Astute horse owners realise that their horse’s welfare is about more than having food, water and appropriate shelter. The horse’s emotional well-being, also known as their quality of life, is an important piece of the welfare puzzle. However, it is unclear what measurements are accurate and reliable enough to helpRead More →
You put your right hand on, You take your right hand off, You put your right hand on… the handle, And you turn it to the right…. You do the hokey pokey and you turn yourself around. That’s what (getting out of your barn) is all about! Welcome to theRead More →
A new scientific study suggests owners often miss signs of stress. Even experienced horse owners risk missing signs that their horses are experiencing stress or fear. The team of researchers from the Equine Behaviour and Training Association warn that when people fail to recognise the behavioural signs of pain andRead More →
You show up at the barn in a bad mood, grumpy, short-tempered. You snap at the other riders and you raise your voice at a significant other over your mobile phone. Then there’s your horse, wide-eyed and a little nervous, like he’s wondering what’s in it for him. If you’veRead More →
Whip use in horse sports is currently a highly debated topic, not just within racing but across the entire industry, and a recent study into the use and perception of the whip in equestrian sports suggests there is an appetite for changes in regulation and education. Dr Jane Williams andRead More →
A gilded cage is still a cage. For horses, “gilded cages” come in the form of luxurious box stalls, clean and maintained, with modern sliding doors, windows to the outside, padded mats, wide aisles between the rows of stalls, and riding facilities just outside the main entrance. Maybe these stallsRead More →
The Equine Behaviour Assessment and Research Questionnaire (E-BARQ) Since ancient times, horse behaviour and the bond between horses and humans, have been a source of intrigue and fascination. The horse-lore that has accumulated over the centuries is a rich mix of both useful practice (approaching horses from their left side,Read More →
There’s a new term out there in the horse world. And like rollkur, it promises to be a trendy one. It also promises to be a scary one. Social Licence to Operate—SLO for short—is the acceptance of our sport by the public. It’s a virtual licence given by a virtualRead More →
Since ancient times, horse behaviour, and the bond between horses and humans, has been a source of intrigue and fascination. The horse-lore that has accumulated over the centuries is a rich mix of both useful practice (approaching horses from their left side, making them slightly less reactive) and unsubstantiated myth,Read More →
Every year, 20 Australians lose their lives to horse-related incidents, and hundreds more are hospitalized. But according to an industrial safety risk management specialist, it doesn’t have to be that way. If people in the horse industry followed the example of other high-risk industries and sports like mining, construction, andRead More →
