Under the microscope: Can science save this sport?
Objections to photos posted on social media after major competitions.
Petitions to remove horses from the Olympics.
Angry spectators voicing years of pent-up dissatisfaction and asking for explanations about how sport horses are trained and kept.
Equestrian sports are facing a kind of revolution; a revolution that could completely upend their existence.
Natalie Waran, an animal welfare scientist and consultant in New Zealand, says: “The survival and future success of the equestrian industry now depend on its being able to show that it truly puts horse welfare first.
” Can equestrian sports be saved?
Experts say yes; but only with the help of a quiet and often misunderstood ally: science.
According to them, if scientists and the equestrian industry work together to advance knowledge, horse welfare, and training, equestrian sports can have a happier, more harmonious, and fairer future.
A social license to operate exists for some high-profile cases; including Charlotte Dujardin’s withdrawal from the 2024 Olympics after a video showed her whipping a horse from the ground.
But riders around the world and at all levels are under the scrutiny of public opinion, which grows less tolerant every day.
When people film and photograph sport horses with their ever-present mobile phones and post them on social media, they spark a wave of criticism; criticism that targets not only individuals, but the sport itself.
This situation challenges riders’ social license to operate (SLO); the idea that people are free to do whatever they want until society says they no longer can.
Today’s riders must defend their sport with confidence that horses are not being harmed, and prove this to the world.
Sabrina Ibáñez, Secretary General of the FEI, acknowledges that this is not easy.
She says: “Maintaining a social license to operate is probably the most important and biggest challenge we face today.
If each of us does not take responsibility, the impact on our history could suffer irreparable harm.
” Can science help?
Over the past two decades, scientists in the field of equitation have pursued more intensely the study of horse training and management methods and ways to improve them.
Researchers have designed ethograms — that is, behavioral catalogs — to identify signs of pain or stress, from a stiff, rigid posture to stereotypic behaviors such as cribbing and weaving.
There is even a specific ethogram for ridden horses that includes signs such as pinned-back ears, flared nostrils, open mouths, tail swishing, and tense jaws; because the saddle and bridle, the rider’s effort, and the rider’s commands can alter body language and facial expressions.
Other research groups measure horses’ optimism using ambiguous cues; for example, buckets that may or may not contain food, to see how horses interpret their surroundings.
Ethograms, or behavioral catalogs, identify signs of pain or stress, such as pulling the ears back.
©Amy K.
Dragoo now measures rein tension, saddle pressure, and head and neck angles in real time, while heart rate monitors keep track of the amount of stress being applied.
Imaging can also detect early muscle and bone strain before injury occurs.
On the other hand, statisticians are identifying risk factors for accidents, especially in eventing and racing, a subject that could lead to the design of safer courses.
Meanwhile, science-based trainers, relying on learning theory — a science about how horses think and learn — are putting this knowledge into practice and giving horses more autonomy.
Andy Booth, the Australian horse trainer based in France, says: “We should be able to say: I feel like I’m managing my horse, and my horse feels like he’s managing me.
When that happens, the horse is no longer a victim of riding; he is a confident, willing participant.
” From research to regulation: FEI’s response Ibáñez says that although change requires global consensus across cultures and different systems, FEI is listening and implementing regulatory reforms.
For example, starting in May 2025, all nosebands must be checked with a standard measuring device, not just with a finger.
This spring, the organization also announced the formation of a task force to review horse welfare protocols across disciplines.
In recent years, FEI has worked with leading equitation scientists to develop an Equine Welfare Strategy Action Plan, and with the help of Waran and other welfare science experts, it has advanced this plan.
These “critical friends” assess the ethics of the sport and provide evidence-based recommendations for improvements — recommendations focused on optimal welfare.
Waran says: “Welfare is not a restriction; it is an enabler.
” Andrew McLean, BSc, PhD, Dipl.
Ed, director of the Australian Equine Behaviour Centre, has also been invited to speak to representatives at the organization’s annual Sports Forum.
McLean — one of the pioneers of equitation science — has explained the scientific principles of training and their vital importance for equestrian sports.
He told those present: “I am a strong supporter of using horses in sport — provided that when we know more, we do better.
” Changing human behavior Much of equitation science is focused on horses — but gradually researchers are also examining human behavior and ways to change it.
Research looks at how people can be encouraged to accept scientific findings that improve horse welfare — and why they resist them.
Tradition plays an important role here: research shows that horse people usually do things the way they have always been done in this sport.
Roly Owers, MRCVS and CEO 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 the way judging is done to the equipment used.
This is not just a technical change; it is an emotional one too.
” However, this is not only a problem for horse people; the general public also often does not understand horses’ behavior correctly, and this leads to criticisms that are well-intentioned but inaccurate.
For example, the Dujardin video evoked an image of physical abuse, but according to Marc Pierard, PhD, of the University of Lancashire in the UK, psychological harm could have been even more important.
He explains that the horse felt frustration, confusion, and an inability to find the right answer.
Pierard says, “He was getting desperate — as if he were saying: ‘I have to do something; how do I stop this whip?’
” Research shows that people in the horse world usually do things the way they have always been done.
©Amy K.
Dragoo, according to researchers, says this places a heavy burden on science communicators.
Journalists, federations, and trainers must turn research into something people can understand and use.
Booth says: “Most of us in the arena don’t know much about science, and scientists don’t always make it easy.
If you want to make a difference in the world of horses, you have to make it accessible and show how it works in practice and in connection with horses — not just in PowerPoints.
” Angelo Telatin, PhD, at Delaware Valley University, says that even prominent riders like Dujardin can be the catalyst for such change.
Instead of retreating in embarrassment, they can take a different approach — align themselves with science-based education and advocate for better practices.
He says: “The idea is to say: ‘Yes, I made a mistake,’ but now I understand — and I will do better because of it.
” Knowledge Into Practice Can science save equestrian sports from the increasingly strict view of public opinion?
Perhaps — but only if riders, scientists, and science communicators work together to turn knowledge into practice.
The result will determine whether equestrian sports fade under pressure or emerge from this test stronger and more ethical than before.
Source: Practical Horseman – Training