Horses

Horses are kept for a wide range of purposes that vary by region and economy, including draught and transport work in mixed farming systems, recreational and sport use, breeding, and, in some countries, meat production. Their role in agriculture has shifted over the past century as mechanised power has replaced draught animals in many regions, though working horses, donkeys, and mules remain important in others.

Draught and working horses

Bred and managed for pulling or carrying loads, historically central to farm power and transport, and still used in some regions and specialised contexts.

Sport and recreational horses

Kept for riding, competition, and leisure, spanning many breeds selected for temperament, movement, or athletic ability.

Pony and local/landrace types

Smaller or regionally adapted types, often hardy and suited to local terrain, climate, and smallholder use.

Breed and type diversity is documented internationally, including through FAO’s Domestic Animal Diversity Information System (DAD-IS), which records equine breeds and their status by country.

Horses are adapted to graze and browse for many hours a day, and their digestive health depends on a forage-based diet — pasture, hay, or other preserved forage — as the foundation of feeding. Because fermentation occurs in the hindgut rather than a rumen, introducing large amounts of starch-rich concentrate too quickly can disrupt the hindgut microbial balance, so grain and concentrate feeds are typically introduced and adjusted gradually alongside forage.

Horse health and welfare depend on consistent access to forage and water, appropriate shelter or housing, routine hoof and dental care, parasite and disease management, and handling suited to the animal’s temperament and use.

Horses interact with land use and feed production in ways similar to other grazing livestock, using pasture and forage crops, while their role in draught work, transport, and recreation gives them a different economic position from primarily food-producing species. Regulation of horse movement, identification, and, where applicable, the food chain for equine meat varies substantially by country.