Therapeutic and adaptive riding programmes provide significant benefits to human participants but raise welfare questions about the demands placed on horses used in these settings.
Therapeutic riding horses occupy a unique welfare position: they contribute to genuine human wellbeing while experiencing significant physical and psychological demands. The welfare challenges are real - inconsistent handling, heavy workloads, and the stress of working with riders whose movements may be unpredictable. However, with good management these horses can have positive welfare: appropriate workloads, skilled handlers, good nutrition and veterinary care, and genuine social and behavioural opportunities outside work. Programmes that explicitly monitor horse welfare alongside human outcomes demonstrate the highest ethical standards.