A guest blog by Dr Imogen Burrows BVetMed CertAVP(EM) PgCertVPS CertAVP MRCVS
Equestrian sport remains firmly in the spotlight in the wake of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Despite the brilliant accomplishments of TeamGB in the equine events, the future of equestrianism within the Olympics remains under scrutiny. The general public are increasingly vocal not only about how we manage the welfare of the horse in sport, but crucially the ethical debate on whether we should use horses for sport at all is gathering momentum.
This year’s BEVA Congress has set aside a stream dedicated to talks discussing if and how we can strengthen the social licence of competition, and the topic is not likely to fade as, earlier this summer BEVA President elect, Bruce Bladon, expressed his opinion that ‘equine veterinary practice would be unlikely to survive without equestrian sport’.
Whilst the social licence of equestrian sports has been firmly in the spotlight for several years, one has to ask, “Have the equine veterinary profession been quietly watching from the outside, rather than taking the opportunity to reflect on our role and how we can maintain our own social licence to operate?” Earlier this year BEVA formed a working group to do just this, choosing to reflect on specific matters that as veterinary professionals, we have direct control over and we are excited to follow the outputs from the group in the future.
In order to continue as a self-regulating profession, we must look at what is critical to both obtaining and maintaining the social licence, and focus our actions on this; rather than seeing social licence as a goal to achieve in its own right. Demonstrating competence is essential to maintain our credibility; clear and timely communication alongside increased transparency both within and outside of our industry are all essential to gaining public trust in what we do.
So, what can; or perhaps more importantly, what should we be doing within our profession? Never has it been more critical to consider both the ethics alongside the welfare of our interventions. It is not enough to assume the procedure we propose will be acceptable without robust scientific evidence, not just of the value and benefit to the animal, but also of the potential harms. In understanding and communicating evidence for what we intend to do, we are able to provide a good ethical position that this is something we should be doing – a vital starting point to work from.
It is critical that the professional is brave enough to challenge ourselves on all aspects of the care we provide. Clinicians would all agree that the welfare of the animal is central to veterinary care, but do we really walk the walk? Equine veterinary care has many areas which are lacking in evidence, a point regularly used in support of the ongoing use of some questionable practices. It is worth remembering the absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. Change is undoubtably hard and frequently unpopular, particularly in the equine sector which is steeped in traditions and strong opinion.
Educating ourselves and in turn, our colleagues, clients and the public where appropriate, is vital to achieve a genuine evidence-based approach to clinical practice. There is far from one way to do anything, so open discussion with all stakeholders, sharing values and understanding required goals is essential for successful outcomes.
Historically, transparency has not been not the forte of the veterinary profession. What appears ‘normal’ in day-to-day practice, may not be viewed with the same perspective by the public. In many practices, clinical tasks will be performed away from the client, often for logistical reasons; but should an adverse event occur, however small, or the horse’s behaviour appears altered afterwards, the optics of this mean our choices and actions will be under scrutiny immediately. Similarly, the immense time pressure clinicians experience regularly results in abbreviated dialogue with owners, but engaging in such communication is vital to strengthening the vet-owner relationship and building trust.
It is clear the industry appreciates there is a threat to our social licence, but what is less clear is what to do at the individual level. The 2022 FEI Ethics and Wellbeing Commission’s report demonstrated that a significant proportion of people believe that welfare standards need improving in sports, but perhaps what was more telling was that this belief was far greater amongst those involved in equestrianism (78%) than the general public (52%). Also as relevant is the finding that 6% of equestrians versus 15% of the public believed it is impossible to provide adequate welfare. One way of interpreting this is that those within the industry in particular, know welfare can be improved, we are just not always sure how. As veterinarians, we have been looking to the sporting bodies themselves for changes, sensibly so given Mr Bladon’s comments. However, it is key we do our bit as individuals every day.
Critically reviewing our practices is an essential step. Looking to the published evidence, considering its quality and applicability to our given scenario, and discussing it within our clinical team to affect change is a sensible course of action. For example, hosting a clinical meeting to discuss the role of tendon firing, the use of intra-articular medications, neurectomies or types of restraint used in the practice etc. is valuable. Assuming all members of the team hold similar views is erroneous, and opening the floor to discussion is a simple way of starting to challenge ourselves on whether what we have been doing to date, is still what we should be doing for the future. Following on from such discussion it is far more natural to have clear, well-structured dialogue with all other stakeholders, demonstrating a welfare-focused scientific approach.
Focusing our attention on what we do every day and ensuring we practice in such a way that we build trust rather than defend our position is critical to maintaining our social licence. If there was ever a time to do away with the practice of ‘defensive medicine’, that time is now.
BEVA Congress 2024 takes place on 11th-14th September at the ACC Liverpool.
Find out more and book your tickets now at https://www.bevacongress.org/
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