Play behaviour in horses is a positive welfare indicator - providing opportunities for play enriches horse lives and signals good welfare.
Horse play welfare reflects the positive dimensions of the Five Domains framework - not just absence of suffering but presence of positive experiences. Horses in enriched environments with access to companions and varied terrain spontaneously play, demonstrating positive affective states. Restricted horses - in small paddocks, stabled for long periods, or isolated - show reduced play and more frustration behaviours. Creating opportunities for play through appropriate turnout, social housing, and environmental variety is an achievable welfare improvement that signals genuinely good horse welfare rather than merely adequate welfare. Play observation is a practical welfare assessment tool accessible to any horse owner.