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‘A good life for horses’ opens the FEI Sports Forum

Tuesday, 25 April 2023

At the 2023 FEI Sports Forum on Monday 24 April, the independent Equine Ethics and Wellbeing (EEWB) Commission presented thier strategy entitled A Good Life For Horses which outlines the core actions and objectives required to ensure that horses, specifically those involved in sport, lead a good life, and to ensure ongoing public and equestrian support. The document contained 24 draft recommendations which received strong support from delegates in attendance.

The recommendations – which include measures that the FEI and the wider equestrian community can take to achieve higher standards of horse welfare through individual and  collective responsibility, trust, transparency, reactiveness and independent evaluation – generated an enthusiastic level of discussion and feedback in the opening sessions of the two-day gathering. This is the first time the EEWB Commission have held in-person consultations with the wider equestrian community on its work and findings, since it was created by the FEI in June 2022.

“I am confident that I speak for each and every one of us in the equestrian community when I say that at heart, all we want is what is best for our equine partners,” FEI President Ingmar De Vos said.

“The horse-human connection runs deep. It is a centuries old relationship which has evolved from horses playing vital roles in society in the past, to now, where equines are valued for the deep companionship they provide to humans. This bond between human and animal is built on mutual trust and respect, and as equestrians it is a connection which we sometimes take for granted.

“If our relationship with horses, and consequently our sport, is to stand the test of time, we need to re-affirm the essence of our relationship with horses, and assure a good life for our equine partners with a tangible course of action. 

“Under the leadership of Dr. Natalie Waran, the Equine Ethics and Wellbeing Commission has come up with a set of draft recommendations that the FEI and the equestrian community now have for consideration and we hope that this process will serve to strengthen our Social Licence to Operate by reaffirming the public’s trust in what we do.”

Following feedback from delegates during the FEI Sports Forum, the Commission will present all proposed recommendations to the FEI Board for approval, before the FEI General Assembly due to be held in Mexico City (MEX) in November.

The purpose of the Commission’s work is to independently consider issues of public and equestrian concern that may affect ongoing social acceptance of the involvement of horses in sport. Specifically, the Commission was tasked with providing independent advice and recommendations to the FEI for ensuring equine welfare is safeguarded through ethical, evidence-based policy and practices in relation to training, management, performance and competition practices, and to improve the sport’s social license to operate (SLO).

The Commission’s first presentation to the FEI General Assembly in Cape Town in November 2022 addressed the need for change and outlined the role of the Equine Ethics and Wellbeing Commission as ‘critical friends’. Delegates were provided with the results of two large scale surveys commissioned by the EEWB (one of public opinion and one of equestrian opinion), and an outline of the work that was being done to develop a strategic approach for addressing the main priority areas of equine welfare.

See also: A Good Life for Horses: A vision for ensuring the future involvement of horses in sport

“The Equine Ethics and Wellbeing Commission’s proposal for a welfare-centric FEI vision for sustaining equine participation in sport now and into the future, aims to address ethical concerns related to equine involvement in sport as well as during a horse’s lifetime,” Chair of the Equine Ethics and Wellbeing Commission Professor Natalie Waran said. 

“We hope that the vision of a Good Life for Horses, and the associated draft recommendations, which have been informed through research and engagement with the equestrian community and the public, will help inform and inspire a positive direction, and we look forward to engaging further at the FEI Sports Forum. Through accepting this vision for the future, we believe the FEI will have a solid starting point to effect real change in equestrian sports’ mindset and practices.

“This vision and these draft recommendations, as well as the FEI Charter, are just a starting point to affect change across equestrianism. They have been created primarily around the concept of providing our horses with a good life and the responsibility we all have to deliver on that. This will require the long-term commitment of not just the FEI, but all who want horse sports to have a bright future.”

Example recommendations included: 

• To publicly commit to defining, promoting and ensuring A Good Life for Horses as the fundamental tenet of an FEI Equine Wellbeing Strategy.
• To continue to develop the use of ethical, evidence-based practices in horse training, management and performance.
• To ensure that all FEI stakeholders commit to an FEI Equestrian Charter’
• To establish and promote an equine ethics and wellbeing education programme for all equestrians, requiring FEI stakeholders to complete at least two core modules related to equine wellbeing and Social Licence to Operate preferably within their first year of association with the FEI.
• To empower officials through improved mandatory training and ongoing professional development in relation to equine welfare.
• To establish and implement a process for ensuring high standards of welfare and investigating risky practices for horses when ‘outside of competition’ through establishing something similar to human athlete checks under the WADA code.

More on the Equine Ethics and Wellbeing Commission website.