Equestrianism's social license to operate: assumptions, reality and the future

Abstract

Horse sports and equestrian activities are high risk to the horses and people undertaking them. Societal views on using animals for human entertainment are changing and there is increased debate on how animal welfare is safeguarded. Traditional management systems that reduce opportunities for expression of normal behaviour and high levels of disease and injury in horses interacting with humans have increased public scrutiny on the use of horses by humans, resulting in equestrianism's social license to operate being questioned. A social license to operate is a virtual license from society to engage in an activity – without this, the future of equestrianism is under threat. This review explores what constitutes a social license to operate and considers how stakeholders in the equestrian sector could work together to generate an effective social license to operate to ensure horses have a good life in all aspects of their relationship with humans.

A Delphi Study to Determine International and National Equestrian Expert Opinions on Domains and Sub-Domains Essential to Managing Sporthorse Health and Welfare in the Olympic Disciplines

“…A good starting point to promote sporthorse health and welfare and establish an effective SLO for horse sports would be to develop an evidence-based infrastructure to inform the management, training, and riding practices utilized [2,11]. The core domains identified in this study could provide a viable starting point to develop this.…”

“…The FEI's EEWC outline their vision for the future across their 24 recommendations: A 'Good life for horses' advocating an ethical and evidence-based approach that establishes a trusted and proactive culture of accountability, responsibility, and transparency across equestrian sport [70]. Increased research and education are key enablers identified to support this vision to inform practice and regulation across the sector, underpin decision-making to promote a good life for horses, enable accurate welfare assessment, and support policy makers and regulatory bodies to act as an advocate for the horse across competitive horse sports [2,3,55]. A good starting point, suggested by Douglas et al [3], is for individuals to embrace their collective responsibility by asking "Should I?"…”

“…Horse sports are popular worldwide and provide spectator enjoyment, benefits to human mental and physical health, and contribute substantially to national economies [1,2]. However, the high-risk nature of equestrian activities and the potential of injury or fatality in human and equine participants, alongside increasing public scrutiny of the potential impact of equine management and training practices on equine welfare, resulted in equestrianism's social license to operate (SLO) being questioned [1,3,4].…”

“…However, despite increased debate around equestrianism's SLO, there is still a lack of empirical evidence available to show how sporthorse health and welfare are managed on a daily basis. There is also a lack of insight into equestrians' knowledge and perceptions of equine health and welfare, and the differences and inter-relationship between these [1,2].…”

“…The management of horses ultimately depends on the people who care for them. Recent attention to SLO highlighted areas of deficit resulting in compromised or suboptimal welfare (such as prolonged stabling with limited opportunities for social interaction between horses) [2]. It is well known that horse management is embedded in tradition and that there is substantial resistance to change across the sector [8,15].…”