It's a statement that Tom Lenz, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACT, has said before, and it's one he'll say again: "The more you know about unwanted horses, the more complicated the issue becomes."

That sentiment rings true for equine welfare in general, something Lenz said the public began taking interest in back in the early 2000s, when they learned that American processing plants were slaughtering so-called unwanted horses for human consumption in foreign countries. Following public outcry, U.S. horse processing was eventually shuttered.

But the public's interest in horse welfare didn't stop there. In fact, it's continued through to the present day and will likely remain in the future. So what have we learned about equine welfare since the issue first gained national attention? Lenz, senior director of equine veterinary services for Zoetis and former chairman of the Unwanted Horse Council, shared his thoughts on the lessons learned during a University of Kentucky Department of Veterinary Science Equine Diagnostic and Research Seminar.