Social licence: Learning from other industries?

This virtual conference, which explored strategies for the maintenance of social licence to operate within equestrianism, took place on Wednesday 24th January 2024. This unique event showcases ideas from speakers across the globe - United Kingdom, Europe, United States, Hong Kong, and Australia - all of whom are leaders from within equestrianism or thought leaders from non-equestrian industries who have challenged and changed the status quo, for the benefit of all concerned.
Programme:
Welcome and opening remarks Roly Owers, Chief Executive, World Horse Welfare
Public acceptance of equestrianism: A view from horse sport Ingmar de Vos, President, FEI
Ingmar de Vos, whose term in office at the FEI has included establishment of the independent Equine Ethics and Wellbeing Commission, discussed his views on current challenges to the public acceptance of equestrian sport, the FEI’s approach to this issue, and the effects of their strategies to date.
Public acceptance of equestrianism: A view from horse racing Dr. Chris Riggs, Director, Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Equine Welfare Research Foundation
Chris Riggs has spent the last 20 years working as a veterinary clinician and researcher within the horseracing industry in Hong Kong. He discussed his perspective on the status of racing’s social licence to operate and the effectiveness of strategies aimed at combating current challenges.
Lessons learned from the sustainability battlefield: From reactive, peripheral, and a nuisance to strategic, integrated, and opportunistic Bob Langert, Corporate sustainability consultant; formerly Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility & Sustainability at McDonald’s Corporation
Bob Langert has been instrumental in improving both animal welfare and environmental sustainability within the fast food industry in a way that has had benefits for all - including the industry. Using relevant examples from his experience with McDonald’s and other companies, he outlines potential strategies for equestrianism as the sport navigates its way forward through issues relating to sustainability, stakeholder engagement, and public acceptance.
Values-based communications and actions: Evidence from agriculture Charlie Arnot, Founder and president, Look East; Chief Executive, Center for Food Integrity
Charlie Arnot’s evidence-based approach to values-based actions and communications and his extensive experience in the food and agriculture industry have built his reputation as a trusted counsellor on critical issues within the food system. He outlines the strategies that industries should adopt - and those they should ignore - as they strive to build public trust.
Engagement science: A data-driven approach to social licence Dr. Kieren Moffat, Co-founder and Chief Executive, Voconiq
Kieren Moffat’s innovative approach to the assessment of public attitudes provides an understanding not only of what people think about an industry, but also why they think it. This, in turn, provides the industry with a quantifiable pathway towards the most relevant strategies for improvement. Kieren uses his wealth of experience in the field of public engagement science within both animal-use and non-animal-use industries to map out principles that are relevant for the future of equestrianism.
Enabling behaviour change within the equine sector Toby Park, Head of Energy and Sustainability, The Behavioural Insights Team
Toby Park provides advice to government departments in the United Kingdom, intergovernmental organisations (e.g., United Nations, global development banks), and international environmental NGOs to help drive evidence-based social impact. Combining his experience in the psychology of sustainable behaviour with his engaging and interactive presentation style, he emphasised the importance of understanding human behaviour and will provide strategies for the implementation of behaviour change science within equestrianism.
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[@elmayco]

I was pleased to see this being brought to attention and I was going to share this with people. However, I had to switch it off after a while as it was making me uncomfortable. I’m really not sure that taking advice on how to improve public perception from McDonalds and the meat industry looks good on the horse industry. Do we actually care about our horses, or are we more concerned with how we look to the public so we can keep profiting from them? That said, I certainly hope horse sports can be opened up to behaviourists and improvements made for the sake of the horse.

[@OdinOReilly]

Very long but, I did sit through it all. My take away was the horse industry, including everyone involved with horses, needs to listen and work with the pulbic to address what they see or think or feel. That is how we will improve their perception. One way, I believe is to take responsibility for our actions. If the FEI, for example, states they will not condone behavior that results in the horse showing discomfort then they should not then post pictures or videos of people winning on a horse that is obviously hurting. There is a horrible video from Australia taken by an undercover news crew at a slaughter house. Showing registered racehorses that are still listed as racing being culled. If you want the public to take you seriously, there needs to action in cases such as these. Hold people accountable. If judges are placing horses that are in pain, retrain the judges. Remove the award. Called the owner of the horse that is listed as racing but is dead to account. Be truthful. To the public and yourself.