The international governing body for equestrian sports, the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI), states that the welfare of the horse must be paramount and never subordinated to competitive or commercial influences. However, there is growing unease about welfare issues from both within and outside the sport. The aim of this study was to understand stakeholder perceptions of current welfare issues within equestrian sport, determine whether there is scope for change, and explore attitudes towards welfare assessment. Participants (n = 48) from equestrian sport (n = 38) and animal welfare research (n = 10) attended a workshop that included welfare-related presentations and focus group sessions. The focus group sessions were recorded, anonymised and analysed using thematic analysis. Conflict between the demands of competition and the needs of the horse was identified as a key welfare challenge. Although the physical health of equine athletes is closely monitored, horses’ psychological needs are sometimes overlooked. Participants recognised that improving competition practices may not be as impactful as improving the general management and training of horses. The term “quality of life” was considered preferable to “welfare”, which had negative connotations. Participants appreciated the idea of incorporating formal welfare assessments into their training and competition plans but stated that existing tools are rarely used and are not deemed feasible for real-life conditions.

Human assessment of equine wellbeing is fundamental to ensuring the optimal care of domestic horses. However, terminology associated with wellbeing is still not fully defined and there are currently no validated quality of life (QoL) assessment tools. Furthermore, little is known about what equine wellbeing or QoL means to horse owners, or how their beliefs impact on the management decisions they make for their horse. This study sought to establish how UK leisure horse owners use wellbeing-related terminology by exploring their accounts within a focus group setting. Four online focus group discussions (FGD) were held and qualitative data were collected. FGDs involved a semi-structured discussion, followed by a group activity to compare seven equine wellbeing-related terms of interest introduced by the facilitator. The collected data were analysed using a constructivist grounded theory approach, and also by content analysis, to examine the frequency and subjective meaning of the terms of interest. The results showed that horse owners did not clearly delineate between different terms, rather, they used the terms in the context of their own assessments of their horse. The meanings assigned to what owners experienced with their horse were individual and subjective, shaped by past experiences, relationships with their animal, and peers or social groups. This individualised construction of equine wellbeing impacted on the meaning conveyed when using wellbeing-related terminology. In this study, we extend the literature on equine wellbeing terminology usage, and highlight differences between the academic literature and the real-world experiences of horse owners.

The number of aged horses in the UK has been growing over recent years, with many horses remaining active and being cared for into old age. However, increasing age is paralleled with a heightened risk of morbidity and mortality; therefore, owners of older horses must manage changes in their horse, making decisions about management and health care provision. In this paper, we discuss data collected from an open-access online discussion forum, where forum users sought advice arising from concerns about their older horse. Qualitative data analysis was performed using grounded theory methods. A conceptual model was developed to demonstrate the multifaceted ways in which ageing affects the human–horse relationship and impacts upon outcomes for the horse. The model reflects the dynamic nature of caring for an older horse to accommodate change over time—outcomes for the horse shift as the context of day-to-day life changes. The model provides novel insight into how decisions around older horse care are made.

In the expanding field of human-animal interaction (HAI) research, studies examining the relationship between pet ownership and human health and wellbeing have struggled with inconsistent and inconclusive findings around whether interacting with a pet has a positive, negative, or even a significant impact. These inconsistencies have driven efforts to interrogate methodological approaches and strengthen scientific rigor in HAI research, aiming to develop a clearer and fuller understanding of how pet ownership can affect human health and wellbeing. This article examines whether prominent approaches to understanding both relationships between humans and companion animals, and the concept of wellbeing itself, can adequately capture the complexity of their interrelations. We surmise that the disciplinary traditions within HAI research have shaped the treatment of the key subjects – humans, animals, and wellbeing – in ways that lead to the issues presented in the literature today. Aiming to contribute to addressing this challenge, we propose that embracing a relational approach would help generate a more holistic understanding of human-animal relationships and the ways in which they affect human wellbeing. A relational approach, which sees humans, animals, and wellbeing not as fixed entities but emerging through fluid interrelationships and contexts, can help us better understand the dynamic nature of the ‘pet-effect’ question. Taking the concept of the ‘multispecies family’ as an example, we illustrate how relational thinking can reveal both the complexity and significance of modern pet-owner relationships, going beyond a simple ‘pet-effect’. Finally, we end with future directions for relational HAI research and its impact beyond academia. While significant expertise already exists in the HAI space, diversifying the concepts and approaches we use, while being sensitive to their differing methodological and philosophical roots, will enhance our collective efforts to better understand how people and pets can create wellbeing together. Overall, rather than attempting to conclude the existence of a generic ‘pet-effect’ at large, we advocate for further attention to the specific ways in which understandings and experiences of wellbeing emerge within these frequently profound, yet diverse, human-animal relationships.

Background: In Great Britain, owners are keeping their horses into increasingly older age, reflecting societal changes in human–animal relationships. The uptake of routine veterinary services is reported to reduce as horses age. Horse owners seek information regarding their animal's health from alternative sources before and/or following veterinary involvement. Information regarding the experiences and behaviours of veterinarians toward older horse health care provision is limited. Objective: This study sought to explore how veterinary care for the ageing horse is conceptualised and approached by veterinarians treating horses in Great Britain. Study design: Exploratory qualitative. Methods: A subset of qualitative data, collected as part of a larger study investigating how owners and veterinarians make decisions regarding the care of the older horses, was analysed using a constructivist grounded theory approach. Data included semi‐structured in‐depth interviews with nine veterinarians and veterinary clinical records pertaining to the horses of 13 participating owners. Results: Veterinarians valued regular interactions with owners to optimise a horse's management, however, the timing and nature of veterinary involvement varied. The context of older age shaped decision‐making and ‘age‐appropriate’ interventions were negotiated within the context of each horse and owner. Where participants had concerns about a horse, they sought to achieve an owner's adherence to their advice while navigating the veterinarian–owner relationship. Interpersonal dimensions of veterinarian–owner interactions appeared to shape, and could challenge, veterinarians' delivery of health care services and their own sense of being a professional who cares for animals, and about people. Main limitations: A sample of veterinarians were recruited for this study based on horse owners' involvement. Conclusions: The provision of veterinary care for the older horse rests upon networks of relationships. Collaboration between the profession and owners in both the design and delivery of, veterinary health care services may better enable different types of knowledge and values to be brought together more effectively.

Background: Poor pain management in horses is a welfare concern. The ‘diagnosis’ of pain cannot be separated from the broader set of interactions through which it emerges. The interactions that take place during veterinary consultations shape the ways in which, or whether, pain management is discussed. Objectives: To understand owners' and veterinarians' decision making in relation to chronic pain and its management. Study Design: Qualitative ethnographic study. Methods: Data were collected from four veterinary practices in Great Britain between May 2023 and April 2024. Around 200 h of ethnographic observation was undertaken, including the observation of 47 consultations. Additionally, semi‐structured interviews with 18 veterinarians and 25 owners/carers were conducted. Principles of grounded theory were drawn upon throughout the collection and analysis of data. Results: This study focusses on the veterinary consultation, discussing how the interplay of actors—both human and nonhuman—affected pain diagnosis and treatment decision making. There were four key processes that were common across the consultations observed: ‘Establishing the presence of painful issues’, ‘Searching for the cause’, ‘The (de)escalation of issues of concern’ and ‘Targeting the source of pain’. In each consultation, dynamic multi‐actor interactions coproduced matters of concern, and these were the ‘things’ to which peoples' perceptions of pain were related. Pain diagnosis was not a ‘matter of fact’, but emerged through relational practices. Consultations could move towards a focus on the horse's management, however, other matters of concern could obfuscate discussions about the subjective experience of the horse. Main Limitations: Focus on leisure horse population. Conclusions: Pain could become a matter of veterinary concern if it emerged through unique contexts and practices. The nature of presentation to the veterinarian as well as the (re)construction of issues affecting the horse through veterinary medical practices could create tensions for pain management. Opportunities to improve practice are highlighted.