UNANNOUNCED inspections of equestrian facilities, making welfare education mandatory for all those who work with sport horses, and publishing results of welfare assessments were the public’s top three answers on what would increase their trust that sport horses live good lives, according to World Horse Welfare’s (WHW) latest public opinion poll.

Other suggestions to improve welfare and increase public trust included: putting the horse at the centre of decision-making, more education and better dissemination of best practice, moving away from outdated language and practices, and the implementation of ethical training based on how horses learn.