I had a job interview this week and as part of the process I was asked to deliver a 20 minute micro teach on ‘The impact of social license on a variety of equine enterprises’.
This is why I love the mental rigour of teaching – you really have to think deeply about a topic to be able to explain it.
What I realised from this exercise was that:
1. Social License to Operate (SLO) is not a new term. It was originally used in 1997 in relation to the mining industry because the general public began to have concerns about the environment and sustainability. This is the key to SLO – public perception
2. According to FEI surveys 67% of the public when asked if they thought horses enjoyed being used in sport, said mostly not (public perception). 75% of equestrian stakeholders said they had concerns about the use of horses in sport. Animal welfare is the main concern of both the public and those involved in horse sport.
3. If an industry loses social license to operate it means that the public have lost confidence and trust in their ability to self-regulate. When this happens it is no longer socially acceptable to continue in the way the industry always has. The upshot of this is the likely introduction of legislation and even the possibility of a ban.
4. Circuses, zoos and marine parks have all come under the SLO spotlight. Circuses and marine parks didn’t adapt, change or evolve. Visitor numbers dropped and many closed. Zoos did change. They reinvented themselves as places of education and conservation, meeting species specific needs and providing enrichment.
5. How can the equine world be more zoo and less circus or marine park?
“real commitment to prioritising equine welfare is demonstrated not by what is said but by what is done” Lisa Ashton, ABRS webinar 2024
“equestrians must be prepared to adapt and transform their ways of thinking and doing in relation to their use of the horse” Natalie Waran, WHW conference 2024
“we need to move from ‘how do I do this with my horse, to should I do this with my horse’” Roly Owers, WHW conference 2024
Pick an equine enterprise.
What is the potential cost of doing nothing?
What could these enterprises do differently?
Remember social license to operate is about public perception and what is considered socially acceptable. We can introduce rules about how and when to use a whip or spurs. We can even change their name to padded baton or padded persuaders. For those of us in the equestrian world that can feel like progress. But what the public sees is an animal being hit with a stick or kicked (prodded) with small bits of metal. We need to think (and more importantly do) differently to avoid going the way of circuses and marine parks.
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