12/08/2026
This is a great question to ask ourselves. Is a welfare change actually improving the horse’s lives or is it just improving how things look?
🐴 Is a welfare change actually improving horses’ lives, or just improving how equestrianism looks?
At the ISES 2026 Conference, Jo Hockenhull presented “Welfare washing: The (unexpected) turn of the social license debate?”
As public concern around equine welfare grows, equestrian organisations are increasingly making changes in response. But not all changes necessarily translate into meaningful improvements for horses.
The presentation explored the concept of “welfare washing”, where changes may create the appearance of improved welfare while doing little to address the underlying issue.
Examples discussed ranged from meaningful changes, such as management systems providing racehorses with greater enrichment and socialisation, to more superficial responses, including changing terminology such as “whip” to “baton” without necessarily changing the horse’s experience.
A new framework was proposed to help evaluate changes by considering their impact on the horse, the equestrians around the horse and the public.
The key question is not simply whether an organisation can demonstrate that something has changed, but whether that change genuinely makes a meaningful difference to the horse.
Authentic welfare improvements matter not only for horses, but for maintaining the credibility and long term social license of equestrianism.
