How isolation from conspecifics affects horse welfare and what management strategies can meet social needs in different keeping contexts.
Horse isolation is a welfare problem that is normalized in much of the equestrian world despite clear evidence of its psychological costs. Single horses kept alone are experiencing a form of chronic social deprivation that would be considered unacceptable if applied to other social species like dogs or primates. The practical challenges of group housing including pasture management, feeding competition and injury risk are real but addressable, and the welfare benefit of appropriate social contact is sufficient to justify the management investment. Even horses that cannot be kept with other horses should have alternative social companions, fence-line contact with neighbors and regular human interaction to partially compensate for social needs that cannot be fully met without conspecific contact.