The Easiest Becomes the Rule: Beliefs, Knowledge and Attitudes of Equine Practitioners and Enthusiasts Regarding Horse Welfare.
Authors: Maurício Letícia Santos, Leme Denise Pereira, Hötzel Maria José
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary Brazilian researchers conducted 31 in-depth interviews with equine practitioners and enthusiasts to understand why knowledge about good welfare practices often fails to translate into improved management. Three core themes emerged: participants' perception that horses have innate needs best met through natural conditions; the powerful influence of social norms and established practices ("everyone does it like that"); and practical barriers including financial constraints, limited space, labour shortages, and time pressures. Whilst respondents demonstrated genuine awareness of welfare concerns, a troubling gap existed between what they knew was beneficial and what they actually implemented, with justifications varying markedly depending on the horse's perceived value—lower-value horses were confined in stalls and fed concentrates partly due to cost considerations, whilst high-value performance horses received similar management reframed as beneficial to their wellbeing. For equine professionals, these findings highlight that addressing welfare outcomes requires more than educating practitioners about best practice; it demands tackling embedded cultural norms, examining how economic pressures create ethical compromises, and recognising that the equestrian community's social credibility depends on closing the knowledge–practice divide rather than allowing convenience to become the default standard.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Be aware that awareness alone does not drive behavior change—equine professionals face real systemic barriers (finances, space, labor availability) that prevent adoption of best practices; advocating for welfare improvements requires addressing these practical constraints, not just educating about welfare
- •Recognize that social norms and peer practices ('everyone does it this way') are powerful drivers in the equestrian community; building supportive communities of practitioners adopting better welfare standards may be more effective than individual recommendations
- •Understand that management recommendations may be received differently depending on a horse's perceived value or purpose; framing welfare practices as beneficial to performance or aesthetics for high-value animals may improve adoption rates
Key Findings
- •31 equine practitioners and enthusiasts in Brazil demonstrated awareness of welfare issues but showed notable discrepancy between knowledge and implementation of improved management practices
- •Social norms ('Everyone does it like that') and culturally established practices significantly limit approaches to horse welfare within the equestrian community
- •Perceived barriers to implementing best welfare practices include lack of financial resources, limited physical space, shortage of qualified labor, time constraints, inadequate tools, and insufficient knowledge
- •Justifications for poor management practices differed by horse value: low-value horses linked to cost concerns, high-value horses reframed as welfare benefits