Horse welfare · Hästannons.se

Knowledge that takes the horse seriously

Twelve research-based features on welfare in everyday life – from law and feed to mental health, transport and end of life. Read the whole series or follow a reading path that matches your situation.

Start here · Flagship

The silent revolution in the horse world

Horses evolved to eat for 16–18 hours a day – competition horses in boxes may spend only around 15% of their time eating.

Something is shifting in stable aisles, at riding schools, and around the trotting tracks and racecourses of Sweden and the wider world.

Read the manifesto

Reading paths

Choose a path that matches your situation – each link leads to articles in the recommended order.

I’m buying a horse

Questions to ask, legal requirements and transport before you decide.

1. The law and the horse: what the EU and Sweden actually regulate 2. A stressful journey: What the research says about horse transport 3. The last third: What we know about the welfare of older horses 4. The silent revolution in the horse world

I have an older horse

Retirement, weight, mental stimulation and quality of life over time.

1. The last third: What we know about the welfare of older horses 2. The foundation of well-being: feed, environment and physical health 3. The horse's silent language: what behaviour reveals about well-being 4. The silent epidemic: overweight, EMS and laminitis

I compete

Welfare in sport, transport and mental load.

1. Sport's dilemma: Winning without losing the horse's trust 2. A stressful journey: What the research says about horse transport 3. The horse's silent language: what behaviour reveals about well-being 4. The foundation of well-being: feed, environment and physical health

Foundations & rules

Framework, legislation and why horse welfare is an industry issue.

A hand reaching towards a grey horse's muzzle – trust between human and horse

Foundations & rules · 7 min read

The silent revolution in the horse world

Something is shifting in stable aisles, at riding schools, and around the trotting tracks and racecourses of Sweden and the wider world.

Read article

A bay horse standing quietly in a paddock with fencing

Foundations & rules · 8 min read

The law and the horse: what the EU and Sweden actually regulate

Sweden is often described internationally as a leader in animal protection.

Read article

Body & care

Feed, environment, teeth, parasites and metabolic health issues.

Two bay horses grazing together on green pasture

Body & care · 9 min read

The foundation of well-being: feed, environment and physical health

Behaviour can be hard to read; the horse's body is often clearer.

Read article

Body & care · 8 min read

What you cannot see: dental health and parasites as a welfare issue

Dental disease and gut parasites are among the most underestimated health problems in the horse – partly because they rarely show on the outside, and partly because the signs are easily put down to something else.

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A white horse standing in a flowering summer meadow

Body & care · 8 min read

The silent epidemic: overweight, EMS and laminitis

As the horse's role has shifted from work animal to leisure and companion animal, overweight has become one of the most common health problems in the domesticated population.

Read article

Behaviour & life

Mental health, weaning and ageing horses.

Behaviour & life · 10 min read

The horse's silent language: what behaviour reveals about well-being

The horse is a prey animal, shaped by evolution to hide weakness.

Read article

Mare and foal with their heads towards each other

Behaviour & life · 8 min read

The first parting: What the research says about weaning foals

Weaning – the separation of mare and foal – ranks among the most momentous events in a horse's life.

Read article

Behaviour & life · 9 min read

The last third: What we know about the welfare of older horses

The share of older horses in the horse industry is steadily rising.

Read article

Sport & society

Competition, transport, breeding and end of life.

Sport & society · 9 min read

Sport's dilemma: Winning without losing the horse's trust

Few settings put the horse-welfare question so sharply as competitive sport.

Read article

A chestnut with a blaze walking through a green paddock

Sport & society · 8 min read

A stressful journey: What the research says about horse transport

Horses are transported often, and sometimes over very long distances – to competitions, for breeding, at a change of owner, or to slaughter.

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Two horses nuzzling each other in the paddock

Sport & society · 8 min read

From foal to adult: Welfare in breeding and young-horse rearing

Although breeding is the foundation of the whole horse industry, research on welfare in the breeding sector is relatively limited.

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Close-up of a brown horse's eye and mane

Sport & society · 9 min read

When a horse's life ends: Slaughter, surplus horses and rescue homes

What happens to horses that can no longer, or should no longer, live on? In Sweden most are euthanased at home or at a clinic – only a fraction are slaughtered for food.

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The series is based on research and public sources. For practical guides on buying, yards and grazing, see also our guides for horse owners.