Equine vets debate where responsibility for everyday welfare begins and ends

At the British Equine Veterinary Association's 2026 congress, a panel of vets and welfare specialists took part in a "moral maze" debate examining whether protecting everyday welfare is genuinely vets' "constant endeavour", or whether commercial and client pressures sometimes get in the way. Panellists included outgoing BEVA president Imogen Burrows, World Horse Welfare's UK head Malcolm Morley, and equine behaviour expert Gemma Pearson.

The discussion highlighted practical tensions vets face day to day: treating symptoms under pressure from owners, trainers or riders with competitions, costs or livelihoods at stake, and the challenge of weighing a horse's mental state alongside its physical treatment. One panellist argued that free-choice hay, which can reduce stomach ulcers and support more natural eating behaviour, should become a minimum industry standard for stabled horses, including racehorses, rather than something left to individual vets to recommend case by case.

For horse owners, the debate is a useful reminder that welfare is rarely a single decision but an ongoing balance between a horse's physical and mental needs and everyday realities like cost, competition schedules and yard management. Panellists broadly agreed that naming these conflicts openly, rather than assuming they don't exist, is a necessary step towards raising welfare standards across the industry.