A Delphi Study to Determine International and National Equestrian Expert Opinions on Domains and Sub-Domains Essential to Managing Sporthorse Health and Welfare in the Olympic Disciplines.
Authors: Williams Jane M, Berg Lise C, Clayton Hilary M, Kirsch Katharina, Marlin David, Randle Hayley, Roepstroff Lars, Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan Marianne Sloet van, Weishaupt Michael A, Munsters Carolien
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
A four-stage Delphi study with 104 international and national equestrian experts sought consensus on critical factors for managing sporthorse health and welfare across Olympic disciplines, responding to growing public scrutiny of equestrianism's ethical practices. Through iterative rounds of expert consultation, five core domains emerged as essential: training management, competition management, young horse management, health status and veterinary management, and the horse-human relationship, whilst stable/environmental management and welfare assessment were deemed important but already adequately addressed by most respondents. The research revealed substantial agreement that current gaps centre on education, policy development and regulation rather than knowledge deficiency, with experts identifying a clear need for evidence-based guidelines and structured welfare frameworks to support stakeholders. Notably, participants demonstrated genuine enthusiasm for engaging with research to generate the evidence base necessary for improving sporthorse management practices. For equine professionals, these findings validate the importance of integrating relationship-based training approaches, rigorous health monitoring protocols and proactive young horse development strategies into daily practice, whilst highlighting an opportunity—and professional responsibility—to advocate for stronger regulatory guidance and ongoing professional development in these five priority domains.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Focus your management priorities on the five core domains identified as essential: training, competition, young horse, health/veterinary, and horse-human relationship practices—these have expert consensus as critical to welfare
- •Advocate for and engage with new evidence-based guidelines and welfare charters as they are developed; the equestrian community is actively seeking improved standards and regulations for sporthorse management
- •Recognize that your discipline needs better education and clearer policy frameworks—experts agree that more formal guidance is needed to support consistent, welfare-focused management across sport horses
Key Findings
- •Five core domains essential to sporthorse welfare management were identified: training management, competition management, young horse management, health status and veterinary management, and the horse-human relationship
- •Two additional domains (stable/environmental management and welfare assessment) were rated as important but not essential, with experts believing these areas were already adequately managed
- •International and national-level equestrian experts identified increased education, policy development, and regulation as critical needs to optimize sporthorse management practices
- •Expert consensus supports development of a sporthorse welfare charter and evidence-based guidelines to monitor and manage equine health and welfare in Olympic disciplines