NEWLY published research found the involvement of horses in sport to be ethically justifiable, as long as certain welfare conditions are met.

Owner, rider, breeder and equine reproduction specialist Madeleine Campbell, who is also a European diplomat in the area of animal welfare, carried out the study, which was published in the Sport, Ethics and Philosophy journal in July.

Campbell told Horse&Hound it is something she has been working on for years, and given the increased importance of public acceptance of the involvement of horses in sport, the equestrian community needed to articulate why we think it’s ethically justifiable.

“The equestrian sector needs to be able to explain to the public why we can make a sound ethical argument that justifies the involvement of animals in sport; an awful lot of people are arguing that it isn’t ethical,” she said.

Campbell referred to studies carried out by World Horse Welfare that found 20% of respondents do not support horse sport in any form, and 40% would only support it if horse welfare were improved.

She also cited work by the ethics and wellbeing commission for the FEI, which found nearly three quarters of equestrians felt that sport horses’ welfare should be improved.

Campbell’s paper argues that when ethical theories are used to consider involvement of horses in sport, “only absolutist rights theory [such as which might be held by the 20% entirely against horse sport] leads to a negative conclusion”.

But this, she writes, depends on the welfare of horses being protected, not only to minimise negative effects but also to maximise positive effects and ensure a good life for them.

“It doesn’t follow that an animal is necessarily better off without human contact,” Professor Campbell added. “An animal’s life in the wild can be harsh.

“It’s about supplying positive welfare, and the more we understand about equine behaviour and human interactions, the better we’ll be able to do that.”

Professor Campbell said a “life worth living” is the idea that there is a minimum level, which balances positive and negative experiences, so the horse’s overall experience is positive.

“We need to be able to explain why involvement of horses in sport is ethically justified and this paper explains that, providing caveats are met,” she said.

Campbell added that more knowledge on when horses are happy, rather than not unhappy, would be beneficial, and the paper concludes by saying current rules need to be considered as to whether they are adequate or could be improved.

Read the full paper Ethical Justifications for the Use of Animals in Competitive Sport at www.tandfonline.com