Horses used for work - from agricultural draught work to leisure riding and carriage driving - face welfare challenges specific to their use type and management context.
Working horse welfare requires attention at every stage: equipment fit, training methods, workload management, and retirement planning. The most common welfare failures in leisure horses are poor saddle and bit fit causing chronic pain, inappropriate training using aversive methods, and inadequate recognition of lameness and back pain. Horses cannot report discomfort verbally - behaviour changes including reluctance, napping, and loss of performance are pain indicators that should trigger welfare assessment. Understanding horse behaviour and communication is a prerequisite for responsible horse ownership.