The cost of living crisis has touched almost every corner of British life, and the equine community has felt it more sharply than most, because keeping a horse is among the most resource-intensive commitments an owner can make. This article looks at what national equine welfare research has revealed about the strain on horse owners, and at how the wider community, including specialist aftercare services such as Heavenly Pastures horse cremations, fits into the picture of support around horses and the people who love them.
What National Equine Welfare Research Tells Us
In December 2022 and January 2023, members of the National Equine Welfare Council, led by Redwings Horse Sanctuary and supported by World Horse Welfare, Blue Cross, the British Horse Society, Oak Tree Animal Sanctuary and the British Farrier and Blacksmith Association, carried out a major survey of horse owners. More than eight thousand people responded, a turnout that itself signalled how pressing the issue had become. The headline finding was stark. Almost one in five owners said they were having to consider difficult decisions such as selling, sharing or, very sadly, putting their horse to sleep because of rising costs. A follow-up survey in 2024, with over six thousand responses, found the pressure had not eased, with the great majority of owners still deeply concerned about the year ahead.
Owners putting their horses first
One of the most telling themes in the research was the lengths to which owners go to protect their animals. Just under a fifth said they had reduced what they spent on horse care itself, while almost half had cut back in other areas of their own lives to keep their horses properly looked after. Anonymous responses described owners going without heating, dental care or new glasses so that the horse could be fed and shod. This is the equine community at its most characteristic, a willingness to carry real hardship rather than let a horse go short, and it speaks to a bond that is poorly understood by anyone who has not lived it.
The pressure points, feed, forage, bedding and fuel
The research identified where the squeeze fell hardest. Around ninety per cent of owners reported rises in the price of feed, forage, bedding and fuel, the four essentials of day-to-day horse keeping. These are not luxuries that can simply be dropped. A horse has evolved to eat fibrous forage for much of the day, and cutting forage to save money risks both physical and behavioural harm. Fuel matters too, because so much of horse keeping involves travel, to the yard, to grazing, to the vet and the farrier. When every one of these climbs at once, owners are left with very little room to manoeuvre.
The knock-on effect on welfare
The surveys also flagged warning signs for welfare. A small but significant number of owners reported that they could no longer meet their horses’ basic needs, while larger groups described stretching the intervals between routine visits, delaying veterinary care or reducing and even stopping vaccinations. Each of these short-term economies stores up longer-term risk, because preventative care is precisely what keeps small problems from becoming serious ones. At the same time, the strain reached the rescue and rehoming centres that act as a safety net. Of the welfare establishments surveyed, around half expected to limit how many horses they could take in, and almost a quarter anticipated stopping new admissions altogether, narrowing the options for horses in genuine need.
Some welfare silver linings
Not every change driven by economic pressure was negative. The research noted that some owners had increased turnout, kept horses out for longer or full time, which can benefit both physical and mental health, and had moved towards forage-based, lower-concentrate feeding that suits a horse’s natural physiology well. Others had shifted from blanket worming to evidence-led approaches using faecal egg counts, which is better practice for tackling resistance in equine parasites. Hardship had, in places, nudged owners towards management that genuinely served their horses better, a reminder that good welfare and careful keeping are not always at odds.
Where support fits in
The welfare charities behind the surveys responded with practical guidance, including freely available advice on reducing outgoings without reducing the standard of care a horse receives. For owners reaching the hardest decisions of all, compassionate end-of-life support remains an essential part of the wider safety net. Where a horse’s time has come, whether through age, illness or a vet-led decision, families deserve to be met with dignity and calm, and to have the practical arrangements handled sensitively so they can focus on their grief. Heavenly Pastures provides that support across the North West and beyond, including the option of a planned euthanasia approached with the gentleness it deserves.
A community that looks after its own
If the research carries a single message, it is that the equine community is resilient and deeply committed, but that it does not have to face hard times in isolation. Owners can lean on welfare organisations for advice, on their yard friends for practical and emotional help, and on specialist services for support at the end of a horse’s life. Heavenly Pastures serves owners across its home region, with dedicated guidance for communities including Wigan horse cremations, Leyland horse cremations, St Helens horse cremations, Maghull horse cremations and Formby horse cremations. For a calm and sensitive conversation at any time, the team can be reached on 01704 776976 or through the contact form.