Competing interests at the heart of equine sports medicine ethics: A scoping review and thematic analysis

Abstract

Background: The ethics of using horses in sport is receiving increasing attention and media scrutiny. Sports medicine ethics is an important and well-established discipline within human medicine and biomedical ethics, which has, thus far, received little application to the equine veterinary field.

Objectives: The purpose of this scoping review was to explore the existing literature on equine sports medicine ethics, to understand the current concerns and issues, and to map areas for future research.

Study design: Scoping review.

Methods: Academic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, CAB abstracts) were searched to identify papers, published in English, between 2000 and 2022, that mentioned aspect(s) of the ethics of veterinary provision to the performance horse. Additionally, grey (including lay) literature was identified through global search engines to locate supplementary and opinion articles. Relevant data on article characteristics and ethical concerns were extracted and charted. Thematic analysis was employed to identify key issues.

Results: A literature source of 41 papers/articles was used; of which 35 were from veterinary sources, mostly veterinary journals and conference proceedings. Several themes were identified including: competing stakeholder interests; governing bodies, rules and regulations; provision of optimal veterinary care; confidentiality; and social licence for the veterinary profession. The most commonly mentioned specific ethical concern was the use of medication in performance horses.

Main limitations: In this scoping review, we have not sought to critically analyse the ethical arguments within the included literature, but rather to collate them so that an overview of ethical concerns can be established.

Conclusions: Further consideration is required as to how the veterinary profession and sporting governing bodies can support individual veterinary surgeons to strive for the highest levels of professional conduct in equine sports medicine. The veterinary profession should continue to work towards establishing processes for determining what veterinary practices are ethical, optimal, excessive, permissible and impermissible.

Keywords: ethics; horse; sports medicine; veterinary.