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Science Denial Harms Horse Welfare. Here’s How We Fight It.
Like climate change deniers and anti-vaxxers, equestrians are susceptible to conspiracy theories and skepticism.
I recently wrote about the issue with science denial in the equestrian community. Like any group of people, horse lovers are not immune to misguided beliefs when it comes to something we care about — in this case, our equine partners.
In that piece, I made my argument for how traditional horsemanship practices are rooted in misapplied scientific theories and why the industry hasn’t embraced more current science. I discussed why it is a welfare problem for horses and why it matters that we care.
Today I want to explore that topic further by digging into science denialism and why it’s so prevalent in the horse industry.
What is science denial and science skepticism?
There are two types of science mistrust: skepticism, which occurs when someone is uncertain about something we have scientific consensus on; and denial, when someone outright rejects an accepted scientific consensus. Two well-known examples of topics where we frequently see science denial and skepticism at work are climate change and vaccines.
