I am currently a PhD candidate with School of Agriculture and Environment, Massey University where I am exploring the training and management of elite level endurance horses in New Zealand. Endurance is a challenging equestrian sport that tests riders’ ability to manage their horses’ stamina over a natural terrain course of 80 - 160km in a single day. In addition to completing the course, horses must pass a series of mandatory veterinary inspections for lameness or metabolic conditions associated with fatigue. Success, therefore, requires riders to develop empathy and ‘feel’ for their mounts’ condition, and to balance their competitive aspirations with a regard for horse welfare. A lifelong involvement with horses and farming drives my interest in how we use animals for sport, and whether we are addressing the challenge of rapidly evolving social licence.