What is Welfare? A Qualitative Study into Perceptions of Equine Welfare of Horse Owners

Equine welfare is a growing concern, influencing the equestrian industry's social licence to operate. While existing literature broadly addresses welfare issues, there is limited understanding of horse owners' specific perspectives on welfare in the context of ownership and riding.
This study aims to identify what aspects horse owners consider essential to safeguard equine welfare. An online survey comprising 8 open questions (adapted from Wolframm et al. Int. J. Equine Sci, 3:1, 2024) was disseminated via social media. Survey data were analysed qualitatively using reflexive thematic analysis.
The survey received 428 complete responses. Thematic analysis led to the identification of four higher-order themes: Equine Husbandry, Human-Horse Interaction, Equitation, Personal Development and Ethics. Aspects relating to Equine Husbandry were mentioned most. Horse owners considered aspects relating to housing and management more important to overall equine welfare. Within this theme, lower-order themes such as the ability to have year-round turn out were most prominent. On the theme of Human-Horse Interaction, respondents highlighted the importance of understanding horse behaviour and the ability to identify signs of stress and pain to ensure their welfare, as well as ethical considerations for treating horses as sentient beings deserving respect and with the avoidance of anthropomorphism. On the theme of Equitation, ethical training principles were highlighted, including a sound knowledge of tack and equipment. Most participants commented negatively on the use of whips and spurs. Respondents emphasized the importance of qualified coaches who focus evidence-based principles of training and welfare. But they highlighted that some coaches had entrenched, indoctrinated theories that compromised welfare, which had an impact on their personal development and ethics. Owners also expressed the need for a multidisciplinary approach to equine management particularly seeking advice and guidance from veterinarians, professional farriers and saddle fitters.
Despite widespread awareness of welfare considerations, findings suggest the persistence of a knowledge-practice gap. Focusing on vocational education and evidence-based training at the yard level are recommended to enhance the application of welfare principles in equestrian practices.