Welcome – to Australia’s go-to resource on horse care, management and training that is holistic, sustainable and grounded in both, science and practice.
HORSE HEALTH & WELLBEING
From Chaos to Clarity: How EquiCare is Transforming Horse Management
Nicole knew she had a problem. As a professional rider and coach, she juggled the endless responsibilities of horse care—vet visits, farrier appointments, training schedules, competition prep. But no matter how many whiteboards, sticky notes, or phone reminders she...
Bit Blindness and Questioning the Concept of Pain-induced Musculoskeletal Lameness
Bit Blindness The term “bit blindness”, coined in 2020, emphasises that after its inception four millennia ago, bit use in horses has long been normalised [1,2]. Moreover, not only has the use of bits been normalised, so too were the distinctive behaviours associated...
Critique of the film Horses and the Science of Harmony
A critique of the Horses and the Science of Harmony film by Emeritus Professor Robert Cook, FRCVS, PhD. “Horses and the Science of Harmony” is, as stated in its introduction, a “Full length feature film, seen through the lens of cutting-edge science and groundbreaking...
A Bit-FREE, Pain-FREE Future for the FREE-Breathing Horse
Without food, a horse’s expectation of life is measured in weeks; without water, in days; without air, in seconds. The purpose of this article is to provide an illustrated sequel to a previous article "Horse Sports’ Option: Ban or be Banned” (Cook 2024). A series of...
The Evidence for Allowing a Bit-Free Option in Equestrian Sport
If equestrian sport remains in the grip of an Iron Age custom, and continues using the bit as the means of rider-horse communication, its social license to operate will be lost. It is time to relinquish the A.B.C. of Atrocity, Bit usage and Cruelty that stems from the...
Horse Sports’ Options: To ban, or be banned
Firstly, this article is about a basic need of the ridden and driven sport horse, the need to breathe. Secondly, it is about the role of veterinarians in drawing attention to this need to breathe. Thirdly, it is about the responsibility of horse sport administrators...
HORSE TRAINING
Thoroughbred Horse Welfare Challenges: From Rape to Relegation
Written here as a poem, each verse is structured as a three-line haiku. The haiku is a Japanese poetic form, in this case consisting of seventeen phonic syllables in a five-seven-five pattern. Traditionally, haiku evoke images of the natural world. The author's aim:...
Horses recognise human emotions. Use that to strengthen your bond
Horses are incredibly good at recognising human emotions in your voice and expressions, but did you know how to leverage that super power to strengthen your bond?
The Road to Bridle-less Explained
At the 1998 Equitana, my husband, Dr Andrew McLean, decided he would demonstrate riding bridle-less, with a rope around the neck of the stallion Tintagel Magic. At the time, Andrew was competing Magic in dressage at Advanced and Prix St George level, and managed to...
The Coaching Sweet Spot, Part 4: The Happiness Factor
Happiness is like balance – it’s not something you can teach because it’s a result of what you’ve already taught. If you’ve ever wondered what motivates us to connect so closely with our horses, and what drives this life-long equestrian passion, you could cheerfully...
The Coaching Sweetspot Part 2: The Real Meaning of Coaching
In the last few years, the sporting world has raced ahead to professionalise coaching. In the process, teaching has receded into the shadows, and coaching has become the glamour-girl of the sports world! Yet, teaching is the foundation on which everything we do is...
The Shoulder-in: More Than Dressage Gymnastics
Recent scientific findings support what many students of Classical dressage principles have known all along: The shoulder-in exercise is not only good for the horse's physical development but it also influences their mental state - and the benefits of practicing it...
HORSE WELFARE
Foam, Fear, and False Signals: Why the FEI’s New Ban on Artificial Saliva Matters
This week, the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) announced an emergency ban on artificial foam-producing substances used in horses’ mouths. The new veterinary rule, effective July 1, 2025, prohibits all products that artificially induce or imitate...
Horse whipping is painful and cruel. The latest incident shows why it should be banned
Anne Quain, University of Sydney and Cathrynne Henshall, Charles Sturt University. Image Doug Pensinger/Getty Images Last week, the peak body for equestrian sport in Australia suspended a prominent member after footage allegedly depicted Australian Olympic dressage...
Thoroughbred Horse Welfare Challenges: From Rape to Relegation
Written here as a poem, each verse is structured as a three-line haiku. The haiku is a Japanese poetic form, in this case consisting of seventeen phonic syllables in a five-seven-five pattern. Traditionally, haiku evoke images of the natural world. The author's aim:...
Living History: Saving the world’s last wild horse
Takhin tal Research Camp, Gobi B Strictly Protected Area, July, 2023. Lit only by a faint glow on the eastern horizon and the fading light of stars, we hike into the hills at 4am, stumbling on loose sheets of rock which shear away in thin vertical slices under...
SPONSORED CONTENT
From Chaos to Clarity: How EquiCare is Transforming Horse Management
Nicole knew she had a problem. As a professional rider and coach, she juggled the endless responsibilities of horse care—vet visits, farrier appointments, training schedules, competition prep. But no matter how many whiteboards, sticky notes, or phone reminders she...
Financing Your Travel Options For Dressage Competitions
Getting the right travel option for competitor and horses can yield dividends instead of sinking money into costs that you’ll never recoup.
How to get more out of your next horse transport purchase
We all want to save money on horse and transportation – equestrian, racing, and other horse related activities can add up to a lot! With the current international shipping delays, some horse goosenecks, trucks, and trailers may be delayed – and be quite expensive...
B-COMPLETE™ by Banana Feeds Australia – The Revolution in Equine Gut Health
There’s a new supplement on the market, and we think you should know about it. Green bananas are a powerhouse of nutritional and gut health value. They've been a staple diet in many human cultures and due to their very high content in dietary fibre, they have been...
From the All Blacks to the Stable… Ice N Easy Cold Therapy
Paid Content Ice N Easy Equine is now providing cold therapy solutions specifically for the equine industry. In the sporting industry, Ice N Easy is synonymous with quality. Their cold therapy products see teams such as the New Zealand All Blacks Rugby Union, Sunshine...
Saddle Fitting Guide
WELFARE REPORT Sponsored by Fitton HorseInsure Teach yourself to evaluate saddle fitting and recognise problems to ensure good welfare and maintain performance with this handy guide. Finding the correct fitting saddle is essential to ensure good welfare and maintain...
EQUITATION SCIENCE
Bit Blindness and Questioning the Concept of Pain-induced Musculoskeletal Lameness
Bit Blindness The term “bit blindness”, coined in 2020, emphasises that after its inception four millennia ago, bit use in horses has long been normalised [1,2]. Moreover, not only has the use of bits been normalised, so too were the distinctive behaviours associated...
Bit-Induced Mouth Pain and Wider Equine Welfare Assessments Ignored in a Paper on Bridle and Bit Fit
A critique of “The Role of the Equestrian Professional in Bridle and Bit Fit in the United Kingdom" In this compelling critique, Professor Emeritus David Mellor examines a recent study published in Animals by Kathryn Nankervis, Jane Williams, Diana Fisher, and Russell...
Critique of the film Horses and the Science of Harmony
A critique of the Horses and the Science of Harmony film by Emeritus Professor Robert Cook, FRCVS, PhD. “Horses and the Science of Harmony” is, as stated in its introduction, a “Full length feature film, seen through the lens of cutting-edge science and groundbreaking...
Horse welfare through the lens of the Five Domains
Postgraduate students, representatives from the equine industry, teachers and riding instructors came from as far as Australia, Canada, Spain, Hungary, Great Britain, Finland, Denmark and Sweden and gathered at the picturesque and wintery Equine Centre Wången in...
British Vets Embrace Horse Behaviour
The value of behavioural science was in the spotlight at British Equine Vets Association (BEVA) Congress last week. Gemma Pearson and Sarah Freeman shared their considerable knowledge and experience in two complementary plenary lectures, on how embracing learning...
Tool Use Confirmed in Horses
Horse owners have helped researchers confirm tool use in horses. You may have seen viral videos circulating online of a horse picking up brushes to groom another horse, or another using a broom to "sweep" the floor. They are nor just incredibly amusing, these videos...
HUMAN MINDSET
Making Success a Habit
When you talk to yourself (in your own mind), do you tell yourself that you are heading for success? Or do you tell yourself that you are failing? Our thought patterns create a large part of our reality because we act on our thoughts. They can also become habits. I...
It’s the thought that matters
How much of your life and riding is influenced by your thoughts? The answer is much more than you think! I have undergone some major changes in my personal life and, naturally, when big things happen to us, our mind goes into overdrive. As the changes unfolded, I...
HORSES AND PEOPLE IN ART
When Dogs Meet Horses in Art
As we see above, in de Vos and Wildens’ dramatic ‘Horse attacked by dogs’, dog and horse contact can end in disaster with both reverting to their raw primal selves and the humans ending in a heap. Each day, different versions of the above scenario occur thousands of...
The Gift Horse in Past and Present
The gifting of horses is an ancient practice in many cultures that continues today. Historically, offering a horse is a sign of respect or allegiance and is done to seal relationships whether they be public, political, and personal. It has been a way of bonding...
HORSE WELFARE
Willinga Park Bushfire: Planning and Preparation Paid Off
A decade of considered bushfire planning and horse property maintenance helped save an entire town. Willinga Park effectively blocked the advance of the massive Currowan Fire towards the coastal town of Bawley Point during Australia’s catastrophic 2019-2020 fire...
Open the Gates to Good Horse Welfare
When we picture scenes of animal cruelty, we generally imagine thin, malnourished horses in haphazard paddocks filled with abandoned cars, barbed wire fencing and empty gas cans. Less commonly associated with mistreatment are luxurious stabling facilities housing...
NEWS
Foam, Fear, and False Signals: Why the FEI’s New Ban on Artificial Saliva Matters
This week, the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) announced an emergency ban on artificial foam-producing substances used in horses’ mouths. The new veterinary rule, effective July 1, 2025, prohibits all products that artificially induce or imitate...
Horse whipping is painful and cruel. The latest incident shows why it should be banned
Anne Quain, University of Sydney and Cathrynne Henshall, Charles Sturt University. Image Doug Pensinger/Getty Images Last week, the peak body for equestrian sport in Australia suspended a prominent member after footage allegedly depicted Australian Olympic dressage...
