Equine Animal Welfare in Stables and Breeding Farms in Ocaña, Ábrego, and Río de Oro

Abstract

Equine animal welfare is evolving from a “solely ethical” issue to become a matter of health quality, regulatory compliance, and productive sustainability. This concept, widely supported by international standards, defines welfare as the animal’s state of being (health, comfort, nutrition, safety, ability to express relevant behaviors, and freedom from pain, fear, or severe distress). Within this framework, animal welfare was assessed in equine systems (stalls and breeding facilities) in Ocaña, Ábrego, and Río de Oro, using a mixed-methods approach and a principles-based assessment aligned with the AWIN protocol and the Colombian framework established by Resolution 136 of 2020. The research is grounded in the adoption of welfare guidelines in the agricultural sector and in the obligation for inspection, monitoring, and control assigned to the ICA in Colombia. Based on the percentages reported by farm, the study covered 9 farms and 117 horses and reported high overall performance: between 91.35% and 98.11%, with an arithmetic mean of 94.98%. When broken down by principles, a consistent pattern emerges: good nutrition (97.22%) and good behavior (99.15%) are close to the maximum, while good housing shows the greatest variability and the lowest average (89.35%), suggesting that infrastructure, physical comfort, and access to rest/grazing conditions represent the greatest relative margin for improvement. In practical terms, the study proposes improvement plans focused on water (contingency/storage), the suitability of feeders and waterers, the height/safety of facilities, artificial lighting, grazing/rest areas, a nursing area, and the organization of medications and shoeing. These proposals are consistent with the idea that welfare is not limited to preventing harm, but to creating opportunities for positive states (“a life worth living”).