Prof. Uta König von Borstel has been a prominent figure in equine welfare and ethics. From 2018 to 2020, she served as the scientific representative for the Federal Ministry of Agriculture’s working group on revising national animal welfare guidelines in equestrian sports. Since 2020, she has been a temporary member of the Animal Welfare Advisory Board of the German Equestrian Federation.
Since 2017, she has been on the RAL Quality Mark Advisory Board, focusing on certification procedures for working horse stables. Additionally, she has been a member of the Advisory Board on Animal Welfare and Ethics for the Association of Leisure Riders and Drivers in Germany since 2016. Prof. König von Borstel also contributed to the Animal Protection Plan Lower Saxony as a member of the Horses group from 2014 to 2018.
As a founding member and current Research Officer of the International Society for Equitation Science (ISES) since 2012, she is instrumental in advancing equitation science. Prof. König von Borstel is also involved in various horse-specific working groups of the European Association for Animal Production and has been a board member of the Society for the Promotion of Equine Research (GWP e.V.) since 2009. Her early contributions include serving as a student representative on the Animal Welfare Committee at the University of Guelph in Canada in 2006.