Every year in the UK, the Grand National is held, with the Grand National having just taken place on 5 April 2025. The Grand National is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Aintree, Merseyside, England, which is located near to Liverpool in the North of England. It is an event that has faced a lot of controversies over the years and still remains very heavily criticised by animal protection organisations and supporters. The 2025 Grand National saw 40 horses run at Aintree, and no doubt you will have seen the news coverage whereby at least two horses were seen to have very nasty falls during races and needed further veterinary care. This is a common sight with the Grand National, with coverage of the injuries and deaths that occur on the race course seemingly reported more than the actual race results. Which personal I think is a good thing.
Horse racing, and horse riding in general, is still quite a topic of debate within the vegan movement. From what I have seen, horse racing is universally seen as a negative activity, due tot he cruelty that comes with it. However horse riding is something that is far more divisive. Which I thought would be an interesting topic to discuss.
The arguments for horse riding
One of the main arguments I see to support horse riding is the simple fact of that is what horses have been built for. Despite being very nervous creatures, horses are incredibly strong creatures that have been used for transport for centuries. Even today, horses are still used as working creatures, either to help transport people on their backs or to pull heavy carts within farming communities across the globe. However, can we really argue that horse riding for fun is the same as riding a horse because you have no other option to travel long distances?
Another argument is that horses need the exercise, and riding horses allows them an opportunity to truly run and exercise to their full potential. I have no doubt that in many situations, riding a horse can be a beautiful experience for the rider and the horse, and this can lead to a wonderful bonding moment between a horse and their rider. As a child, I went to a riding school and I still remember the names of the horses I would regularly ride and have very fond memories of grooming the horses and learning more about horse welfare. I do truly believe that people who get into horse riding do so because they truly love horses and truly want to have that wonderful experience with them.
Another argument in favour of horse riding is that it provides the horse with stimulation. Horses have complex needs, the same as any animal, and that includes access to stimulus and enrichment that keeps them engaged and keeps their minds working as well as their bodies. Horses need to be trained in order to be ridden on a regular basis, and this can take many different forms in order to keep the horse in question engaged and motivated throughout the experience. It is also a good way to get them out of a stable and into nature, allowing them a chance to see new things, interact with new environments and to experience different places and things that they likely wouldn’t if kept on the stable land. From a safety perspective, it is also far easier to control a startled horse from atop the startled horse than it is to try and catch up to a startled horse on foot, thus ensuring that the horse is kept safe throughout any exploration trip.
Arguments against horse riding
The main argument against horse riding is the obvious one: we have no way of knowing whether or not a horse truly likes being ridden. Evidence has shown that riding a horse can have a negative impact on their back and spine, leading to injuries and pain if corrective measures are not taken. Horse riding (and horse based sports overall) are known to also be very dangerous activities – whilst horses are very gentle and timid creatures, they are still massive creatures that can (and have) crush a person beneath them were they to fall. How many stories have you read in the news about someone being paralysed or even killed because they were thrown off the back of a horse who had had enough?
It is also somewhat concerning that in order to be ridden, a horse needs to be trained for it, which would suggest that if they had their own way it seems unlikely that a horse would willingly carry a human on their back. The fact that many (albeit not all) of the training techniques used to train a horse involve inflicting some sort of physical pain on the horse: whips, bits, spurs etc. All of these are devices used to train the horse through physical punishment, which again would suggest that if we have to resort to such tactics to train them, maybe horses were not made to be ridden by humans. Yes, a long time ago and in certain situations horses were or are the only option, but for many people who engage in horse riding, it is a hobby. It is a sport. It is meant to be something done ‘for fun’. But if you need a whip to hand in order to ride a horse, is it really fun for the horse? Who is this actually benefiting now?
There is also the argument that horses are naturally herd animals and are better suited to living in a situation where they can perform natural behaviours unhindered by having a person on their back. Horses exhibit a wide range of behaviours, such as bucking, kicking, galloping and nuzzling, all of which can be forms of play or communication amongst a herd of horses. And all of which are hindered by having people sit on them. As I mentioned before, being bucked off a horse can be very dangerous, and is normally a sign that the horse in question is unhappy with being ridden, be that because they are in pain, they are simply fed up, or they have been frightened by something.
Would I ever ride a horse again?
As I said before, I used to ride horses as a kid. I loved it. Unfortunately for me, horse riding is a very expensive hobby to get into, so it is not something I was able to keep up as I grew older. But as I have grown older and my own journey into veganism and animal protection has developed over time, I do not think that I would ride a horse again. I love horses, and I loved being able to ride them and spend time just walking with them, but then it was only me who was definitely benefitting. I am not suggesting that every single horse is suffering because they are being ridden, but for me the concern is that I will never truly know whether the horse enjoys it. Sure they may tolerate it at the time, but that doesn’t mean they like it. And I am not someone who wants to potentially take that risk. I think if I was to ever interact with horses again (I currently live in a very urban area of horses are a very rare sight for me) it would be from a husbandry perspective more than anything else. I would happily spend all day mucking out stables and grooming horses, so long as I could still interact with them in a way that I knew was not going to cause them any sort of distress or harm, no matter how small it may seem.
I of course do not think that everyone who enjoys horse riding is a horrible person who mistreats their horse – of course there will always be the odd outlier who does, but for the most part I do believe that people who enjoy horse riding do so because they just love spending time with horses. I do not think there is anything malicious in their intentions. Horses racing though? Horse showing? Dressage? Those are different topics…no doubt for a separate blog post entirely! For now, I think that more research has to be done into horse behaviour and welfare before it can ever be said with any certainty that they enjoy being ridden. And I think that until that research can show that – consistently and reputably – then I will not engage in any horse riding activities.
Taylor Talks Vegan 