Therapeutic riding provides significant benefits to human participants, but the welfare needs of therapy horses require dedicated attention and management.
Therapy horses face unique welfare challenges from the nature of their work with participants who may have unpredictable movements, loud vocalizations, and unusual physical contact. Without proper welfare monitoring, horses in these programs can develop chronic stress. Appropriate rotation between working and rest days is essential. Behavior changes indicating stress must be recognized and acted upon. Horses unsuited to the role must not be pushed into it. Well-managed programs with welfare monitoring benefit both horses and participants.