Equine welfare and the ethical care and use of horses are at the heart of British Equestrian (BEF) and our work throughout the federations. We constantly seek to ensure that the needs of our horses are at the forefront of decision-making and without compromise to their health, safety or wellbeing.
In this section, you'll find out about our role in delivering these goals working with our member bodies as well as what every one who interacts with horses and equids should be striving for in delievering good equine practice.
The Charter for the Horse
BEF guardianship and our welfare action plan
Equine welfare fundamentals
Welfare in action across the federation
Report an equine welfare concern
Welfare expectations are laid out in the British Equestrian rule book (see the Equine ethics and welfare policy), which applies to all our member bodies (whose activities cover a myriad of equestrian activities) and international athletes and officials acting under the Federation. For member body-specific equine welfare policies, rules, initiatives and frameworks, please visit their websites.
Established in June 2022 in response to growing societal concerns related to the use of horses in sport, the Equine Ethics and Wellbeing Commission (EEWC) is an indpendent group established by the FEI. They look at equine welfare, the impact of equestrian activities on the environment and resource usage and have been tasked with safeguarding equine welfare through ethical, evidence-based policy and practices.
At the FEI General Assembly in November 2022, the delivered their first presentation detailing six priority areas of focus:
The also provided insight frrom two large scale surveys they commissioned:
EEWC – EQUESTRIAN STAKEHOLDERS SURVEY REPORT
This was followed up by their vision for ensuring the future involvement in sport at the FEI Sports Forum in April 2023 – 'A good life for horses'.
Visit the EEWC Key Documents hub for further details of thier work.