Wellness, Well-being, WELFARE || A Basic overview of equine welfare + what it means
A simple overview of equine welfare
Before we begin, it helps to clarify something important.
This is not a discussion about equine ethics. Ethics explores how humans decide what is right or acceptable in the way we use animals. That is a much larger conversation.
This piece is about welfare.
Equine welfare simply refers to the conditions in which horses live and how well they are able to cope and thrive within those conditions.
In other words, welfare asks a very practical question:
What kind of life is the horse actually experiencing?
Over the past few decades, animal welfare science has evolved significantly. Many accredited zoological institutions now place animal welfare at the centre of daily care, using structured frameworks to guide decision-making.
There is a great deal the equine world can learn from this approach.
The Five Domains of Animal Welfare
One widely used model in modern animal welfare science is the Five Domains Model. Rather than focusing only on preventing suffering, this model also considers how animals experience positive states.
The five domains are:
Nutrition
Access to appropriate, nutritious food and clean water.
Environment
Living conditions that provide comfort, safety and appropriate shelter.
Physical Health
Good veterinary care and management that support physical wellbeing.
Behaviour
Opportunities to engage in natural, species-specific behaviours such as movement, social interaction and exploration.
Mental or Affective State
The overall emotional experience of the animal. Ideally, negative experiences such as fear or distress are minimised while positive states such as comfort, curiosity and confidence are encouraged.
Together, these domains help us consider the horse not simply as a body to maintain, but as a living being with behavioural and emotional needs.
The Five Freedoms
Many people are also familiar with the Five Freedoms, originally developed for farm animal welfare.
These include:
Freedom from hunger and thirst
Freedom from discomfort
Freedom from pain, injury and disease
Freedom to express normal behaviour
Freedom from fear and distress
While this model has been incredibly influential, modern welfare science increasingly focuses on creating positive experiences, not simply removing negative ones. This shift is reflected in models like the Five Domains.
The Three Fs for Horses
Equine behaviourist Lauren Fraser offers a beautifully simple way to think about horse welfare through what she calls the Three Fs:
Friendship
Horses are highly social animals that require companionship.
Forage
Their digestive systems are designed for near-constant access to forage.
Freedom
Horses need space to move and express natural behaviours.
Although simple, this framework captures many of the essential elements that support a healthy and content horse.
Care versus Welfare
Through my years working in both the zoo and equine industries, I began to see an important distinction.
Care keeps an animal alive.
Welfare determines what kind of life that animal experiences.
Meeting a horse’s basic survival needs is only the starting point.
True welfare asks whether the horse also has opportunities for comfort, interest, movement, choice and social connection.
A practical way to think about equine welfare
One way I like to visualise equine welfare is through a simple hierarchy of needs.
At the base are the fundamental requirements for survival:
Physiological needs
Clean water, appropriate nutrition, rest and adequate movement.
Veterinary care
Access to medical treatment and good husbandry practices.
Safety
Freedom from pain, injury, fear and chronic stress.
Once these basic needs are consistently met, we can begin supporting the next levels of welfare.
Social connection
Opportunities for horses to form relationships with other horses.
Mental stimulation
Training, enrichment and environmental complexity that engage the horse’s mind.
Choice and agency
Allowing horses opportunities to express natural behaviours and participate voluntarily in aspects of their care.
As each layer is supported, the horse’s quality of life improves.
Why equine welfare matters
Horses are sentient beings. They have the capacity to feel, perceive and experience their environment.
Because domesticated horses do not choose the conditions in which they live, we carry a responsibility as their stewards to provide environments that support their wellbeing.
Research consistently shows that when the biological, social and behavioural needs of animals are met, they are far less likely to develop abnormal behaviours or chronic stress.
Unfortunately, parts of the equine industry still rely on outdated traditions and management practices that do not fully reflect what we now understand about horse behaviour and welfare.
Change is happening, but slowly.
Progress begins with asking better questions about the lives our horses are living.
A question worth asking
What does a truly good life look like for the horses in our care?
Not just survival.
Not just performance.
But genuine wellbeing.
When we begin asking that question honestly, we often find new ways to care for the animals who share their lives with us.
References
World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (2015). The World Zoo and Aquarium Animal Welfare Strategy.
Fraser, L. (2012). The Horse’s Manifesto: What do we want? Friends, Forage and Freedom.
International Association of Animal Behaviour Consultants.