Most horses in developed countries are kept for leisure riding, and improving the everyday welfare of these horses addresses the largest equine welfare population.
Leisure horses represent the majority of the equine welfare population, yet welfare discussions often focus on competition horses where welfare problems are more visible. The everyday welfare of leisure horses depends on management decisions that owners make daily: how much turnout they receive, whether they have social contact, how long they are stabled, the quality of their forage, and the appropriateness of their exercise workload. Improving leisure horse welfare means reaching the large, dispersed population of individual horse owners with evidence-based guidance and creating welfare cultures where good management is expected and supported.