Human-Horse Relationships, Horse Welfare, and Abuse in Mexico: A Social Representation Approach

What is it about?

Culture influences what is understood by horse welfare and abuse._x000D_ _x000D_ Horses have been used for several human purposes including tourism, sport and leisure. While horses are largely used around the world, their social, economic and cultural meaning varies from culture to culture. Additionally, the use of horses in recreational and sport activities is ethically questionable as their acknowledgement as sentient beings is often ignored._x000D_ _x000D_ We explored what horse handlers’ understand by ‘good’ treatment, abuse and human-horse interactions in the context of tourism, leisure and sport events in Mexico. We aimed to examine the ways in which views to horses’ physical, emotional and social health are influenced by both culture and wider norms of the global equestrian community. We interviewed horse handlers belonging to different equestrian practices in Mexico. Our study revealed that Mexican rules of the horse based practices shape people’s views of what is deemed to treat a horse properly and what is abusive. We suggest the need to understand better how culture shapes different people’s attitudes to those standards and look for ways to protect horses, while taking into account local culture.

Featured Image