A silent transformation of landscape functions due to horsing in Wallonia

The horse, first used for its driving force and the butchery, has become an animal for leisure and a pet. The multiplication of leisure activities related to Equidae leads to an increased demand for lands. A pretty old estimation in Wallonia (south Belgium) informed that 150,000 Equidae required 40,000 ha of agricultural land (Centre européen du Cheval, 2010); since then, the figures have increased (Schmitz & Pepe, 2023). Equidae already represented an important economic sector with a turnover of one billion euros and some 7000 jobs (RWDR, 2010). In some cases, it can be considered an agricultural diversification. If the literature on the balance between Equidae and pastures is abundant, that on economic, social and planning aspects is much sparser. Regarding some regions, they even speak of horsification when horses occupy a large share of open spaces and significantly affect the local economy. This evolution raises the question of competition for access to lands, including their food function, but allows valuing of less suitable lands for farming. While the use of Equidae for the maintenance of natural areas is valuable, observations of meadows hosting recreational horses often show overgrazing or undergrazing with deterioration of vegetation or even erosion. Based on a state of the art of similar research in Europe and an analysis of the situation in Wallonia, the communication highlights this relatively silent evolution of agrarian landscapes, which, however, has critical repercussions from agricultural, economic, social and environmental points.