Horse Welfare Archives - Horses and People

The FEI’s Blood Rule: Are We Really Willing to Jump Backwards?

by Cristina Wilkins | Oct 21, 2025 | CRISTINA WILKINS, Horse Welfare | 0 |

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’

by Dr Orla Doherty, MVB MSc PhD, Dr Kate Fenner, PhD, Assoc. Prof Janne Winther Christensen, Dr Andrew McLean, Assoc. Prof Peter Thompson, Mette Uldahl, DVM and Prof Paul McGreevy, BVSc, PhD, FRCVS | Oct 13, 2025 | Equitation Science, Horse Welfare | 0 |

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”

by Cristina Wilkins, Assoc. Prof Janne Winther Christensen, Dr Orla Doherty, MVB MSc PhD, Dr Kate Fenner, PhD, Prof Rafael Freire, Dr Cathrynne Henshall and Prof Paul McGreevy, BVSc, PhD, FRCVS | Oct 13, 2025 | Equitation Science, Horse Welfare | 0 |

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

by Emeritus Professor David Mellor | Oct 10, 2025 | Horse Welfare | 0 |

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.

by Dr James Cooling | Oct 9, 2025 | Anatomy, Dressage, Equine Science, Equitation Science, Horse Welfare | 0 |

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

by Dr Robert Cook, FRCVS, PhD | Oct 6, 2025 | Equine Science, Horse Health, Horse Welfare, Off The Track, Respiratory | 0 |

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.