Can science protect equestrianism against the crisis of public trust?
Complaints about photos published on social media after major competitions.
Petitions to remove horses from the Olympic Games.
Angry spectators voicing years of accumulated dissatisfaction and asking for explanations about how these four-legged athletes are trained and kept.
Equestrian sports are facing a kind of revolution; a revolution that could completely overturn their existence.
“The future survival and success of the equestrian industry now depends on its being able to show that it truly puts horse welfare first,” Natalie Waran, an animal welfare expert and consultant in New Zealand, said.
Can horse sports be saved?
Experts say yes, but only with the help of an underrecognized and often misunderstood ally: science.
According to them, if scientists and the equestrian industry work together to improve knowledge, horse welfare, and training, horse sports can have a happier, more harmonious, and fairer future.
There are notable examples of social license to operate; including Charlotte Dujardin’s withdrawal from the 2024 Olympic Games after video footage showed her whipping a horse from the ground.
But riders around the world and at all levels have come under public scrutiny, a public that is becoming less and less tolerant.
When people go to the arenas with their ever-present mobile phones and post clips and photos of sport horses on social media, a wave of criticism is unleashed that targets not only individuals, but the sport itself.
This situation has challenged riders’ “social license to operate,” or SLO, a concept that says people are free to do whatever they want until society says they can no longer do it.
Riders today must defend their sport; first by ensuring that no harm comes to the horses, and then by proving it to the world.
Sabrina Ibáñez, the FEI Secretary General, acknowledges that this is not easy.
She said: “Maintaining the social license to operate is probably the most important and biggest challenge we face today.
If we are not accountable — every single one of us — the consequences could do irreparable damage to our history.”
Can science help?
Over the past two decades, equestrian scientists have intensified research into training and management methods — and ways to improve them.
Researchers have developed ethograms; behavioral checklists for identifying signs of pain or stress, ranging from stiff, rigid body posture to repetitive and unhealthy behaviors such as cribbing and weaving.
There is even a separate list for horses under saddle that includes signs such as ears pinned back, flared nostrils, open mouths, tail swishing, and tight jaws, because equipment, workload, and rider cues can change body language and facial expression.
Other groups measure horse optimism using ambiguous cues; for example, with buckets that may or may not contain food, to assess how horses interpret their environment.
Ethograms, or behavioral checklists, identify signs of pain or stress; including pinned-back ears.
©Amy K.
Dragoo now sensors measure rein tension, saddle pressure, and head and neck angles in real time, while heart-rate monitors track stress and effort.
Imaging can also identify early signs of musculoskeletal stress before injury occurs.
On the other hand, statisticians are identifying risk factors for accidents, especially in eventing and racing, a move that could lead to safer course design.
At the same time, science-based trainers are using learning theory — the science of how horses think and learn — in practice and granting horses more role and agency.
Andy Booth, an Australian riding instructor based in France, says: «We need to be able to say: I feel like I am managing my horse, and my horse also feels like it is managing me.
When that happens, the horse is no longer a victim of equitation; it is a confident and willing actor.
» From Research to Rules: the FEI Response Ibáñez says that although change requires global consensus across different cultures and systems, the FEI is listening and implementing regulatory reforms.
For example, from May 2025 all nosebands must be checked with a standard measuring tool, not just with fingers.
This spring, the organization announced the formation of a task force to review horse welfare protocols across disciplines.
In recent years, the FEI has worked with leading equitation scientists to draft the Equine Welfare Strategy Action Plan and has also sought help from Waran and other welfare science experts.
These «critical friends» assess the ethics of the sport and, based on evidence, offer recommendations for its improvement — with a focus on optimal welfare.
Waran says: «Welfare is not a constraint; it is an enabler.
» Andrew McLean, BSc, PhD, Dipl.
Ed, director of the Australian Equine Behaviour Centre, has also been invited to speak to their representatives at the annual Sports Forum.
McLean — one of the pioneers of equitation science — explained the scientific principles of training and their vital importance for horse sports.
He told them: «I am a strong supporter of using horses in sport — provided that whenever we know better, we do better.
» Human Behavior Change Much of equitation science focuses on horses — but researchers are increasingly studying human behavior and ways to change it too.
Studies examine how people can be encouraged to accept scientific findings that improve horse welfare — and why they resist them.
Research shows that tradition plays an important role: people involved with horses usually do things the way they have always been done.
Roly Owers, MRCVS, chief executive of World Horse Welfare in the UK, says: «You are asking people to give up things that are deeply rooted in the culture of the sport — from judging methods to the equipment we use.
This is not just a technical change; it is an emotional one too.
» However, this is not only a problem for the equestrian community; the general public also often misunderstands horse behavior, and this fuels well-intentioned but inaccurate criticism.
According to Marc Pierard, PhD, of University of Lancashire in Britain, Dujardin’s video, for example, evoked an image of a kind of physical violence, but its psychological impact may have been even more important.
This horse was experiencing frustration, confusion, and an inability to find the right answer.
Pierard says: “He was reaching the point of desperation; as if he were saying, ‘I have to do something; how do I stop this whip?’
” Research shows that horse people usually do things the way they have always been done.
©Amy K.
Dragoo researchers say that this places a heavy responsibility on science communicators.
Journalists, federations, and trainers must turn scientific findings into something people can understand and use.
Booth says: “Most of us in the ring don’t know much about science, and scientists don’t always make it easy for us.
If you want to make a difference in the world of horses, you have to make it understandable and show how it works in practice and on horses, not just in PowerPoints.
” Angelo Telatin, PhD, of Delaware Valley University, says that even top riders like Dujardin can be the catalyst for such change.
Instead of retreating in embarrassment, they can take a different approach; that is, engage with science-based education and advocate for better methods.
He says: “The idea is that they say, ‘Yes, I made a mistake,’ but now I understand—and because of that I will do better.
” Knowledge in practice Can science save equestrian sports from the growing pressure of public opinion?
Perhaps; but only if riders, scientists, and science communicators work together to turn knowledge into action.
The result of this collaboration will determine whether equestrian sports fade under this pressure or emerge stronger and more ethical than before.
Source: Practical Horseman – Health