Farm Animals

Horse Welfare in Endurance Racing

Endurance racing involves horses covering 100-160 km in a single day. Welfare regulation through veterinary checks and elimination criteria has improved but problems persist.

Key Facts

FEI endurance events include mandatory veterinary checks at defined distances
Metabolic illness and lameness are the primary welfare problems in endurance competition
Some Middle East endurance events have faced welfare criticism for excessive riding speeds
Completion rates in well-managed events are a welfare indicator - high completion suggests appropriate pacing

Welfare Considerations

Endurance welfare requires robust veterinary check criteria with low thresholds for elimination, appropriate conditioning of horses before entry, hydration management along the course, and consequences for repeated welfare violations by riders.

What You Can Do

Support FEI welfare enforcement in international endurance events
Advocate for minimum conditioning requirements before endurance competition participation
Report suspected endurance welfare violations to national equestrian federations