What do owners know about horse welfare – and what would help them do better
Owners care deeply about their horses’ welfare – but more can be done to “empower” them with the best ways to put evidence-based guidance into real everyday routines.
New research from Hartpury, Swedish and Dutch universities and equestrian marketing company EQuerry looked into aspects of care and practice that owners consider essential for safeguarding equine welfare.
The study, titled “What is Welfare? A Qualitative Study into Perceptions of Equine Welfare of Horse Owners ” was published in the International Journal of Equine Science in June.
Co-author Victoria Lewis told H&H the idea behind the research was sparked by a study fellow author Inga Wolframm had done in the Netherlands. Dr Wolframm shared the initial survey she had used, which featured questions based around various scenarios, and the researchers adapted these for this project.
The study posed eight open-ended questions – the kind that might come up in the real world. For example, “A friend wants to stable her horse at a livery/boarding facility with welfare as a top priority. What advice would you give her?” Others included what someone – who has just started riding – should know or be able to do, what owners wish they had known when they started their journey with horses, their thoughts on traditional training methods and what the focus should be on to improve horse welfare in all areas of their lives.
“I think it allowed for maybe some more in-depth answers than potentially we would have got from just a standard survey,” said Dr Lewis.
The team had 341 responses and Dr Lewis said some interesting themes cropped up during the analysis. Welfare was a high priority, and people are particularly keen on ensuring that horses have regular turnout and access to other horses, but this can be a struggle, particularly at livery yards.
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She said another point that “jumped out” is that people want to find coaches with good knowledge, but also with high ethics and welfare standards.
More education also came up as a key area, and that it needs to be focused on evidence-based scientific research into what welfare is and looks like.
Dr Lewis added that an overall “strong theme” from the research is that owners considered horse welfare as a “key priority”.
“I was impressed with the fact there was quite good knowledge of what they thought equine welfare should be, linked quite closely to some of the evidence base and research that's been done,” she said.
“I think the more we can learn how to do things better, and share that knowledge, the better it's going to be for the individual horses.”
Other interesting points included how welfare is not just about technical knowledge or management practices, it “is deeply affected by the cognitive and moral frameworks through which humans understand their role in the horse-human relationship”.
The study looked at how owners’ beliefs about sentience, emotional capacity and behavioural interpretation “profoundly shape the lived experience of horses”. It also highlighted that owners who “actively sought out new scientific knowledge... may be more equipped or willing to question traditional practices and implement humane alternatives”.
“Owner behaviour is not static but evolves through exposure to coaching, education and self-reflection,” states the study. “Programs aimed at welfare enhancement should therefore include not just practical skills, but also opportunities for critical engagement with ethical and scientific principles.
“By embedding personal development into equestrian education, the industry can better support the transition from outdated views of horsemanship towards practices rooted in empathy, evidence and ethical integrity.”
It concludes that the findings “affirm a widespread and genuine concern for horse welfare”, adding, “The next step lies in empowering individuals through evidence-based guidance and accessible education to embed welfare-focused practices into everyday routines.
“Strengthening this connection between intention and action is essential for ensuring a more ethical, informed and sustainable future for horses and the people who care for them.”
● Read the full study: https://rasayely-journals.com/index.php/ijes/article/view/219/154
● What do you think? Let us know your thoughts at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and county, for the chance to have your thoughts published in a future issue of Horse & Hound magazine
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Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.