One veterinarian concedes that equitation scientists and vets alike are still working to determine how to change people’s behavior with the goal of improving horse welfare, but offers some suggestions on how to make progress. | Photo: iStock

We’ve got the science. We’ve got the evidence. We know the kinds of things that result in poor equine welfare. We’ve figured out what causes horses discomfort or pain. We understand what actions we, as humans, do that can make horses suffer in the name of sport, pleasure, or even convenience. And we’ve made strides in improving horse welfare.

Now that we’ve got that down, the next step is easy, right? Just tell people to stop doing what they’re doing and do it differently.

Hold your horses. As a group of equitation scientists and equitation science enthusiasts discovered, it’s not quite that easy