Five Domains, Multiple Realities: A Multidimensional Analysis of Equine Welfare in Equestrian Events in Brazil

Welfare assessments at traditional equestrian events in Brazil are scarce. This study aimed to systematize and stratify assessments based on the Five Domains (5DMs) model into subdomains (sDMs) for vaquejada and gait events and to adapt them to reflect local conditions and resource availability. Subsequently, the sDMs were classified and scored on a 5-level scale (1 to 5, where 1 = very poor and 5 = excellent), and assessments were conducted at three vaquejada and five gaited horse competitions. Assessments took place during morning, afternoon, and evening periods over two or more days and were carried out by previously trained evaluators. Overall, results indicated that the level of animal welfare was good or excellent across all five domains. Regarding the health domain, 2.8% of the animals were classified at "very poor" or "poor" levels due to a higher incidence of compromised sDMs. Analysis of the sDM results stratified by event revealed a higher frequency of scores below "fair" in the health domain (n = 12), followed by the environment (stalls) domain (n = 4) and nutrition domain (n = 2), a pattern reflected in the overall results. It is concluded that the use of the adapted 5DMs model and its subdomains (sDMs) demonstrates potential as a preliminary, exploratory framework for assessing the welfare of equine athletes at equestrian events, regardless of the event's level or quality, regarding the impact of these events on the horses' quality of life.