Horses are used for a wider range of human purposes than almost any other animal, from racing and competition to leisure riding and working transport, with welfare challenges specific to each context.
Horse welfare in leisure and sport contexts varies enormously from excellent to severely compromised. Racing and high-level competition involve risks of acute injury alongside chronic welfare issues including gastric ulcers from high-concentrate diets and box rest from injury. Working equids in low-income countries face welfare crises from overwork, poor nutrition, and lack of veterinary care. Leisure horses kept in small numbers without appropriate companionship, space, or forage time suffer psychological deprivation. The human-horse bond in riding contexts creates both welfare benefits through skilled management and risks through anthropomorphic misinterpretation of horse needs.