Whip reforms in racing. Whip-free race finishes may soon be a reality for California’s Thoroughbreds. A complete ban on striking a horse with a whip for anything other than a safety reason, is one of the urgent welfare reforms that the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) is expected to passRead More →
France bans the trimming of whiskers. The French Equestrian Federation (FFE) has banned the removal of the horse’s whiskers on welfare grounds. It joins Germany and Switzerland in bringing into effect a rule that would disqualify any horse from competition if the whiskers have been removed. On their website theyRead More →
Transport-related Pneumonia. It is well-known transporting horses carries a significant risk – not just of injury, but also disease, such as colic and respiratory problems. Studies have shown transport is stressful, but does the level of stress experienced by the individual horse predict the development of health-related diseases, like pneumonia?Read More →
Western Dressage virtual competitions. Horse owners can show from the comfort of their own home with North American Western Dressage’s (NAWD) virtual competitions, where video footage of each performance is uploaded and judged remotely. NAWD is leading the way towards inclusive, fairer and more ethical training and competitions by wideningRead More →
Horses and People speak with Hazel Morley of The Society of Master Saddlers, the most influential professional saddlery-related organisation in the world, about the importance of saddle fitting and why you should use a Society of Master Saddlers Registered Qualified Saddle Fitter. A correctly-fitted saddle Just a few years agoRead More →
The Equitation Science Training Scale. “If dressage is the highest expression of horse training, dressage judging should be a transparent and systematic system for de-constructing that training”. Horses and People Editor, Cristina Wilkins, speaks with Andrew McLean about his proposal to align the dressage judging system with evidence-based horse trainingRead More →
A team of researchers from Italy, Germany and England successfully developed and validated a standardised scale to recognise pain in horses based on their facial expressions. Called a Horse Grimace Scale, the scale is easy to teach and will assist in pain detection in horses. It will have a positiveRead More →
Is your horse in the mood to learn? In an article that foreshadows the science of horsemanship (rather than the science of training alone), researchers from the University of Sydney show why trainers should adjust their techniques to the horse’s mood and emotional state. Behaviour scientists say that learning processesRead More →
Ethmoid Haematomas When a horse presents with persistent or intermittent haemorrhagic nasal discharge (bleeding from the nostrils) your vet may investigate for an uncommon but problematic ethmoid haematoma. So what is it? what causes it? and how can it be treated? Veterinarian, Sarah Van Dyk explains… Anatomy A part ofRead More →
During the Victorian era, many people had little empathy for their beasts of burden, but all that changed when ‘Black Beauty’ was published in 1877. This was the first book to be written specifically to encourage people to stop deliberate cruelty to horses. The spark for horse welfare Author AnnaRead More →
