The report ‘Horse sense: A good life for horses through strengthening the horse–human relationship’ launched at the 2025 National Equine Forum (6 March).
Commissioned by the RSPCA to identify the nature and causes of the current equine welfare situation, the report delves into the driving factors behind the well-documented ‘horse crisis’ of overbreeding, abandonment and neglect which began in 2012, but also reveals a wider issue of owned leisure and competition horses not having all their welfare needs met today.
The research, conducted by Human Behaviour Change for Life and their research partners from the University of Bristol and University College Dublin, offers a number of solutions and suggestions for improvements, including:
Dr Mark Kennedy, Senior Scientific and Policy Manager for Equines at the RSPCA said: “Everyone in the equestrian world will remember the horse crisis when it was at its peak a number of years ago - with dead or dying horses dumped on an almost weekly basis, and sadly charities like the RSPCA are still seeing some of the effects of those challenges today.
“Although the equine crisis has eased, it is not eliminated, and in fact it is more important than ever to look at horse welfare across the board, including leisure and competition horses too. That’s why we’ve commissioned this important new report.
“The report finds that a diversity of equine welfare issues exists across the different groups of equines. These include obesity, lack of turnout, poor predictability (e.g. frequently changing homes and herd mates), gastric ulcers, delayed euthanasia, limited social interaction, rough handling and poor owner and keeper recognition of stress, pain and quality of life. Fortunately, the report reveals that there’s a lot of work that can be done to drastically improve the lives of all of our horses.
“Our goal is to have an equine world where all horse keepers provide their animals with the opportunities to experience a good quality of life , and for agencies, like the RSPCA and many other organisations, to help keepers achieve this through new research, advice and by leading by example. This report brings together vital research and outlines a number of ways - such as legislation change and more education about the welfare needs of horses - in which horse owners, the equine sector and governments can all work together and be the driving force for change for horses everywhere.”
Key issues identified in the report include inadequate equine-keeping facilities which fail to provide enough opportunities for turnout, grazing, and socialization, leading to unfulfilled welfare needs - known as the Three Fs- Forage, Friends and Freedom - leading to fewer opportunities for positive welfare and the ability to experience a good quality of life.
It identifies several key areas for action to address the issues identified, including calling on national governments to strengthen legislation where required and support local government and other agencies in their enforcement role and introduce new legislation as is necessary, such as the regulation of livery yards and licensing of rescues and sanctuaries. It also emphasizes the role of colleges and equestrian organisations in addressing knowledge and practical skills gaps among horse keepers, and urges governments to include animal welfare in the national curriculum.
The report also makes suggestions for a boost in knowledge and practical skills in horse management, for colleges in developing their curriculum to address horse keepers’ knowledge and practical skills gaps, as well as recommending that equine welfare charities and equestrian organisations ensure their training curricula address knowledge and practical skills gaps in their members.
Dr Kennedy added: “The RSPCA recently launched its new Animal Futures report which looks into how the world may look for animals by 2050, and how the decisions we make today will influence that outcome. We’re concerned that without action from a number of stakeholders today, many horses face a challenging future - from a lack of grazing space for animals such as horses.
“We hope the publication of our Horse Sense report will play an important role in creating that better world for animals.”
