Longitudinal welfare assessment in French jump racehorses during season preparation.

Summary

# Editorial Summary Heightened public concern about racehorse welfare demands rigorous, evidence-based assessment protocols—particularly during the preparatory phase when young horses undergo intensive training and are establishing their physical and psychological resilience. Bonhomme and colleagues conducted a longitudinal welfare evaluation of French jumping racehorses throughout their pre-season conditioning programme, employing structured assessment frameworks in practical training environments rather than controlled research settings. The findings provide insight into how welfare indicators change across the preparation period and identify critical timepoints where intervention may be most beneficial for horse health and performance. For farriers, veterinarians and physiotherapists involved in pre-season preparation, the study's real-world data offers a credible foundation for recognising welfare concerns early and tailoring interventions—whether through workload management, nutritional support or remedial farriery—before they compromise the horse's ability to race sustainably. This represents a significant step towards embedding systematic welfare monitoring into mainstream racehorse training protocols, moving beyond anecdotal assessment to measurable, standardised evaluation.

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Key Findings

• •Structured welfare assessment protocols can be effectively applied in field conditions during preparatory training phases
• •The season preparation period is a critical phase for identifying welfare concerns in jump racehorses
• •Longitudinal monitoring during training reveals welfare changes across the preparation cycle

Conditions Studied

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