Is Bigger Really Better?
When it comes to research studies, most people are impressed by big numbers. But how do you define ‘big’? Against what? Weldome to Part 2 of the Science Critique 101 Series. In the first part of this Science Critique 101 series, I highlighted the need to be critical...
No Research is Perfect… That’s the Point!
Part 1 of the Science Critique 101 Series. Science critique is absolutely necessary for interpreting all the information we can readily access these days, but before you decide to accept or reject new findings, it's important to understand that research is never...
Research Bias vs Biased Research
This article is Part 3 of the Science Critique 101 Series. There are four common critiques that people often defer to when they reject a piece of research. These relate to 1) sample size, 2) research bias, 3) the peer-review process and 4) funding. In Part 1 of the...
Are You Brave Enough to be Kind to Your Horse, Yourself and Others?
Are you brave enough to be kind to your horse, yourself and others? An article has been published titled ‘An Ethnographic Account of the British Equestrian Virtue of Bravery, and Its Implications for Equine Welfare’, which is available open...
Make Hay, Not Straw Men! A Guide to Recognising and Avoiding False Arguments
I have previously written about biases and how they can skew our beliefs about what we consider right, correct and truthful. When it comes to how we defend those views, we might find ourselves using or being countered with a logical fallacy. Read about biases by...
Are you Ready for Equine Agency?
The term ‘agency’ is commonplace in human-animal studies and was featured in public debate via ‘The Equitation Welfare Workshop’. The event gave practitioners, equitation science researchers, vets and therapists from around the world a chance to openly discuss agency...
Research shows whipping horses doesn’t make them run faster, straighter or safer — let’s cut it out
The horse racing whip debate just got harder... The Melbourne Cup is upon us. This year will be different due to COVID-19 — but one thing we don’t expect to change is concern about horses’ welfare, which seems to resurface each year. Just days before the Cup,...
Can Horse People Get Along? Tips from Six Blind Men and an Elephant
It is possible for horse people to get along? Horse people! We have a reputation for being a bit, well, crazy. But not just in the eccentric way. I mean in the way that we don’t get along very well with one another. It’s quite ironic that if anyone was going to...
Growing Your Horse’s Window of Tolerance
In an earlier article, I wrote about the window of tolerance, which is kind of like the horse's emotional comfort zone. In this article, I discuss how you can grow your horse’s individual window of tolerance so they can become more resilient to the demands we impose....
The Window of Tolerance
The window of tolerance. It’s a mild summer evening after work and you are swinging along in the arena practicing your dressage test for next weekend. Rhythm is good and your horse seems to be taking weight evenly on all four legs. It feels like the perfect time to...
The Overlooked Benefits of Being Around Horses
Benefits of being around horses. Therapeutic riding is a well-established and highly regarded equine-assisted activity for helping people with physical disabilities. Horses are also becoming increasingly recognised for their beneficial role in interventions designed...
Bias Beware! Researchers have identified more than 50 types of biases
Bias I own the most beautiful horse in the world. Well, maybe I’m a little biased. We all have our own biases – things that skew our attention away from seeing the bigger picture or considering other options. Sometimes our biases are just towards our likes. Most of...
Like Apples and Oranges: There are Different Ways to Research Horses and People
I recently shared a post on social media about the findings of a study that I had co-authored about how horse owners determine if their horses have their social and behavioural needs met. Just over half of the participants had strongly agreed that the horses in their...
You’re anthropomorphising! And… is it really that bad?
It might be a mouthful to pronounce, but anthropomorphism needn't be hard to swallow. In this article, Dr Kirrilly Thompson moves away from a discussion about whether or not attributing human characteristics to horses is bad, to a consideration of when and how it can...
6 Ways to Improve Your Horse’s Resilience During Emergencies
In this article, you will find six basic principles you can incorporate into your daily interactions with your horses to help you prepare for extraordinary events and improve your horse’s survival and resilience during natural disasters and other extraordinary events....
20 (More) Reasons to Wear a Helmet
Reasons to wear a helmet. Horse riding is dangerous. I’m not going to go into the statistics on horse-related injury and fatality because they are far from straightforward. Do you calculate injury rates per ride, per hour spent in the saddle or per jump attempt? ...
Why the long face: just how risky is horse riding?
Eventing is a sport enjoyed by many Australians, but what are the risks? alan feebery/Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND Kirrilly Thompson, CQUniversity Australia The death of 17-year-old horse rider Olivia Inglis in March 2016 rocked the global equestrian world. The hashtag...
