EUROPEAN EQUESTRIAN FEDERATION
EQUINE ETHICS AND WELLBEING COMMISSION
Attitudes regarding the involvement of horses in sport.
The survey was designed by the Equine Ethics and Wellbeing Commission (an independent Commission established in June 2022 by the FEI Board).
The survey consisted of 10 questions (see below).
It was distributed by the FEI and the National Federations in various countries as well as being shared opportunistically through equestrian social media channels.
Respondents were all anonymous, although some demographic information was collected to help with analysis. The 2022 survey focused on the general public, while in 2023 a pulse survey focused in on the equestrian community.
The problem:
The impact of social licence is growing rapidly. A social licence to operate is known as “the ongoing acceptance of a company or industry’s standard business practices and operating procedures by its employees, stakeholders, and the general public”.
For equestrian sport, is it vital to monitor the general public opinions and attitudes towards our sport, in order to proactively manage and maintain our social licence to operate.
The FEI created the Equine Ethics and Wellbeing Committee to look at this issue, and the issue of ethics and wellbeing more widely. The carried out studies in 2022 and again in 2023 to measure the opinions and attitudes of the public towards horses in sport.
The findings:
The 2022 survey showed some significant findings including:
– 33% of all respondents think horses enjoy being used in sport (Always & Frequently), and 67% of the respondents think they would mostly not enjoy being used in sport (Sometimes & Never). There was some variation between the different countries.
– 65% of the respondents were concerned about the use of horses in sport, while only 35% of the respondents had no concerns. Respondents were most concerned about Endurance, followed by Eventing and Carriage-Driving. The respondents were the least concerned about Dressage, although still more than half of the respondents were concerned.
– More than half of the respondents (52%) believed that welfare standards need improving. This percentage ranged from 37% (Sweden and UAE) to 63% (Germany and France).
– 47% believed that horses will be involved in sport in the future but only with modifications to ensure their welfare is improved
The following year the pulse survey focused on the equestrian community to determine the key areas of concern, in order:
1. Training and Riding practices, Tack and Equipment
2. Emotional and Physical stress (including injuries) of the sport horse
3. Enforcement, Accountability, Horsemanship
4. The other 23 hours (outside of competition)
5. Horses treated as an object or “equipment” and not as an emotional creature (competitive
drive)
6. Horses being not fit to compete or masking health problems.