Horses in sport - from racing to showjumping to dressage - face welfare challenges including training methods, injury risk, and post-career management.
Horse sport involves both genuine welfare problems and genuine partnership between horse and rider. At its best, sport is associated with good care, exercise, and mental stimulation. At its worst, it involves overwork, restrictive training methods, racing before physical maturity, excessive use of whip, and disposal of animals when they are no longer profitable. Fractures on racecourses are often fatal. Dressage training using hyperflexion (Rollkur) causes stress and discomfort. The welfare of horses at the end of their sporting careers requires much better industry attention.