Elite equestrian sports including eventing and show jumping raise persistent welfare concerns around training methods, competition intensity, fall and injury rates, and the doping of horses to mask pain or enhance performance.
Equestrian sport presents a welfare paradox: horses are often lavishly cared for in terms of nutrition and veterinary access while facing welfare compromises from intensive training, restricted movement, and competitive pressures that may incentivise continuing to work injured animals. The development of the Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram represents a significant advance in evidence-based welfare assessment that allows observers to identify pain signals that were previously interpreted as behavioural problems or disobedience. Regulatory bodies in equestrian sport have a responsibility to implement welfare standards grounded in this emerging science, including clearer rules on managing and retiring horses showing pain indicators.