Welcome to Australia’s evidence-based, practical, go-to resource on horse welfare and training.
HORSE HEALTH & WELFARE
The FEI’s Blood Rule: Are We Really Willing to Jump Backwards?
Next month, the FEI is expected to approve a rule change allowing horses to continue competing after visible bleeding — reversing a welfare safeguard into an administrative warning. The proposal places the sport’s “welfare is paramount” rhetoric at odds with its fragile social licence.
A Reply to Response to Comments on ‘Noseband type and tightness level affect pressure on the horse’s face at trot’
This letter, declined by the Equine Veterinary Journal, responds to MacKechnie-Guire et al.’s defence of their noseband pressure study. It clarifies key methodological and interpretive issues that remain unresolved and highlights why transparent discussion is vital to the integrity of equine welfare science.
A Reply to Response to Comments on ‘Facial pressure beneath a cavesson noseband adjusted to different tightness levels during standing and chewing”
In academic publishing, critique and reply are essential to scientific progress. This letter—declined by the Equine Veterinary Journal—is published here to complete the public record. It clarifies key methodological issues in a study of noseband pressures and highlights the importance of open discourse for equine welfare policy.
The Perfect Bit for your Horse
Emeritus Professor David Mellor—architect of the Five Domains Model—explores the biological and behavioural evidence showing that all bits, regardless of design, cause mouth pain. Drawing on decades of welfare science, he argues that the perfect bit is the one never placed in a horse’s mouth.
Think Blue Tongues may be Harmless in Elite Sport Horses? Think Again.
Unlike most reports quoting only veterinarians, this analysis comes from Dr James Cooling—a medical doctor, qualified bit-fitter, and rider. He explains why blue tongues in elite horses are not cosmetic, but clear evidence of pressure, pain, and compromised welfare.
The Mouth-Iron-Free Solution for Sudden Death in the Racehorse
In this final paper, the late Dr Robert Cook reviews decades of anatomical, physiological, and behavioural research showing how bits cause pain, breathing restriction, and performance loss in horses. He argues that allowing bit-free options across all disciplines would improve welfare, enhance safety, and restore public trust in equestrian sport.
HORSE TRAINING
Think Blue Tongues may be Harmless in Elite Sport Horses? Think Again.
Unlike most reports quoting only veterinarians, this analysis comes from Dr James Cooling—a medical doctor, qualified bit-fitter, and rider. He explains why blue tongues in elite horses are not cosmetic, but clear evidence of pressure, pain, and compromised welfare.
The Mouth-Iron-Free Solution for Sudden Death in the Racehorse
In this final paper, the late Dr Robert Cook reviews decades of anatomical, physiological, and behavioural research showing how bits cause pain, breathing restriction, and performance loss in horses. He argues that allowing bit-free options across all disciplines would improve welfare, enhance safety, and restore public trust in equestrian sport.
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...
SCIENCE & RESEARCH
The FEI’s Blood Rule: Are We Really Willing to Jump Backwards?
Next month, the FEI is expected to approve a rule change allowing horses to continue competing after visible bleeding — reversing a welfare safeguard into an administrative warning. The proposal places the sport’s “welfare is paramount” rhetoric at odds with its fragile social licence.
A Reply to Response to Comments on ‘Noseband type and tightness level affect pressure on the horse’s face at trot’
This letter, declined by the Equine Veterinary Journal, responds to MacKechnie-Guire et al.’s defence of their noseband pressure study. It clarifies key methodological and interpretive issues that remain unresolved and highlights why transparent discussion is vital to the integrity of equine welfare science.
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...
HORSE SPORTS SOCIAL LICENCE
A Reply to Response to Comments on ‘Noseband type and tightness level affect pressure on the horse’s face at trot’
This letter, declined by the Equine Veterinary Journal, responds to MacKechnie-Guire et al.’s defence of their noseband pressure study. It clarifies key methodological and interpretive issues that remain unresolved and highlights why transparent discussion is vital to the integrity of equine welfare science.
A Reply to Response to Comments on ‘Facial pressure beneath a cavesson noseband adjusted to different tightness levels during standing and chewing”
In academic publishing, critique and reply are essential to scientific progress. This letter—declined by the Equine Veterinary Journal—is published here to complete the public record. It clarifies key methodological issues in a study of noseband pressures and highlights the importance of open discourse for equine welfare policy.
Think Blue Tongues may be Harmless in Elite Sport Horses? Think Again.
Unlike most reports quoting only veterinarians, this analysis comes from Dr James Cooling—a medical doctor, qualified bit-fitter, and rider. He explains why blue tongues in elite horses are not cosmetic, but clear evidence of pressure, pain, and compromised welfare.
Illustrating Two Approaches to Equine Sports Welfare Research
Not all opinions are equal, and not all research holds water. A simple saying helps illustrate why that matters. There is an Indian saying that captures the situation where someone with many foibles criticises someone with very few: “That is like the sieve telling the...
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...
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...
PROPERTY MANAGEMENT
Balanced Horse Transport for Safer, Less Stressful Journeys
Balanced transport and loading horses so they travel facing the rear respects the horses’ needs for security behind, and can help reduce stress. In this article, Dr Sharon Cregier, twice awarded the International Animal Transportation Association (ATA) animal 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...
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...
