The European Equestrian Federation (EEF) has – with the support of World Horse Welfare – designed a survey on horse welfare at home for completion by the wider equine industry. The EEF survey has been launched following the exposure of several examples of poor horse welfare in a training environment. To properly counter these issues going forward, the EEF will now assess the current landscape, the attitudes and opinions within the industry and understand whether these issues are widespread. With this information, the EEF aims to then support their national federations to create practical initiatives to counter these unacceptable behaviours. All survey answers are anonymous and will be used to better inform the EEF of the current situation.

In a press release, EEF President Theo Ploegmakers said: “This is a vitally important issue.The horse lies at the centre of everything we do, and their care should be the utmost priority for everyone in our industry. The recent cases in which behaviours at home have been uncovered are incredibly worrying for our sport and exceptionally damaging to the trust we have been building with the wider public. It is of the highest importance that we now understand the depth of this issue and support our National Federations to action against it.”

The answers in the survey will be analysed and carried forward to a panel discussion in cooperation with World Horse Welfare, the International Grooms Association, the EEF’s member federations and international rider club stakeholders to properly discuss and consider how Europe’s equestrian community can stamp out abusive training practices.

The survey is now open and will be available for completion until April 5th 2024.