Last week (3 June 2025), World Horse Welfare (WHW) brought together leading voices from across the equestrian world to ask a vital question: ‘What drives trust that sport horses live good lives?’
As a supplier of temporary stabling to many of the UK’s leading equestrian events and to private clients at home, it’s a question we take seriously. And one we believe must be answered not only in principle, but in practice.
This is our response… We welcome the growing focus on mental wellbeing, public trust, and good shared practice. These aren’t buzzwords. They’re the lens through which the public, and increasingly, horse owners themselves, judge what we do. And that means showing clearly, not just saying quietly, how equine welfare is supported behind the scenes.
Positive Welfare Starts with Design The WHW-led discussion made one thing clear: good welfare is more than the absence of harm. It’s about comfort, calmness, and the ability for a horse to rest and recover, even in unfamiliar settings. These are the standards we work to embed into every stable we deliver.
Our temporary stabling systems are designed with welfare in mind from the outset. We use solid, double-walled HDPE panels that support hygiene, durability, and safety. Layouts are planned to enable calm entry and exit, good visibility, appropriate light, and effective airflow through the stables and between blocks.
While FEI Veterinary Regulations (Art. 1008) set adopted standards for temporary stabling at international competitions, covering minimum size, ventilation, lighting, and hygiene – these are not mandatory across all UK events. That lack of consistency is something we believe must change. We’re actively working with organisers and welfare bodies to help define a clear, shared standard. In the meantime, every unit we deliver not only aligns with FEI expectations but also meets, and often exceeds, the British Horse Society’s guidance for permanent stable sizing. Because temporary shouldn’t mean second best.
This has nothing to do with premium positioning. It’s about recognising that temporary environments must meet long-term expectations, particularly when horses are travelling, competing, and stabling close to others. Design matters, because it influences everything from rest and recovery to health and behaviour.
As WHW’s own public polling revealed, over half of respondents feared that horses in sport are treated like equipment. We believe temporary stables can, and should, help challenge that perception. From the space and layout to the light and overall feel, every detail in our stable design is shaped to reflect and support positive welfare
Biosecurity: Designed In, Not Added On One of the most pressing points raised in the WHW discussion was the lack of consistent standards for welfare and hygiene across events. It’s an issue we recognise, and one we believe demands urgent, industry-wide action.
At Woodhouse, we believe good biosecurity starts with design. Our stables use easy-clean materials, sealed surfaces, and layouts that support proper access and flow. These features aren’t just practical, they’re essential for maintaining hygiene and reducing risk.
But design alone isn’t enough. That’s why we’ve also been in active conversation with events, organisers, and welfare groups to help shape a shared, mandatory protocol for sanitising stables between uses – one that applies to every horse, at every level of sport, at every event.
Currently, responsibility for disinfection varies. We want to see that change, not just in principle, but in policy. Because biosecurity isn’t only about hygiene, it’s part of a bigger picture. It’s about protecting health, reducing stress, and supporting the conditions horses need to rest and recover well.
“It’s not enough to say we care about welfare. We must show what that means in real terms. That’s why we’re designing with welfare in mind, collaborating with organisers, and pushing for clear, shared standards, so that every horse in temporary stabling is held to the same high standard.”
Dan Hassall, Managing Director, Woodhouse
Trust Can’t Be Claimed – It Has to Be Shown The WHW discussion made clear that the public’s view of horse sport doesn’t always align with those inside the industry. Trust isn’t built through reassurances. It’s built through visible, consistent practice.
From the way stables are designed i.e. their layout, lighting, airflow, space, and hygiene – every element must be open to scrutiny, and built to stand up to it.
That’s why we welcome inspections. That’s why we share what we do. And that’s why we partner with organisers and horse owners who value transparency and proactive planning.
As Dicki Waygood noted at the event, the risk of doing nothing, of staying quiet, is that decisions will be taken out of our hands. We agree. And that applies just as much to facilities and operations as it does to training and competition.
Raising the Bar Together Woodhouse is not waiting for a rulebook. We’re working to shape it.
Our team continues to collaborate with event managers, horse owners, vets, academics and welfare experts across the industry. We’re pushing for standards that are clear, consistent, and practical, because every horse deserves a stable that reflects what we know good welfare should look like.
This conversation isn’t about perfection. It’s about progress and putting horses first at every stage of the process. Because safety isn’t a tick box – it’s a shared standard we must define, demonstrate, and continuously raise if we want to earn and keep the public’s trust.
And we invite organisers, governing bodies and horse owners across the sport to help make sure it stays that way.
References
1. World Horse Welfare (2025): Event for horse sport leaders considers the question: “What drives trust that sport horses live good lives?” WHW Article
2. World Horse Welfare x YouGov (2024): UK Public Attitudes Survey on Horses in Sport
3. British Horse Society (BHS): Guidance on Stable Size and Design BHS Guidance
