WELFARE - RESOLVING TO RAISE AWARENESS

Another of our resolutions is raising awareness of the global hot topic of equine welfare. Equine welfare issues have received extensive news coverage on the international competitive scene, with elite-level dressage under the greatest scrutiny after Charlotte Dujardin’s video and Andreas Helgestrand’s ban following the Operation X Documentary.

We are under no illusion that infringements on horse welfare are unique to Europe, elite levels or one discipline, and the publicity and ‘social buzz’ around these recent events in Europe has raised important questions and concerns that need to be addressed by the global equestrian community. This brings us to consider ‘the Social License to Operate’ for equestrian sport.

SLO

Social License to Operate (SLO) is a term that has become synonymous with the topic of ‘equine welfare’ and equestrian sport, especially in the Western world. From a business perspective, ‘SLO’ is a term used to describe the likelihood that an industry, company, or project will continue to receive support from the local community based on its environmental and social impact.

In relation to equestrianism currently, the public generally accepts the equine sport and the role of horses in it, which allows the industry to continue to function with few restrictions, so we currently have an SLO. However, if public opinion swings, this could result in legal restrictions for the sport (perhaps affecting certain disciplines more than others) and, in the worstcase scenario, result in a ban on equestrian sport.

Due to the recent negative publicity, the high-risk nature of our sport, and the changing societal views on using animals for entertainment, the equestrian SLO is under increasing scrutiny.

As a result, the equine industry needs to be proactive in prioritising animal welfare, communicating transparently with the public, and educating those involved in the sport and the general public through evidence-based research.

Various equine sporting bodies, national bodies, and federations have taken a proactive stance and are implementing an array of tactics to ensure that we can maintain our SLO. The FEI, in 2022, appointed an Equine Ethics and Wellbeing Commission that was ‘was tasked with addressing societal concerns about the use of horses in sport and creating a blueprint to futureproof equestrian sports, as well as providing independent advice and recommendations to the FEI to ensure equine welfare is safeguarded through ethical, evidence-based policy and practices.’

E-BARQ

With regards to the SLO, equitationbased research is a key focus, and the University of Sydney (Australia) has recently developed The Equine Behaviour Assessment and Research Questionnaire (E-BARQ). The E-BARQ aims to gather data from around the world on the ‘domestic equine triad of training, management and behaviour’, thereby investigating how training and management affect behaviour and, ultimately, equine welfare.

The data collected has already resulted in a plethora of published evidence-based research on topics such as whether the sex of the handler has an impact on horse behaviour, whether the number of different riders affects a horse’s responsiveness and whether certain in-hand behaviours can be predictors for dangerous behaviours undersaddle (people backing horses take note!).

As a not-for-profit citizen science project, the E-BARQ gathers information for research purposes and provides various opportunities for individuals who own or handle horses to educate themselves about their practices and equine interactions.

The questionnaire can be completed by any horse owner or handler, regardless of their horse’s age, breed, size and use. All you need to do is create a profile on https://e-barq. com/ and fill in the questionnaire for each of your horses.

Once completed, the results are processed and illustrated on your profile, and you can compare your horse’s behaviour to each other’s horses and the horses of the E-BARQ population from around the world. The results are illustrated as scores out of four for categories that included rideability, trainability, independence, boldness and confidence, amongst others. Users can re-take the questionnaire repeatedly for each horse, thus collecting longitudinal data that can assist with evaluating how their horse’s training and management over time is reflected in their behaviour. The goal is to positively impact horse welfare in the long run.

We highly recommend that you complete the questionnaire! You may notice some interesting questions and learn something new about your horse. If you complete it for your horse, we would love to hear if you learn anything or if you would like us to discuss any topics in more detail in the magazine.

Stay tuned for our next welfare article, which will be in our February edition.