Welfare extends beyond preventing suffering to consider both negative and positive experiences

The Five Freedoms model long served as the gold standard for assessing animal welfare, emphasizing freedom from hunger, thirst, pain, and distress. As understanding of equine behavior and neuroscience evolved, however, the framework expanded beyond survival to consider how horses’ experiences shape their overall welfare.

Read more about the Five Freedoms and equine welfare in my article The 5 Domains Model and Equine Welfare