Horse competition raises welfare questions about training methods, overuse, and pressure to perform.
Competitive horse sports create welfare tensions between the genuine human-horse partnerships that many equestrians develop and the performance pressures that can compromise horse welfare. Rollkur training techniques cause physical and psychological harm. Racing Thoroughbreds face injury risks from intense training on immature skeletons. Show horses may be subjected to training aids that cause pain. The welfare solution requires industry-level commitment to zero-tolerance enforcement of prohibited practices and provision for horses after their competitive careers end.