Horse Sector Participants’ Attitudes towards Anthropomorphism and Animal Welfare and Wellbeing.

The study investigates how anthropomorphism, or attributing human traits to animals, impacts horse welfare according to the perspectives of individuals in the horse industry. The researchers found that most participants believe anthropomorphism can affect horse welfare both positively and negatively, and suggest it should be carefully managed in animal welfare policies and practices.

Research Methods and Participants

• The research was conducted via an online survey in 2021, targeting individuals working in various capacities in the horse industry.
• Out of 520 respondents, 82.9% believed that anthropomorphism could impact the welfare and wellbeing of horses, offering significant insight to base the study on.

Key Themes Identified

• Based on the responses, the researchers identified two main themes regarding how anthropomorphism might affect horse welfare.
• The first theme, “Anthropomorphism can influence how people relate to horses”, suggests that viewing horses through a human lens can affect the human-horse relationship, potentially altering how humans interact with and care for horses.
• The second theme, “Anthropomorphism can have consequences for horse welfare and wellbeing”, implies that assigning human qualities to horses could lead to beneficial or harmful outcomes in terms of their welfare and wellbeing.

Benefits and Detriments of Anthropomorphism

• The perceived benefits of anthropomorphism included fostering a sense of connection with the horse, which could potentially motivate better care and attention to their needs.
• However, potential detriments included the risk of misunderstanding horse behaviors, which could lead to inappropriate or harmful treatment.

Recommendations and Future Research

• The authors advocate for a balanced approach to anthropomorphism – it should be used critically and cautiously in the context of horse welfare and wellbeing.
• There is a need for regulatory bodies and organizations in the horse sector to actively manage the role of anthropomorphism when they update policies and implement models like the Five Domains Model, an animal welfare assessment tool.
• The study concludes with a call for further research to better understand the impact of anthropomorphism on practices related to horse care and management.