Horses evolved as highly social animals living in stable herd groups, and isolation or inadequate social provision is a significant welfare problem for domestic horses kept in ways that deny these fundamental social needs.
Horse social welfare represents a management challenge embedded in infrastructure and tradition. Individual stabling, valued for management control and competition preparation, denies the social contact that horses evolved to need. A horse in a stable for 20 hours per day with only visual access to neighbors is experiencing significant social deprivation relative to its evolved social needs. The management alternative — paired or group turnout with appropriate social management to prevent injury — is achievable in most equestrian facilities but requires facility design commitment and management investment. The welfare case for social equine management is strong and increasingly supported by equestrian welfare organizations, though cultural change in competition contexts is slow.