Project eUnetHorse
The EUnetHorse project, the first European project dedicated to the equine sector, is working on its third phase: Evaluation of Solutions, in order to select the most appropriate ones to overcome the needs of the equine sector identified during the previous working phases.
On this occasion, all EUnetHorse partners met in Warsaw (Poland) from the 15-18 of October, 2024, to discuss the assessments of the solutions previously evaluated at national level.
Evaluating the solutions to select the best ones to overcome the needs of European equine farmers
Since July 2024, the third phase of the European project EUnetHorse is been carried out in the 9 partner countries: Belgium, France, Finland, Germany, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain and Switzerland. This third phase consists of assessing solutions and good practices to overcome the needs of equine farmers towards more resilient farms.
From the over 400 solutions with the highest technological maturity (the ones ready to be implemented in farms), 56 solutions have been assessed at national level, during national workshops, using a multi-criteria grid developed within the project. With this grid, the cost-benefit analysis, performance and resilience of each solution were evaluated.
Sharing national results at European level
The week of October 15-18, the 15 European partners (universities, research centers, agricultural chambers, breeders associations, technical institutes, etc.), equine farmers and experts from the 9 countries involved in the project met together for the third European workshop.
They discussed some of the national assessments of solutions done during national workshops. In order to make the work feasible, from the 56 solutions and good practices assessed at national level for the Biodiversity and Working conditions priority needs, only 14 solutions were discussed during the European workshop, while the rest will be reviewed during future online meetings.
Later, as the third phase advances, the solutions with the highest scores and best acceptance from end users will be demonstrated at on-farm demonstration and training days to be organized in each partner country from March 2025.
All these solutions and good practices will enable equine farms to become more resilient and efficient across the three thematic areas of the project: socio-economics, equine well-being and health, and environmental sustainability, including also several transversal aspects.
The EUnetHorse project is the first European agricultural research project dedicated to the equine sector, bringing together 9 countries and 15 partners. It focuses on the knowledge transfer through the identification, evaluation, and dissemination of solutions to improve the performance and resilience of equine farms in Europe to face the challenges of tomorrow.
To do this, it focuses on 3 thematic areas: the socio-economic performance of farms, the health and well-being of equines and the environmental sustainability of farms.
Introducing the Polish equine industry to European partners, experts and farmers
On Thursday, October 17, two field visits were organized and partners, experts and equine farmers from the different partner countries were be able to discover two Polish farms:
(A) Polish Society for the Protection of Birds in Kalitnik, Michalowo
A farm where Polish Konik horses are bred. Simultaneously, horses help to protect the bird population and ground nesting by improving meadow conditions for it. Fences to avoid small predators (foxes and badgers), water management with ditches/ channels and waterbodies, and photovoltaic energy production to power electric fences and buildings are solutions and good practices that have been observed in the farm.
(B) Family farm of Bronislaw Kazberuk in Podozierany, Grodek
It is a traditional Polish breeding farm for meat production, where Polish cold blooded horses and Limousine cows grass together in the same pastures. This farm is based on the diversification strategy and it is self-sufficient.
The main activity is dedicated to cereal (mainly buckwheat) production for human consumption (around 80%), they also have cold-blooded horses for meat, Limousine beef breed, some agroforestry and machinery services that complement the farm income.
There is a well in the pasture for animals to drink and they use overseeding to optimise pasture productivity.
Throughout the duration of the project, these visits encourage exchanges between farmers and experts and help to discover practices and solutions already implemented on equine farms that could be extended across Europe.
