How physiological and behavioral biomarkers are being used to assess stress in competition horses and inform welfare improvements.
The welfare of competition horses depends on managing cumulative stress loads across training, transportation, and competition phases. Many horses perform well while experiencing significant physiological stress that is masked by training compliance. Biomarker research is beginning to reveal the gap between apparent performance and underlying wellbeing. Equestrian sports organizations should incorporate welfare biomarker standards into competition licensing, require post-competition recovery assessments, and develop protocols for identifying and supporting horses that consistently show high stress responses.