horses, a recent ruling by the Regional Administrative Court confirmed the legitimacy of protective measures that IHP has advocated for years, such as the ban on grazing during winter months in the most exposed areas and the mandatory identification of horses. At the same time, IHP engaged in dialogue with the relevant ministries to safeguard feral horses that face a concrete risk of culling due to a misinterpretation of European regulations by Italian authorities. On both fronts, we now await the adoption of concrete measures, which we will continue to monitor closely and diligently.
One of the cornerstones of IHP’s work in 2025 was the fight against illegal supply chains that thrive in opacity: clandestine races, illegal slaughter and unregistered stables.
IHP linked individual cases to a systemic issue: the lack of effective traceability of horses, which facilitates exploitation by organised crime, including mafia-type organisations. Complaints, formal reports and institutional pressure helped bring these phenomena to the attention of both authorities and the wider public.
In 2025, IHP once again strongly denounced the paradox of a sector that continues to receive substantial public funding while failing to ensure adequate protection for horses, both during their sporting careers and after retirement.
Through well-documented public positions, the organisation called for transparency, accident prevention and accountability regarding the fate of horses, linking cases of horses killed on the track or later found in dramatic conditions to a model that externalises its costs onto the most vulnerable individuals.
IHP continued to address the issue of horse-drawn carriages, denouncing conditions incompatible with animal welfare in urban environments characterised by traffic, asphalt and high temperatures.
Reports, formal complaints and awareness-raising activities helped keep public attention focused on an issue that concerns not only horses, but also the tourism model we choose to promote.
Over the course of the year, IHP monitored and challenged events that expose horses and other equids to high risks in the name of folklore.
The objective was to affirm a clear principle: tradition is not a justification, and animal protection must prevail over outdated and dangerous practices. This is not about “erasing culture”, but about redefining the boundaries of what is acceptable, stating clearly that no tradition can be founded on animal suffering. IHP also intervened promptly in several local festivals that had organised lotteries offering horses and foals as prizes, successfully having these initiatives cancelled.
IHP also worked on prevention, calling for clear protocols against West Nile disease, limits on animal transport under extreme climatic conditions, and measures to curb the improper use of pharmaceuticals.
These are less visible actions, yet decisive in reducing avoidable suffering.
Alongside its institutional work, IHP’s rescue centre continued to provide care and rehabilitation for horses removed from abusive situations, promote responsible adoption pathways, and deliver training activities aimed at students and professionals.
It is here that donor support is translated every day into food, care, safety and a future for the animals.
The story of 2025 is one of commitment that goes beyond emergency response and works to change the conditions that generate exploitation. Protecting horses is not a matter of isolated actions, but of coherence, expertise and perseverance. Thanks to the support of its donors, from courtrooms to mountain pastures, from historic cities to rescue centres, IHP continued to hold every front with the same objective: to defend horses today, so they will not need to be rescued tomorrow.
WATCH THE VIDEO: ONE YEAR OF IHP – 2025