Recreational horse welfare: The relationships between recreational horse owner attributes and recreational horse welfare

This area of research has been largely ignored in recreational horses; however, it is reasonable to assume that relationships similar to those reported in a number of livestock industries may exist in recreational horse populations. Given, the literature pertaining to the human-animal relationship and the impact of human-animal interactions on animal welfare in livestock species, the findings of a limited number of studies linking horse owner attitudes with horse welfare outcomes, and the absence of any substantive research into the relationship between horse owner attitudes and the welfare of recreational horses, further research is warranted to investigate possible sequential relationships between horse owner attributes, including horse owner attitudes and behaviour, and the subsequent association with the welfare of recreational horses. Increasing our understanding of the nature of the association between horse owner attributes within human-horse interactions would provide the opportunity to improve the quality of the human-horse relationship and thus the welfare of recreational horses.