Industry Perceptions of Thoroughbred Racehorse Emotions and Quality of Life: Implications for the Development of an Equine Quality of Life Assessment Tool

Understanding how horses experience their lives is essential for improving their welfare, particularly in high-performance industries such as horseracing. Quality of Life (QoL) frameworks highlight the balance between positive and negative experiences over time, yet there is limited evidence on how racing professionals assess horse emotions and QoL, especially positive emotional states. This study reports findings from an international online survey of 230 racing industry participants. It explored confidence in assessing racehorse emotions, the perceived importance of emotional state for performance and welfare, views on racehorse QoL, and changes in understanding over time. Most respondents (92.5%) reported high confidence in judging racehorse emotions, and 94.8% of these considered emotional state important or very important for performance. The majority (87.7%) believed racehorses experience a good life at least sometimes, although this varied depending on management practices, individual horse characteristics, and human factors. Turnout, social contact, health management, staff experience, and regulatory environments were identified as key influences on QoL. Recognition of the importance of emotional state and QoL within the industry is increasing, alongside a shift towards more individualized, welfare-focused approaches. These findings support developing practical, industry-informed emotional state measures within equine QoL tools for assessing horses’ experiences and inform management decisions.