Towards Positive Welfare for Equines. Sentient Equine Mental Attributes and Mutual Moral Agency and Duties

One hundred and sixteen million equines are in contact with humans today and contribute to the flourishing or demise of our planet. The implications of the mental attributes attached to sentience are reviewed in the light of equine welfare and their environmental effects. A detailed assessment of sentient equines mental aptitudes points out that several mental aptitudes that have previously been considered unique to humans must also be present in equines. Several of these are then discussed including social contracts, moral agency, collective intentionality, and desire independent reason with examples from human equine interactions. Out mutual moral obligations as a consequence are discussed As a result of this increased understanding of equine ontology ( their world view), we can delineate positive welfare for equines in their husbandry,