Horse world urged to up its equine welfare game

The equestrian world has been urged to “do more, faster” to prioritise equine welfare, as public perception of horse sport is increasingly in the spotlight.

An event this week hosted by international charity World Horse Welfare highlighted the challenges and opportunities faced regarding public perceptions of welfare in equestrian sport, and explored how they can be addressed.

About 100 members of the equestrian world and the media attended the event “Social licence and the involvement of horses in sport” on Tuesday. The results of an independent survey conducted by YouGov last month were discussed, particularly the finding that “40% of the general public would only continue to support the use of horses in sport if their welfare was improved, while 20% would not support their use in any circumstances”.

World Horse Welfare supports the responsible use of horses in sport and for several years has been championing the concept that equestrianism can only flourish with public support, so long as it has a social licence to operate.

Click here to read the full article as seen on horsetalk.co.nz
Article written by Robin Marshall