A review of approaches to assessing equine welfare

Veterinary surgeons are required to assess an animal's welfare in a range of different circumstances in the course of their daily work. These assessments may relate to the long‐term welfare of an individual animal under their care, or the current welfare of a population of animals that are unfamiliar to them as individuals. The welfare assessment made may subsequently have implications for the treatment that an animal receives or for the decision of whether or not an animal should remain in its current home. Yet welfare assessment is not straightforward. Here we review the challenges that welfare assessment presents and review the tools currently available to meet them. Lastly, we look towards the future of equine welfare assessment, with examples of current research to develop tools and optimise welfare assessment.