Our impact on horse sport

We champion the need for horse sport to be proactive in improving policies, practices and communications around welfare to turn social licence (continued public acceptance) into an opportunity.

We are independent welfare advisors to the International Equestrian Federation (FEI), the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), the International Horse Sports Confederation (IHSC – which covers racing and equestrianism globally) and informally to other international associations. We are also an associate member of British Equestrian. See our work with regulators.

Our work with horse sport includes:

• Working as partners with horse sport regulators and other organisations in reviewing their welfare rules and guidance.
• Helping horse sport establish expert committees to provide deeper consideration of matters regarding ethics and equine welfare.
• Presenting on the social licence concept and what can be done to strengthen it to a wide range of audiences in the horse sector in the UK and globally.
• Conducting and publishing research, including the creation of an ethical framework for the involvement of horses in sport with the Royal Veterinary College, which will help horse sport make ethics-based decisions regarding horse welfare, and on what equestrianism can learn from other industries to protect its social licence and approaches to the behaviour change required in sport.
• Hosting events, including a thought-provoking seminar for 150-leaders from equestrianism and racing about what they can learn from other animal related industries, and annual events since 2022 for around 100 members of the equestrian world and media, with an aim to highlight the challenges and opportunities faced regarding public perceptions of welfare in equestrian sport – and explore how they can be addressed.
• Helping horse sport to recognise and meet their responsibilities to horses bred for sport beyond the course or arena, and the need to provide them with a good life from birth to death. We do this by proactively encouraging and advising on responsible breeding, training, management, selling, rehoming and end of life options for sport horses.
• Identifying gaps in understanding of sport horse management, training, equine behaviour and equine welfare, and supporting and promoting the funding of research in this area.
• Undertaking communications and media appearances in support of responsible horse sport.

Care

• We work with Retraining of Racehorses (RoR) to help vulnerable former racehorses.

Research

• We are developing an ethical framework tool for horse sport with the Royal Veterinary College.
• We support studies on making horse sport safer, such as research into cooling, arena surfaces and pain and behaviour in ridden horses.
• We regularly conduct research on social licence in horse sport, including our annual UK opinion polls of public attitudes, a review of what horse sport can learn from other industries and how behaviour change could work within the sport industry.
• We commissioned engagement science research on public attitudes to horse sport with support and participation of the British horse sport sector.
• We provide annual reports on safety and welfare at the Cheltenham Festival and Aintree Grand National meets, and regularly collect and analyse data.

Education

• Provide practical welfare guidance and education for riders and competitors, including our Welfare Wednesday Webinars and Horses Explained video series.
• Development of a guide on appropriate use of the whip with the BHS and Pony Club.
• Provide informal welfare advice to sport federations and associations.
• Supported British Dressage and the European Equestrian Federation in online materials.
• Delivered welfare education to jockeys through the British Racing School.

Influence

• Independent welfare advisors to horse sport regulators including the FEI, BHA, IHSC.
• Delivered almost 100 presentations to sport leaders in the UK and worldwide on improving welfare to strengthen social licence.
• Host regular events for sport leaders to facilitate better understanding of outside perspectives of horse welfare and where standards can be evolved.
• Member of British racing’s 2022 Whip Consultation Steering Group.
• Helped the FEI establish its Equine Ethics and Wellbeing Commission in which we were also a member, producing a final report with 30 recommendations.
• Co-drafted FEI Code of Conduct for the Welfare of the Horse
• Promote involvement of horses in sport to government and policymakers.
• Pioneer in promoting need for horse sport to maintain its social licence.