Interspecies Sustainability to Ensure Animal Protection: Lessons from the Thoroughbred Racing Industry

Abstract

There is a disconnect between dominant conceptions of sustainability and the protection of animals arising from the anthropocentric orientation of most conceptualisations of sustainability, including sustainable development. Critiques of this disconnect are primarily based in the context of industrial animal agriculture and a general model of a species-inclusive conception of sustainability has yet to emerge. The original contribution of this article is two-fold: First, it develops a theoretical framework for interspecies sustainability. Second, it applies this to a case study of the thoroughbred racing industry. Interviews were conducted with thoroughbred industry and animal advocacy informants in the US, Australia and Great Britain. While industry informants claim thoroughbred welfare is seminal for industry sustainability, they adopt a market-oriented anthropocentric conception of sustainability and do not consider animal welfare a sustainability domain in its own right. Animal advocacy informants demonstrate a deeper understanding of welfare but some express discomfort about linking sustainability, welfare and racing. Eight analytical layers have been identified in the discourse in the interface of sustainability and animal protection, of which two have transformational potential to advance interspecies sustainability. Interspecies sustainability urgently needs to be advanced to ensure animal protection in the sustainability transition, and to not leave the defining of animal welfare and sustainability to animal industries.

The Evolution of Sustainable Development Theory: Types, Goals, and Research Prospects

“…Third, procedural fairness, that is, the fairness of various decision-making procedures and political rules. Fourth, species equity, that is, the equity of the right to survival and the right to reproduction between human beings and other species [19,87]. The current interpretation of equity in SD mainly focuses on intra-generational equity.…”

Naturalness and the Legitimacy of Thoroughbred Racing: A Photo-Elicitation Study with Industry and Animal Advocacy Informants

“…However, interestingly, in the relevant studies cited above, references to natural horsemanship are not made. In terms of racing specifically, although some individual owners and trainers may advocate aspects of natural horsemanship, it does not play a role in the thoroughbred industry discourse [ 2 , 3 , 39 , 61 , 63 ].…”

“…Yet, these welfare issues are only the proverbial “tip of the iceberg”. Animal advocacy informants in the same study additionally identified routine training and husbandry practices, human-horse interactions and the “everyday life of horses” as “where the real welfare issues are” in thoroughbred racing [ 3 ]. These are issues discussed in the general equine welfare literature and include topics such as housing [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ], feeding [ 8 , 9 ], equine behaviour [ 10 ], equine emotions [ 11 ], equine welfare assessment [ 12 , 13 ], the application of equipment [ 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 ], equine learning and training [ 22 , 23 ], the impact of equine activities on the horse [ 24 ], human handling during various forms of human-horse interactions [ 25 , 26 ], impacts of riding on behaviour and welfare [ 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 ], horse-human relationships [ 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 ] and people’s ability and inability to recognise behavioural signs of equine distress and pain [ 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 ].…”

“…A theme that unites these issues and that allows one to make assessments as to the welfare impact is naturalness, i.e., what is natural for the horse and what is in the horse’s nature in relation to their species-specific, as well as individual, physiological; emotional; cognitive; social and behavioural characteristics, abilities and boundaries. These welfare issues do not appear to be recognised by the thoroughbred industry as critical for the integrity of racing, nor for how the industry is perceived by the public [ 2 , 3 , 39 ].…”

The External Workload of Thoroughbred Horse Racing Jockeys

“…At an industry level, much of the appeal of the thoroughbred industry is based on tradition and the maintenance of traditional practices. Attention on the sustainability of the industry has primarily focused on the impact of these traditional practices on the horse, rather than a broader context of all industry participants [5][6][7]. Indeed, there appears to have been limited focus on how the workplace practices and physiological challenges of jockeys (high perceived workload and maintenance of low body weights) are sustainable within the industry, both from a health and safety and economic perspective.…”