Discussing Equine Ethics: Taking Stock from Theory and Practice

Equines and humans share a long history in which diverse relationships have developed. Horses today are companions, (co-)athletes and working animals. They are used in research and entertainment or serve as status symbols.
Discussing Equine Ethics emerges from the current social context in which the issue of equine welfare has never been more central. In recent years, there has been a boom in critical attention toward equine cultures, driving theoretical research and bringing ethical concerns to the forefront of practitioners’ minds.
But what exactly is equine ethics? Some philosophers believe that animal ethics is something we do rather than a set of theories and literatures alone. Bob Fischer (2021) reflects on doing animal ethics as navigating our relationships with nonhuman animals. This conference takes this view as its starting point and encompasses two key perspectives: (1) Theoretical perspectives: theoretically driven inquiries into building good horse-human relationships; and (2) Practical perspectives: reflections and studies on good horse-human relationships anchored in particular practices.
With the aim of joining forces, we invite scholars and practitioners involved with equine welfare and ethics to participate in this two-day international conference. Our goal is to engage in interdisciplinary thinking about shared concerns. How can we best understand and meet the species-specific and individual needs of horses? Can riding and use in sport be reconciled with the physiological and psychological wellbeing of the animals? What does a good (work) life look like for a horse, for example in the context of equine assisted therapy?