This document provides an update on the #futurehorse project which aims to investigate expectations of horse industry participants regarding future horse welfare practices. It summarizes the methodology which includes a literature review, survey of 681 participants, and horizon scanning. Early survey findings show most participants are female, Australian volunteers involved in equestrian sports. Concepts like sentience, agency and anthropomorphism in relation to welfare are discussed. Participants see sentience as important to considering a horse's experience. Issues like veterinary care, surface quality at events, and time off feed/water are mentioned in relation to welfare at events. Contact details are provided for those wanting more information.

1. Forecasting horse welfare expectations:
Insights from within.
Julie Fiedler PhD Candidate
University of Melbourne
Equestrian Australia
National Health and Safety Conference 2021
6 December 2021
Project Update

2. I also acknowledge and pay respect to First Nations
peoples of many countries and cultures, whose dreamings
and spiritual connection with animals and country are of
more-than-human meaningfulness, which may hold
different values to western cultures, and westernised
knowledge of sentience, agency, anthropomorphism and
the human and animal connection to each other and to
country.
Acknowledgement
#futurehorse project update 6 December 2021

3.  Opening and acknowledgement
 #futurehorse project overview
 Listen to your ideas with a Poll Question
 Hear what people are saying about sentience and welfare
 Find out what people are saying about welfare at events
Agenda
Supervisors: Professor Josh Slater
Dr. Sarah Rosanowski, Dr. Margaret Ayre & Dr. Simon Firestone
University of Melbourne
Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences
#futurehorse project update 6 December 2021

4. To investigate horse industry participants
expectations regarding future horse
welfare practices in the contexts of
racing, riding, sports and tourism.
Which will inform horse activity
organisation’s policy, practice and their
social licence to operate.
#futurehorse
Aims
#futurehorse project update 6 December 2021

5. Horse welfare is a wicked situation.
There are many viewpoints about ‘what is’
welfare, what it ‘should be’ and the ‘doing’ of
potential solutions.
A
wicked
situation
#futurehorse project update 6 December 2021

6. Tthe
‘doing’
of
welfare
#futurehorse project update 6 December 2021
Image:
Royal
Veterinary
College,
London

7. Literature review
Survey: current horse
welfare practices
Horizon scanning
exercise (desktop)
2021
Phase 1
Policy Delphi
Panel
Questions
(2 rounds)
Identify
common ground
2022
Phase 2
Welfare
statements
Journal
articles
Thesis
2023
Outputs
#futurehorse
methodology
#futurehorse project update 6 December 2021

8. ‘what works well’
• Do I live in Australia or the United Kingdom?
• Am I currently involved with the horse racing, riding, sport or tourism
sectors?
• Do I have three or more years of experience in one of the above sectors?
• Do I, as an individual, or as a committee or work team member, make
or contribute to horse welfare decisions for the activity?
#futurehorse
survey
#futurehorse project update 6 December 2021

9. Who
took
part?
#futurehorse project update 6 December 2021
 91% are from Australia
 54% of people identified as a volunteer/amateur.
 85% respondents are female
 98% had horses
The data set contains responses from
681 horse sector participants.

10. Age
of
decision-makers
#futurehorse project update 6 December 2021
10.8
12.6
18.1
28.5
23.6
6.1
0
50
100
150
200
250
18-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70 plus
Number
Age

11. What
people
and
horses
do
Equestrian sports 49.2%
Horse racing 13.1%
Horse sports 10.7%
Recreation 5.5%
Other activities 21.4%
#futurehorse project update 6 December 2021

12. People
working
with
horses
#futurehorse project update 6 December 2021
Activity Manager 45.8%
Horse Management 16.3 %
Mixed Role 6.2%
Vet & Sport Services 5.5%
Other Classifications 26.3%

13. Let’s
talk
about
welfare People were asked how these concepts
relate to welfare?
• Sentience
• Agency
• Anthropomorphism
• Social licence to operate
Questions also had a focus on health,
nutrition, physical environment and horse
interactions.
#futurehorse project update 6 December 2021

14. Ideas
about
sentience
“Sentience arises when the nervous system is
functionally sophisticated enough to enable the
animal to cognitively and emotionally experience
its status as bad, neutral, or good.”
(Mellor D., 2010).
Sentience, from the latin sentientem ‘to feel’
#futurehorse project update 6 December 2021

15. More stats
And comments
#futurehorse project update 6 December 2021
Starting
the
conversation In your opinion, how does the concept of animal
sentience relate to horse welfare?
It doesn’t” (ID 163)
‘Not sure, sorry” (ID 376)
‘Yes, but the term now has negative connotations due
to its connection to animal rights ideologies’ (ID 672)

16. “If this concept is correct, then all matters of pain fear etc.
must be taken into account for horse welfare” (Case 909).
“If an animal has awareness then poor welfare seems more
cruel” (Case 980).
#futurehorse project update 6 December 2021
Sentience
relating
to
welfare

17. “The recognition of sentience in horses underpins our obligation to
improve their welfare” (Case 339).
“I define good horse welfare as a life worth living sentience is the
mechanism to gauge this” (Case 555).
“Because of their sentience the horses welfare needs to be
optimal for wellbeing, emotional state, ability to learn and our
safety around them and enjoyment of with them” (Case 298).
Welfare
matters
#futurehorse project update 6 December 2021

18. The
public
talks
welfare
A new animal welfare act
for Victoria.
#futurehorse project update 6 December 2021

19. Welfare
at
events
#futurehorse project update 6 December 2021
veterinary attendance
trained stewards
surface quality often better at events
? excessive lunging
? anti-doping discussions
? time off feed or water (transport & events)
And water taps!

20. Welfare
sentience
safety In summary
 #futurehorse project overview
 Welfare is a wicked situation (horses and people)
 Discovered some early findings from the #futurehorse survey
 Heard what people were saying about sentience and welfare
 Listened to your ideas using a poll question
 Looked at some welfare issues people are worried about
 Where to find out more
#futurehorse project update 6 December 2021

21. Where
to
find
out
more
#futurehorse project update 6 December 2021
Anonymous. (2020). A New Animal Welfare Act for Victoria. The State Government of Victoria. Retrieved 29 June from
https://engage.vic.gov.au/new-animal-welfare-act-victoria
Anonymous. (2021). Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill. UK Parliament. Retrieved 29 June from
https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/2867
Magazine, Horses and People. (2020). The 2020 Five Domains Model for Animal Welfare Assessment and Monitoring.
Saddletops Pty. Ltd. Retrieved 23 October from https://bit.ly/2Es8kXe
Mellor D. (2010). Galloping Colts, Fetal Feelings, and Reassuring Regulations: Putting Animal-Welfare Science into Practice
[Article]. Journal of Veterinary Medical Education, 37(1), 94-100. https://doi.org/10.3138/jvme.37.1.94
Thompson, K. (2019, July 7). Like Apples and Oranges: There are Different Ways to Research Horses and People. Horses
and People Magazine, July-August. https://horsesandpeople.com.au/like-apples-and-oranges-there-are-different-ways-to-
research-horses-and-people/
Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences
Research Groups
https://fvas.unimelb.edu.au/research/groups

22. Contacts
Julie Fiedler
jmfiedler@student.unimelb.edu.au
Professor Josh Slater
jdslater@unimelb.edu.au
Dr Sarah Rosanowski
TBA
Dr Margaret Ayre
mayre@unimelb.edu.au
University of Melbourne
Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Science
250 Princes Rd, Werribee, Australia
All images iStock unless indicated.
Thank
you
#futurehorse project update 6 December 2021