There’s nothing more important to people who truly love horses than the welfare of their animals. And in the big picture, the focus on welfare for equestrian competition is key to its survival in the era of social license to operate.
But not everybody recognizes welfare issues, or how to cope with them. With that in mind, the U.S. Equestrian Federation on Monday released a set of horse welfare guidelines under the title, “Protecting Horses.” The information can be accessed at this link.
The guidelines align human and horse interactions with the concept of a stoplight – green, yellow, and red to help create a mutual understanding of horse-friendly vs. cautionary vs. unacceptable actions for all breeds and disciplines. A rule change effective last year enabled USEF to take action against anyone involved with cruelty, abuse and unethical treatment of a horse beyond the showgrounds as well as at a competition.
USEF Chief of Sport David O’Connor introduces segments on various topics. Today’s videos focus on an overview of the subject and recognizing issues in horse movement and appearance. More instructive videos will be released weekly through Oct. 27, and a list of rules involving horse welfare is available to explain how welfare is encouraged and enforced.