When Does Use Become Abuse in Equestrian Sport?

EQUINE VETERINARY EDUCATION / AE / OCTOBER 2013 489

Editorial When does use become abuse in equestrian sport?

The recent Animal Welfare Science Ethics and Law Veterinary (Wilson 1984; Katcher and Wilkins 1995) attraction of human to Association (AWSELVA) conference explored the question horse is hard to rationalise in scientific terms. Nonetheless, the of where the boundary lies between what it is reasonable strength of emotion inspired in those watching horses compete and unreasonable to ask an animal to do. It covered, – be it the Queen at Ascot or the ‘nonhorsey’ public watching amongst other subjects, whether it is reasonable Olympic dressage – is striking. Such an anthropocentric to ask assistance dogs to perform dual-purpose ‘hearing’ defence of using horses for sport is one which many animal and ‘seeing’ roles, and whether it is reasonable, in this ethicists would dismiss as being ‘speciesist’ (Singer n.d.; technological age, to risk the lives of army dogs in the theatre Schmidtz 2011). However, it is one which I adopt here of war. Shortly after the conference, news of positive tests for unashamedly because I hope to show that one can banned anabolic steroids in racehorses broke across the British simultaneously believe both that human use of horses in sport press (for example, http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/News/ is ethically justifiable, and that we need to give careful Eleven-Godolphin-Horses-Test-Positive-For-Banned-Substances consideration to the way in which we use horses in sport for and http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/horse-racing/22295639). that justification to be sustainable. Another question that had been addressed at AWSELVA – If we start from the premise that it is ethical to use horses whether the use of horses for competitive sport is ethical – in sport (at all), then when does use become abuse, and once again became a matter of public debate (McLean and where should we draw the line between reasonable and McGreevy 2010). (For examples of earlier public discussion of unreasonable use? For any human use of animals, once (if) the the ethics of using horses in sport see ‘Is horseracing too premise of the use is accepted what becomes ethically dangerous’ http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/ important is how we use them. For example, one can believe apr/13/grand-national-horse-racing-dangerous and ‘The Last that it is generally ethically acceptable to eat meat, but only Hurdle’ http://www.horsesandpeople.com.au/article/the-last if certain welfare standards relating to the management, -hurdle). transportation and slaughter of that meat are adhered to. If Some argue that people should simply not use animals at those welfare standards are not met, use becomes abuse. In all, for any purpose (Francione 2010). A voluminous equine sport, two key factors in identifying when use becomes philosophical and ethical literature addresses the issues of abuse are when risk is not minimised to the fullest extent whether animals are persons, and if so what rights that moral possible, and when avoidable suffering is allowed to occur. status accords them (for review, see Chan and Harris 2011). I (Risk can always be removed and suffering avoided, of course, do not intend to engage with such discussions here, but wish by discontinuing an activity. This is addressed later in this instead to tackle the question of how, given the current article.) consensus in many societies – including the UK – that human No sport is without risk. The argument that there is a use of animals is morally acceptable, we define the boundary difference between human and equine athletes because between use and abuse in equine sport. human athletes choose to compete is an over-simplification. The argument is sometimes advanced that the use of Professional sportsmen, for example, may be ‘forced’ into animals for competitive sport is less ethically justifiable than competing despite injury and to the detriment of their other uses of animals, because sport is a trivial type of use. long-term health in order to protect a place on a team and Equestrian sport is not economically trivial. In the UK, the gross their livelihood (Anderson and Gerrard 2005). Nonetheless, output of the nonracing equestrian sector is estimated by the equine athletes undoubtedly have less choice about whether British Equestrian Trade Association (2011 report) to be £3.8 to compete than do human athletes, and the notion that billion per annum. Racing contributed a further £3.45 billion to there is a level of risk beyond which it is unreasonable to push the UK economy in direct, indirect and induced expenditure horses is one that has gained popular currency. Many of the and £275 million in tax revenues in 2012 (Deloitte 2013). In New modifications that have been made to the Grand National Zealand, the current economic impact of the horseracing race for example, such as changes to fence construction and industry is equivalent to that of the wine and seafood industries alteration in the length of the run-up to the first fence, have (New Zealand Government 2013). Nor is equestrian sport trivial been a reflection of the fact that a society that used to in a social sense – racing was second only to football for condone high, unforgiving fences no longer finds the sight of attendance figures in the UK in 2012 (Deloitte 2013). Sport is multi-horse falls, injuries and fatalities acceptable. The steps anyway no more trivial than any other use of animals that is not that have already been taken to reduce risk in equestrian sport truly essential to human well-being – for example the eating of are in some ways analogous to those that were taken to meat by those who have no medical need to do so. reduce risk in Formula One racing in the late 1990s, which Human use of animals is an historical and biological matter allowed Formula One racing to continue in the aftermath of of fact – one of our characteristics, indeed part of our telos high-profile deaths despite some calls for the sport to be (Rollin 2011) or the ‘humanness of humans’, is our ability to use banned. animals, either by force or by persuasion. The relationship If we are to reduce the risk to competing horses as much as between human and horse certainly has the potential to be we can, we need to think beyond the high-profile, ‘iceberg abusive, yet the nobility of the horse means that it can also be indicators’ (FAWC 2009). Reasonable and ethical use of horses cooperative. Although the benefits of the human-horse for sport requires that we identify the causes of risk, and interaction to psychiatric health are recognised in a clinical develop ways of minimising risk during training as well as during context (e.g. Bizub et al. 2003; Masini 2010), the ‘biophilic’ competition. Existing research in this area (for example Weller

et al. 2006; Lam et al. 2007; Walters et al. 2008; Ely et al. 2009; The use of banned drugs in equine sport relates to the Murray et al. 2010; Reed et al. 2012; Nagy et al. 2013; Parkes much broader issue of ‘animal enhancement’ (Yeates 2013). et al. 2013; Reardon et al. 2013) needs to be built upon. An ‘Animal enhancement’ is poorly defined (Yeates 2013), but in important part of increasing the evidence base about risk the current context could be taken to mean trying to improve factors for equine injury during training will be developing a a horse’s competitive performance by pharmacological mechanism for clinicians to provide information about such means. Is such action ethically acceptable? In so far as the injuries to sports governing bodies and researchers without underlying reason for trying to enhance horses by breaching client confidentiality (Campbell 2013). administering anabolic steroids is to gain an unfair competitive Reducing risk is but one way of reducing suffering. To justify advantage (Pitts and David 2007) (i.e. to cheat), their use is our continued use of horses for sport we need to think beyond unethical. But above that, and independent of ethical the suffering that can occur as the result of injury, and to take considerations about cheating in sport, the use of anabolic a holistic look at the way we manage competition animals. steroids is also unethical because it constitutes an abuse of the The expression ‘unnecessary suffering’, although embedded welfare of the horses involved. There is a legitimate use for in the Animal Welfare Act 2006, may not be helpful in relation anabolic steroids as a treatment in debilitated animals. That is to the use of animals for sport, because any suffering not why they are being used in racehorses, however. The drugs associated with sporting use is ‘unnecessary’ in the sense that are being used not to benefit the horse by treating illness or it is not strictly ‘necessary’ to use the animal for sport at all. It disease, but to make the horse ‘better than well’ (Yeates 2013). may be more helpful to think about ‘avoidable suffering’ Any benefit to the trainer/owner of enhancing an individual (Morton 1993). Such a distinction enables us to address the animal’s performance is surely outweighed both by the cost to welfare issues associated with sporting use of animals even if the individual animal and by the combined cost to many one believes (and I do not) that the use of animals for sport is animals if the use of anabolic steroids became so rife that all fundamentally unethical. In other words, even if one believes trainers felt that they had to use them for their horses to be that using animals for sport causes unnecessary suffering, so competitive (Yeates 2013). There is a dearth of information long as society allows that use one can still work to reduce about side effects of systemic use of anabolic steroids in avoidable suffering within it. equids, but in man they are known to cause hepatic, The changes in the whip rules in British racing (see cardiovascular, reproductive/endocrine, dermatological and http://www.britishhorseracing.com/inside_horseracing/about/ psychiatric problems, and have been shown to have adverse whatwedo/disciplinary/whipuse.asp) and FEI rules on the cardiac effects in mice. Similar side effects might occur in use of hyperflexion or ‘rollkur’ of dressage and showjumping horses. Even if they did not, the treatment of horses with horses (see http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/rollkur anabolic steroids with the sole aim of enhancing performance -rules-give-stewards-guidelines-to-stop-horse-abuse) are is clinically unnecessary, and involves the avoidable suffering illustrative examples of regulatory reaction to public concern of injection-associated discomfort/pain/reactions. Use of about avoidable suffering. The correlation between ‘suffering’ anabolic steroids in race (or other competition) horses is and ‘abuse’, however, is not always obvious. In more extreme an abuse of animal welfare, which is being condoned by examples of animal abuse, such as the practice of ‘soring’ those countries in which their use at all times is not currently the legs of high-stepping gaited horses in the USA banned. (see https://www.avma.org/kb/resources/reference/animal The line between use and abuse is not so clear for all drugs, welfare/pages/soring-horses.aspx), it is obvious (because however. This is reflected in an interesting difference between there are visible and painful lesions) that suffering occurs and the rules of the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) and the rules is avoidable. The line between use and abuse has clearly been of the Federation Equestrian Internationale (FEI). To take an crossed, and this is reflected in the fact that ‘soring’ example, the BHA does not allow horses to compete on the contravenes sporting regulation and animal welfare antiulcer medication omeprazole (although its use is permitted legislation. The use of systemic anabolic steroids in racehorses during training), whereas the FEI does permit horses to also contravenes sporting regulation in the UK. The uniform compete on the same drug. Bizarrely, these diametrically impression given by press coverage of the recent positive tests opposite rules can both be said to be minimising avoidable for banned anabolic steroids in racehorses in the UK was that suffering. On the one hand, one can argue that if a horse is the use of steroids constituted an abuse. What was less clear, so stressed as to be suffering ulcers, its management needs however, was why steroid use constituted an abuse – was it an to be changed. To use drugs to mask management abuse of the animals involved because it caused them deficiencies that cause pain and disease is to permit avoidable suffering, or was it an abuse only in the sense that it avoidable suffering – therefore we should not allow horses to was cheating, and an attempt to win by breaking the rules? compete on omeprazole if we aim to reduce avoidable It is interesting to reflect that in the Lance Armstrong case (see suffering. On the other hand, one can argue that gastric ulcers http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling/21066354), media and are an unavoidable consequence of the intensive societal concern revolved around issues of cheating and the management and international travel experienced by elite undermining of the sport of professional cycling rather than competition horses, and that since omeprazole relieves the around the health of the athlete(s) involved. ‘Abuse’ in this painful symptoms of gastric ulceration we should allow horses interpretation seems to relate more to the abuse of the public to compete on omeprazole if we aim to reduce avoidable or punter’s faith in the integrity of sport than it does to suffering suffering. caused to the athlete. To confuse matters further, the anabolic This brings us back to the distinction between unnecessary steroids, which may not be administered to horses at any time and avoidable suffering, and the need to look holistically at under the rules of British racing, are allowed during training the way we manage sporting horses. If gastric ulceration is an by other racing authorities, notably in Australia and the unavoidable consequence of travelling horses internationally USA. and/or keeping them stabled all or most of the time with

limited access to grazing, then we need to reassess whether Source of funding such management practices are necessary. Research on the The author is funded by the Wellcome Trust as Clinical causes and treatment of diseases to which management can Research Fellow in Veterinary Ethics at the Royal Veterinary contribute, such as gastric ulceration and developmental College. orthopaedic disease, needs to be extended into research into the consequential effects of altering the management that Acknowledgements can contribute to those diseases. As an example, what effect The author would like to thank Stephen May and Gemma Kirk if any would shifting management practices away from for discussions and comments on draft versions of this article. stabling flat racehorses to keeping them extensively have on She would also like to acknowledge the Department of the incidence of orthopaedic injury during training and Production and Population Health of the Royal Veterinary competition? Could existing work on the effect of different College and its research office for assessing the manuscript surfaces (Murray et al. 2010) be extended to provide according to the Royal Veterinary College’s Code of Good recommendations on whether the frequency with which Research Practice (Authorisation Number PPH_00503). dressage horses are worked on a surface ought to be restricted, and whether hacking horses (on the flat or on hills?) M. L. H. CAMPBELL has any effect on their incidence of lameness? Department of Production and Population Health, Underlying this discussion of risk and unnecessary/ The Royal Veterinary College, UK. avoidable suffering is an implicit cost/benefit analysis in which the costs to horses are being weighed against the benefits to References man. This framework will seem unsatisfactory or at least Anderson, L.C. and Gerrard, D.F. (2005) Ethical issues concerning New incomplete to those who believe that other methods of ethical Zealand sports doctors. J. Med. Ethics 31, 88-92. argument such as virtue ethics or rights ethics are equally valid, Bizub, A.L., Joy, A. and Davidson, L. (2003) ‘It’s like being in another world’: demonstrating the benefits of therapeutic horseback riding or even superior. Cost/benefit analyses have their limitations for individuals with psychiatric disability. Psychiatr. Rehabil. J. 26, (Sandoe and Christiansen 2008), but nonetheless provide a 377-384. useful method for addressing the ethical problems that Campbell, M.L.H. (2013) The role of veterinarians in equestrian sport: currently confront equine sport because vets are familiar with a comparative review of ethical issues surrounding human cost/benefit arguments (Morton 1993), and because they are and equine sports medicine. Vet. J. Epub ahead of print; doi: easy to apply in practice. 10.1016/j.tvjl.2013.05.021. Throughout this discussion, I have allowed human interests Chan, S. and Harris, J. (2011) Human animals and nonhuman persons. to trump animal interests in the sense that one could remove In: The Oxford Handbook of Animal Ethics, Eds: T.L. Beauchamp and R.G. Frey, Oxford University Press, Oxford. pp 320-321. both risk and avoidable pain simply by not using horses for sport Deloitte (2013) Economic Impact of British Racing, British Horseracing at all. Such an abolitionist position, as I indicated at the outset, Authority, London. pp 1-60. http://www.britishhorseracing is exactly what I am trying to avoid. The use of horses in sport is .presscentre.com/Press-Releases/Economic-Impact-of-British-Racing not, in my view, any more unreasonable or unethical than any -2013-published-3e7.aspx. other use of animals. However, if we are going to use horses in Ely, E.R., Avella, C.S., Price, J.S., Smith, R.K., Wood, J.L. and Verheyen, K. sport we ought to do so reasonably and ethically. 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