Horse Sector Participants’ Attitudes towards Anthropomorphism and Animal Welfare and Wellbeing

Adopting contemporary animal welfare and wellbeing assessment methods requires making inferences about psychological experiences, a process at risk of anthropomorphic bias. Respondents to an online survey were asked for their opinions on how anthropomorphism could relate to horse wellbeing. The results suggest that experienced horse sector participants were aware of the effects of anthropomorphism, including its potential beneficial and detrimental impacts on horse welfare and wellbeing. This included the beneficial effect of motivating individuals to care for horses and the detrimental effect of misinterpreting horse behaviors. The authors propose that anthropomorphism has a place in horse wellbeing when used critically and with caution. Horse-related organizations should actively manage anthropomorphism in policies and practices to avoid compromising animal welfare and wellbeing practices.