World Horse Welfare strongly believes in the value and benefits of the horse-human partnership and actively supports the participation of horses in sport as long as their welfare is put first. Against the backdrop of increasing societal concerns about the involvement of horses in competitive sport, and with the aim of underwriting equestrian sport's continued social license, World Horse Welfare initiated this research project with the Royal Veterinary College. The project is especially relevant in light of the heightened public interest around equine welfare, sparked by recent events such as the incident at the women's Modern Pentathlon at the Tokyo Olympics and this summer's Panorama documentary, “The Dark Side of Racing.”
The first phase of the project was led by Dr. Madeleine Campbell, Senior Lecturer in Human-Animal Interactions & Ethics at the Royal Veterinary College. Phase 1 covered the theory and function of the ethical framework. Campbell also leads Phase 2, which will begin in October 2021 and continue for three years. This phase focuses on optimizing the function and uptake of the ethical framework tool. It aims to extend the scope and significance of this project's impact on welfare by advancing the applicability and uptake of the framework across the equestrian sports sector.
To achieve the project's broader aims, the specific objectives are:
- To refine the ethical framework tool following the final phase of testing in the preceding project and develop a tutorial explaining how to use it
- To test the applicability of the ethical framework tool at a grassroots level
- To investigate socio-cognitive drivers, facilitators and barriers to adoption of the ethical framework tool in practice, and to develop effective methods of overcoming such barriers and promoting adoption
- To conduct systematic reviews of evidence relating to two discipline-specific, stakeholder-identified ethical dilemmas in order to identify research priorities targeted at improving welfare through promoting evidence-based use of the framework
Roly Owers, Chief Executive Officer, commented, “We are delighted to support this project into its second phase, which aligns so closely with a key aspect of our 2020-2024 strategy: 'Supporting the ethical involvement of equines in sport and entertainment.' As recent events such as the infamous Gordon Eliot photo and the treatment of horses during Modern Pentathlon at the Tokyo Olympics have shown, this work has never been more relevant and we are excited to be a part of this pioneering development.
“Working together with equestrian sport and its regulators is an essential part of our work to help achieve the best possible welfare standards and practices throughout the whole lives of sport horses. We are pleased that, in line with this approach, the project will make particular use of stakeholder consultation, building on the results of the October conference and conducting further testing and consultation with equestrian organizations as we progress with the project over the next three years.”
Dr. Madeleine Campbell, Senior Lecturer in Human-Animal Interactions & Ethics at the Royal Veterinary College, commented, “We are looking forward to testing this tool with further decision-makers across all levels of horse sport and we hope the workshop engages everyone in discussion around what exactly needs to be considered when making policies that can impact upon horse welfare. The framework in itself does not tell any stakeholder what conclusion they ought to be reaching on any particular issue – it simply provides them with a logical method of reaching some conclusion based on a set of guiding principles. This means that the framework tool can be used in any setting within equestrian sport to facilitate the transparent, consistent justification of decision and policy making.”
On Nov. 11, 2021, “Whose opinion matters?” will be the theme of World Horse Welfare's annual conference, which is being held both virtually and in person at The Royal Geographical Society, London. The Conference will bring together influential figures in the industry and will address the increasing challenge of distinguishing key voices at a time when the sheer volume of strong opinions on welfare can be overwhelming and deafening. The event will consider the role of objective evidence in decision making and when – if ever – opinion should overrule fact. The RVC research project will be particularly relevant to the Conference in light of these themes.
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