Naturalness and the Legitimacy of Thoroughbred Racing: A Photo-Elicitation Study with Industry and Animal Advocacy Informants

Abstract

The idea of what is natural has particular relevance in the thoroughbred racing and breeding discourse. It guides breeding regulations; influences how the thoroughbreds’ behaviour is perceived and has implications for husbandry, handling, training and racing practices. This study investigates how key industry and animal advocacy informants based in the US, Australia and the UK conceptualise naturalness within the context of common racing practices that potentially impact the horses’ welfare. The informants were interviewed using semi-structured interviewing and photo-elicitation. Four common images of thoroughbreds on race day were presented to elicit the informants’ responses. Differences emerged between how the two groups tended to describe the images and the role naturalness played in their conceptualisations. The findings were analysed using an updated version of the Layers of Engagement with Animal Protection developed by Bergmann to situate the informants’ conceptualisations of naturalness within the wider thoroughbred protection discourse. In conclusion, the industry informants tended to defend the status quo of common racing practices. They tended to naturalise and normalise these practices and downplay their welfare impact. This poses risks for thoroughbred welfare, which are amplified by misrepresentations of what is natural. With the public’s understanding of welfare and racing practices growing, racing’s legitimacy may be further questioned. Opportunities to leverage the potential of the notion of naturalness for thoroughbred protection are discussed.

Integrative genomics analysis highlights functionally relevant genes for equine behaviour

“…Husbandry practices for competitive horses often result in exposure to an unnatural environment with restricted movement and social isolation, contrary to natural behaviour (McBride & Mills, 2012). ‘Naturalness’ is a key concept used to describe animal welfare (Bergmann, 2020). In a study on stakeholders’ perceptions of racehorse welfare, participants highlighted the importance of maintaining the mental well‐being of performance animals (Butler et al., 2019), and trainers observe behaviour/training progression daily and modify environment/training regimen accordingly.…”

Swedish Trotting Horse Trainers’ Perceptions of Animal Welfare Inspections from Public and Private Actors

“…However, the demographics of the respondents reflected the population of Swedish trotting horse trainers quite well with regard to age and type of license. The overall population of trotting horse trainers in spring 2021 was, on average, 52.3 years of age, and the majority (89%) had a B license [ 11 ]. The gender proportion was not reflected to the same extent, with more women (54% of the total) answering the questionnaire, while the overall population of trainers in 2021 consisted of more men (58% men, 42% women).…”

“…There is no common EU legislation on the keeping, management, and use of horses, except during transport [ 10 ] and slaughter, although the horse racing industry is regularly the subject of public debate. With increasing public understanding and interest in animal welfare, conditions in the racing industry are being questioned [ 11 , 12 , 13 ], and industry initiatives to assure and improve racehorse welfare have been initiated, e.g., for thoroughbred horses in New Zealand [ 14 ].…”

Social Licence to Operate: What Can Equestrian Sports Learn from Other Industries?

“…These individuals may have a broader and more holistic understanding of welfare than those who work with horses and see more clearly what is necessary to protect the sport’s future—what insiders see as a problem of perception, outsiders may see as a problem of reality [ 111 ]. For example, there is evidence that some individuals within equestrianism have ‘normalised’ practices that, to many, are unacceptable [ 119 ], and that over-exposure to animals whose behaviour reflects compromised welfare has blinded people to the reality of these animals’ lives [ 120 , 121 ]. In addition, some sports practice ‘venue exceptionalism’ (e.g., use of a whip is acceptable at racetracks in a way that it would not be elsewhere) [ 4 ] and attitudes such as this are worthy of re-examination.…”