The Price of Success: The Crisis of Horse Welfare in the Sporting Industry
Equestrian sports have always captivated audiences around the world. With their display of power out cross country and elegance in the dressage arena. However, behind the scenes, the welfare of horses is too often overshadowed by the drive for success. The crisis of horse welfare in equine sports reveals how success motivation leads to neglect and abuse, highlighting the urgent need for a fundamental shift towards prioritizing the well-being and welfare of horses.
The Equine Ethics & Wellbeing Commission
Since the 2020 Olympics, the FEI set up the Equine Ethics & Wellbeing Commission in response to the welfare related issues that were raised. This commission created a survey to underpin the public views and perception of the welfare within the sport. Here are some of the key points that found from the survey:
Equine welfare could be best identified by the mental health status (90%), followed by health indicators (77%) and physical condition (63%)
For horse sports, 78% of the respondents believed that welfare standards need improving
The top 3 welfare concerns were: ‘the other 23 hours’, ‘tack and equipment’ and ‘training and riding practices’
For the future of the horse sport to be protected it will be important that (1) there is improved enforcement of existing welfare rules, (2) new welfare rules should be developed as informed by science and (3) a required level of knowledge about equine welfare by those involved with horses
It’s clear that horse welfare within the sport is of high concern, and not without merit.
Judges rewarding of Hyperflexion
Dressage, often seen as the highest form of harmony between horse and rider, has been tainted by controversies that shake the very foundation of its principles. Judges have been proven more than once to reward riders who employ hyperflexion techniques – a practice that compromises the horse's physical health by over arching the head and neck position. Rider’s with horses that were behind the vertical, had a higher chance of a good rating from judges (Lashley et al., 2014) (Kienapfel et al., 2021). This technique on the competition stage has led to a disturbing normalization of this harmful practice, perpetuating a cycle of compromised welfare for the sake of success. It has been commented that judges who don’t align with the panel score will not be asked back to judge. Judges own livelihood is at stake to allow unethical riding practices.
Abusive Practices
The exposing of abusive training practices by dressage trainer and rider Cesar Parra brought to light the nature of these practices behind closed doors. As the allegations of the mistreatment surfaced earlier this year, it becomes evident that the need for success often comes at the expense of the horse's welfare. It was found that the “FEI and National Stewards disclosed privately that they were instructed by a show organizer to go to a part of the show venue away from Parra warming up because he brought the most horses to the event and they did not want to jeopardize entries which, unlike in Europe, is the primary source of show revenue as there typically are no spectator charges”(The Chronicle of the Horse, 2024). It’s clear that stewards were removed from any ring that Cesar was in, so there was no official witnessing any unethical practices, all for the sake of business. This revelation serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for stringent regulations and accountability within the industry.
RTE’s Abattoir Investigation
RTE investigated Ireland’s only licensed abattoir, Shannonside Foods in Co. Kildare. The team used hidden cameras which revealed the abuse horses had been experiencing. Horses that are lame, dying and neglected, beaten by tools until they couldn’t even stand up. The investigation also showed the huge holes in the traceability of horses and details how this threatens the human food chain across Europe. Out of the nearly 2,000 horses processed in the facility last year, almost 1,400 were Thoroughbred horses. The racing industry has a responsibility to these horses not just before they race, but their aftercare too.
“The fact that horse meat is more valuable when passed fit for human consumption has produced a strong motivation for lucrative identity fraud with falsification of passports and animals implanted with more than one more microchip. Criminals unscrupulously driving various coaches and horses through the system looks to be a depressingly straightforward exercise” (The Irish Times, 2024).
The Blood Rule & Blue Tongues
The prevalence of the "blue tongue" issue among dressage horses highlights the consequences of prioritizing performance over well-being. Oxygen deprived tongues of horses have been seen in the last few legs of the FEI Dressage World Cup. This comes from excessive force applied to the bit, compressing the tongue and cutting off blood supply. Riders were rewarded with high marks, podium finishes and prize money, even when their horse was losing oxygen to their tongue.
At the world cup dressage final, Charlotte Fry was eliminated for blood coming from Everdale’s mouth. It has been remarked by the FEI and news outlets that this is “an unlucky event” to happen. Yet no real investigation happens as to why the horse was bleeding from the mouth. In international dressage, it is a requirement to have a double bridle at high levels, and elimination from blood in the mouth is almost a common occurrence. Research has revealed that 68% of 123 top-level dressage horses exhibited open mouths for more than 10 seconds during their dressage tests (Dyson & Pollard, 2021). Open mouth is often seen as a conflict behaviour that shows the horse is in pain due to pressure on the bit. Looking to other equestrian disciplines, 44% of sport horses (Dyson & Pollard, 2021) and 45% of three-day event dressage horses (Dyson & Ellis, 2020) also displayed mouth opening, though these horses used snaffle bits, showing a significantly higher occurrence in top-level dressage horses, wearing double bridles. Additionally, unusual oral behaviors were observed in 100% of horses during the warm-up for the Grand Prix Special (CDIO5*) at the CHIO in Aachen (Kienapfel et al., 2021). Even with the high level of the conflict behaviours being shown, tests aren’t stopped, riders aren’t reprimanded for blood coming from their horses mouths or hyperflexion, they are rewarded.
It’s an endless cycle that needs to change.
As advocates for equine welfare, it is so important that we confront these issues head-on and demand accountability from all stakeholders involved. From stricter regulations to comprehensive welfare protocols, meaningful change can only be achieved through collective action and unwavering dedication to the well-being of horses.
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References
Lashley, M.J.J.O. et al. (2014) ‘Comparison of the head and neck position of elite dressage horses during top-level competitions in 1992 versus 2008’, The Veterinary Journal, 202(3), pp. 462–465. doi:10.1016/j.tvjl.2014.08.028.
Kienapfel, K. et al. (2021) Comparison of different head and neck positions and behaviour in ridden elite dressage horses between warm-up and competition [Preprint]. doi:10.1101/2021.12.17.473217.
Bailey, M. et al. (2024) Updated: USEF and FEI investigating training video of Cesar Parra - The Chronicle of the Horse. Available at: https://www.chronofhorse.com/article/usef-and-fei-investigating-training-video-of-cesar-parra/ (Accessed: 05 June 2024).
Dyson, S. and Pollard, D. (2021) Application of the ridden horse pain ethogram to elite dressage horses competing in World Cup Grand Prix competitions, MDPI. Available at: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/5/1187/htm
Dyson, S. and Ellis, A.D. (2020) ‘Application of a ridden horse pain ethogram to horses competing at 5‐Star three‐day‐events: Comparison with performance’, Equine Veterinary Education, 34(6), pp. 306–315. doi:10.1111/eve.13415.
O’Connor, B. (2024) ‘RTÉ Investigates: Horrifying scenes of horse cruelty shows racing needs to act’, The Irish Times, 13 June.