Social Licence to Operate: What Can Equestrian Sports Learn from Other Industries?

Abstract

The concept of 'social licence to operate' (SLO) is relevant to all animal-use activities. An SLO is an intangible, implicit agreement between the public and an industry/group. Its existence allows that industry/group to pursue its activities with minimal formalised restrictions because such activities have widespread societal approval. In contrast, the imposition of legal restrictions-or even an outright ban-reflect qualified or lack of public support for an activity. This review discusses current threats to equestrianism's SLO and suggests actions that those across the equine sector need to take to justify the continuation of the SLO. The most important of these is earning the trust of all stakeholders, including the public. Trust requires transparency of operations, establishment and communication of shared values, and demonstration of competence. These attributes can only be gained by taking an ethics-based, proactive, progressive, and holistic approach to the protection of equine welfare. Animal-use activities that have faced challenges to their SLO have achieved variable success in re-establishing the approval of society, and equestrianism can learn from the experience of these groups as it maps its future. The associated effort and cost should be regarded as an investment in the future of the sport.

Keywords: equestrian sport; equestrianism; equine ethics; equine welfare; social licence to operate; trust.

Figure 1

Social licence to operate. An industry’s social licence to operate is an intangible and somewhat fluid agreement between the public and those in the industry. It can swing between psychological identification of society with those engaged in the industry/activity and rejection of the activity. The point on this continuum at which the social licence sits is largely under the control of the industry itself. Graphic: After Thomson and Boutilier (2011) [13].

Figure 2

Parameters that underpin trust. Society’s trust in an industry or activity is underpinned by a range of factors, including confidence in the transparency of the industry’s operations, the credibility, legitimacy, and competence of its leaders and practitioners, and the relevance to society of the values that it espouses.

Figure 3

Actions that help to maintain an industry’s social licence to operate. The approach taken by an industry/group to its operations largely dictates the status of its social licence. Those industries that are able to pursue their activities with minimal formalised restrictions generally take a proactive approach to challenges, educate all stakeholders, and communicate well. If animals are involved in the activity, prioritisation of ethics and welfare is also important in maintenance of social licence. Industries that fail to take these steps invite regulation and/or legislation that controls or bans their activities.