Working horses in agricultural, transport, and ceremonial contexts number over 100 million globally; their welfare varies enormously and targeted interventions can make dramatic improvements.
Working horse welfare is a significant welfare and development issue in low-income countries. The animals that power agricultural production and transport for hundreds of millions of rural families often receive inadequate care not through neglect but through lack of knowledge and access to veterinary services. Harness-related wounds, dental problems causing poor condition, hoof disease from inadequate trimming, and exhaustion from overwork are endemic in poorly supported working animal communities. Organizations like The Brooke provide mobile veterinary services and owner education that produce dramatic welfare improvements at scale. The development case aligns with the welfare case — healthy working animals are more productive, reducing poverty while improving welfare. This is one of the clearest examples of welfare and human wellbeing complementing each other.