The growth of social sciences in equine research: Essential to create new understandings of the horse industry’s growth and evolution

The equine sector is currently growing and evolving worldwide. In Europe, it is estimated that there could be at least 6 million horses in the 27 country members, grazing 6 million hectares of permanent grassland. 400 000 full time jobs equivalent would be provided by the sector and the numbers of horses and riders are growing in the approximate range of 7% a year. Today, little is known about the horse industry but there is a growing consensus that it has changed from a primarily agricultural and industrial sector activity to one firmly rooted in sports, leisure and consumption. It is impossible to understand these transformations without understanding the society within which they are embedded. Horse welfare, population size, behaviours and potentials depend upon those of the societies in which their owners and riders live. Further, contemporary society is changing as it never has before. There is no single ‘society'. Different peoples and different places all constitute unique economies, unique social values and mores, and unique formations of the horse industry. To understand the future of the horse sector we must understand these varied social and economic formations. In this context, and given the importance of and the challenges faced by the horse industry, the number of socio-economic studies devoted to this sector has recently multiplied all over the world. The social sciences undertake research, analysis and the development of new understandings of changes in the economy, in cultural values, and in social organisation of contemporary society. Working together with traditional equine sciences, we are creating new interdisciplinary knowledge which help us understand how we got to where we are now, and where the equine sector might go in the future. That's why a working group in socio-economy has been created within the EAAP Horse Commission. Today, it includes 67 members from 20 countries. The goal of this group is to share ideas, research and experiences, but also to think about new topics of interest for research and development and to build common projects. This presentation addresses the social and economic issues faced by equine and social scientists who are exploring the contemporary shape of the equine sector, and whose research and analysis can help begin a discussion which enables us to understand what it might become in the future.