Why Should Human-Animal Interactions Be Included in Research of Working Equids' Welfare?
Authors: Luna Daniela, Tadich Tamara A
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary The welfare of working horses cannot be meaningfully assessed in isolation from the psychological characteristics of their owners and handlers, yet this human dimension remains largely absent from equine welfare research. Daniela and Tadich reviewed the evidence linking specific human attributes—notably empathy, attitudes towards animals, pain perception, and locus of control—to the quality of human-equine interactions and downstream welfare outcomes in working populations. Their analysis reveals that owners with greater empathy, more accurate perception of equine pain signals, and an internal locus of control (the belief that their actions directly influence outcomes) consistently demonstrate improved handling practices and provide better overall care. Since the livelihood of owners and their families is intrinsically tied to their horses' wellbeing, understanding these psychological factors offers a practical lever for welfare improvement that extends beyond purely physical or nutritional interventions. Professionals engaged in welfare assessment, training, and advisory roles—whether farriers, veterinarians, or coaches—should consider incorporating owner education around pain recognition and positive handling attitudes as a complementary strategy to direct animal care, recognising that durable welfare gains require attending to both equine and human factors in the working partnership.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Assess owner empathy, attitudes, and pain perception as part of equine welfare evaluations—these directly influence how animals are treated and managed
- •Recognize that improving working equid welfare requires addressing owner psychological attributes alongside traditional animal health interventions
- •Consider owner locus of control when designing welfare improvement strategies, as this affects perceived responsibility and willingness to change management practices
Key Findings
- •Human psychological attributes including empathy, attitudes toward animals, perception of animal pain, and locus of control significantly modulate human-equine interactions
- •These psychological attributes can directly result in poor welfare outcomes for working equids
- •Inclusion of human psychological factors in welfare research provides opportunity to improve quality of interactions between owners and working equids
- •Owner welfare is intimately linked to equid welfare through the livelihood dependency relationship