World Horse Welfare Conference - 'The Horse-Human Partnership - What's in it for the Horse?'

Education identified as the most important factor in improving the horse-human partnership

As we cope with the global pandemic, it is becoming ever more common to attend conferences and meeting without leaving home. Last week JMICAWE Director, Cathy Dwyer, attended the first entirely virtual annual conference of World Horse Welfare, focused on the theme of the ‘The Horse-Human Partnership – What’s in it for the Horse?’ from her own desk, and supplying her own coffee and biscuits! The conference made great use of the opportunities provided by the virtual environment and opened with a poll asking participants to choose which issue they considered the most lacking in horse welfare. Overwhelmingly (58%) of participants chose mental wellbeing as the key issue, with a good (humane) death a distant second with 18% of votes. It was heartening to see the complete acceptance of animal mental state, and a movement away from only considering physical welfare, being so clearly expressed by participants.

The conference dealt with the main topic by considering the welfare and interests of horses as leisure animals, working animals and engaged in sport (racehorses), as well as considering the benefits that humans can get from positive interactions with horses. Madeleine Campbell, from the Royal Veterinary College, gave a comprehensive overview of recent research focusing on the expression of emotions in horses, and how this can help to improve our understanding of what the horse might be experiencing in our interactions with them. Peter Thornber, from the Commonwealth Veterinary Association, then gave a thought-provoking talk, which discussed the complex and often dependent relationships between working equids and the families that rely on them for their livelihoods, and the work of International Coalition for Working Equids to help improve the welfare of both equids and humans. Across the globe, the horse and other equids play varied but important roles in human lives, and have done so for many thousands of years, and we are now starting to consider the horse-human relationship from both sides of the partnership.

The Conference included a number of polls and discussion topics, and it was clear that concepts of the modern horse-human partnership has moved on from the idea that a leisure horse needs a ‘job or purpose’. The role of the horse as a companion, a means of improving owner mental well-being, and with interests in its own quality of life, was supported by nearly all participants and panellists. The Conference wrapped up with a poll asking what one word might improve the horse-human partnership from the perspective of the horse. In agreement with the remit of JMICAWE, Education came out as the most important factor, with empathy, respect, compassion and understanding also considered very important issues.

The whole conference is available to watch as a recording for those interested in learning more here: https://www.worldhorsewelfare.org/about-us/our-organisation/our-conference