MORE than 90 leaders from equine sport, the veterinary profession, academia and the media contributed to a workshop last month where an ‘Ethical Framework for the Use of Horses in Sport’ was unveiled.

The framework, developed by the Royal Veterinary College along with World Horse Welfare who funded the project, is designed to deliver an agreed, transparent method of approaching ethical issues across all equestrian disciplines.

The media spotlight is increasingly shining on horse welfare in sport, with BBC Panorama in July highlighting the treatment of former racehorses and global coverage of the treatment of Saint Boy during Modern Pentathlon at the Tokyo Olympics.

Equestrian sport is similarly recognising that ethical concerns need to be addressed to maintain public acceptance – their social licence to operate - and this workshop was attended by representatives from across horse sport disciplines including dressage/para-dressage, racing, showjumping, eventing, endurance as well as horse sport regulators.

The workshop explored what were considered the predominant ethical challenges in each equestrian discipline; where and how the framework could be most usefully applied to address the issue and what incentives or barriers there may be to the adoption and use of the framework.

A number of current ethical challenges in equestrian sport were identified, such as fatalities and catastrophic injuries; care and management of equine athletes before, during and after their competition careers; rider/driver weight and competence and the use of equipment including whips, spurs, bitted bridles and nosebands.

All participants recognised that public concerns need to be addressed if social licence is to be maintained, but that there is a real need for a transfer of knowledge between the equestrian world and the non-equestrian public, who may not understand the full implications of some aspects of equestrianism (such as the purpose of carrying a whip and its role in safety of horse and rider).

Roly Owers said “We hope this framework will be a pivotal step forward to help equestrian sport make decisions affecting horse welfare that are underpinned by an ethical basis. The next challenge is adapting this framework to become an accessible and easily applied go-to tool consistently across equine sport. Having a consistent, logical approach to making ethical decisions will help to make better decisions, and make it easier to communicate them to the sport and the public.”

About World Horse Welfare:

Visit our website here: www.worldhorsewelfare.org

World Horse Welfare (Registered charity no: 206658 and SC038384), is an international horse charity that improves the lives of horses in the UK and worldwide through education, campaigning and hands-on care of horses. Since we were founded in 1927, our whole approach has been practical, based on scientific evidence and our extensive experience, and focused on delivering lasting change across the full spectrum of the horse world.

In the UK our dedicated network of Field Officers investigate and resolve welfare problems, and we run four Rescue and Rehoming Centres where horses in need can receive specialist care, undergo rehabilitation and find loving new homes through our rehoming scheme – the largest of its kind in the UK. Our international programmes alleviate the suffering of thousands of working horses by providing essential knowledge for horse owning communities in the developing world. We also work tirelessly to change legislation and attitudes to horse welfare through campaigns and education, including our founding campaign to end the suffering endured by the tens of thousands of horses transported long-distance across Europe to slaughter each year. We support the responsible use of horses in sport, and are independent welfare advisers to the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) and British Horseracing Authority (BHA).

World Horse Welfare relies on voluntary donations. Our supporters are our lifeblood and we always aim to fundraise in a caring and responsible way.