Show jumping welfare concerns encompass training methods, competition frequency, fence heights, and the welfare consequences of falls and refusals in high-level sport.
Show jumping welfare involves both the acute risks of falls and injuries and the chronic welfare implications of intensive training and competition schedules. Falls cause immediate welfare harm to both horses and riders, and fall risk varies with going conditions, course design, and horse fitness. Training methods that use pain or discomfort to produce certain behaviors, including various forms of over-bending, create chronic welfare costs beneath the competition surface. The show jumping community has the capacity to lead welfare improvement through training method codes, course design standards, and competition frequency guidance that prioritizes horse longevity over short-term performance.