Putting the animal back together: the teleonome makes its public debut
Forty years after the world’s first Professor of Animal Welfare was appointed, why does the most visible animal suffering persist? Opening the Animal Welfare Chapter at ANZCVS Science Week on the Gold Coast, Cristina Wilkins argued it isn’t a knowledge gap — and presented the teleonome, and the six As that operationalise it, for the first time to a live audience
The Price of the Podium: How Commercial Incentives Shape Horse Welfare in Elite Sport
When commercial success drives equestrian sport, welfare science reveals how breeding decisions, training systems, and competition incentives shape the horse’s lived experience across nutrition, environment, health, behaviour, and mental state.
From Telos to Teleonome: A New Way to Understand Horse Welfare
You’ve seen it. The horse pacing the fence line, wearing a track in the ground. The one who calls out, again and again, when stabled alone. We call these problems. But most of us have a quieter sense that something else is going on. That quieter sense is correct — and now there’s a word for what it’s pointing at.
When welfare becomes culture: patching the leaky bucket in horse sport
Why do welfare problems persist in horse sport despite growing knowledge and regulation? Drawing on a webinar by Lisa Ashton, this article argues that welfare fails when culture fails — and explores how mental security, reciprocity, and whole-systems thinking can help patch the leaky bucket.
From Principles to Practice: How Riding Schools are Reshaping Welfare Culture
Across the UK, riding schools are rethinking welfare from the horse’s perspective. The Riding School Futures Project shows how integrating the Five Domains Model, equitation science, and staff education is reshaping everyday practice — not through rules, but through cultural change.
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...
Critique of the film Horses and the Science of Harmony
A critique of the Horses and the Science of Harmony film by Emeritus Professor Robert Cook, FRCVS, PhD. “Horses and the Science of Harmony” is, as stated in its introduction, a “Full length feature film, seen through the lens of cutting-edge science and groundbreaking...
Horse welfare through the lens of the Five Domains
Postgraduate students, representatives from the equine industry, teachers and riding instructors came from as far as Australia, Canada, Spain, Hungary, Great Britain, Finland, Denmark and Sweden and gathered at the picturesque and wintery Equine Centre Wången in...
British Vets Embrace Horse Behaviour
The value of behavioural science was in the spotlight at British Equine Vets Association (BEVA) Congress last week. Gemma Pearson and Sarah Freeman shared their considerable knowledge and experience in two complementary plenary lectures, on how embracing learning...
Tool Use Confirmed in Horses
Horse owners have helped researchers confirm tool use in horses. You may have seen viral videos circulating online of a horse picking up brushes to groom another horse, or another using a broom to "sweep" the floor. They are nor just incredibly amusing, these videos...
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 horseracing industry is ignoring what science says about whipping
When the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) released its recent whip consultation report, it claimed to have consulted the science. But it insists whipping doesn’t hurt horses and fails to recommend that the racing industry changes its approach.
Cross-sector collaboration for equine welfare improvements
Leaders from a wide range of equestrian and racing disciplines came together to discuss challenges and opportunities around the social licence to operate. They took on the challenge of working together to "do more, faster” to demonstrably prioritise equine welfare. An...
UK survey reports 1 in 5 people do not support horses in sport
A survey of the general United Kingdom population reports that one in five (20%) people do not support the involvement of horses in sport under any circumstances. The research was commissioned by World Horse Welfare (WHW), an international charity that strives to...
Training the opportunist and the comfort seeker
Of all animals, humans are the ultimate calculating opportunists. While pressing the world around us into our service, we have bred and trained a few of the other animals to suit our purposes. Among these domestic species, we are, I think, most indebted to dogs and...
Hartpury to Host the 18th Equitation Science Conference
Hartpury University will host the 18th Conference of the International Society for Equitation Science Over three days, the event will give delegates a fresh perspective on the current state of Equitation Science with thought-provoking plenaries, workshops, research...
The Shoulder-in: More Than Dressage Gymnastics
Recent scientific findings support what many students of Classical dressage principles have known all along: The shoulder-in exercise is not only good for the horse's physical development but it also influences their mental state - and the benefits of practicing it...
The Science on Choosing and Training a Show Jumper
If you want your jumping horse to be a successful and “happy athlete,” choose - and train - that horse wisely. But what is the wisest way to choose and train a show jumping horse? According to equine biomechanics specialists, traditional equestrian wisdom can...
Equitation Science Conference: Free Registration Announced
Thanks to the generosity of sponsors, the 2021 Equitation Science Conference is now offering free (yes FREE!) conference registration for all. This means that you will be able to attend the entire conference - the plenary presentations (scroll down to learn what's in...
Welfare Education Displays Work Say Researchers
Sharing science-based knowledge about animal behaviour and animal welfare with the general public isn’t always easy—especially since social media often spreads misleading information. But U.S. researchers have recently found that popular family events like fairs could...
Researchers Recommend Helmets On and Off the Saddle
Head injuries and broken ribs are common injuries in equestrian sports, but they don’t have to be par for the course. According to a new study looking at horse-related accidents in a primary (non-trauma) care centre, falls cause the most injuries, but ground-level...
Can a FitBit Track a Horse’s Activity?
If you’re wondering how much activity your horse is getting when you’re not with him, why not strap on a simple FitBit? According to U.S. researchers, the human-oriented device could offer a useful alternative to more expensive options designed specifically for...
Roadmap for the Ethical Use of Horses in Sport
A British researcher has mapped out an ethical framework to help horse sports assess issues affecting their social licence to operate. It is hoped that different organisations will use it as a starting point, to critically assess existing and proposed practices, as...
Citizen Science: Your Contribution to E-BARQ Already Giving Back
E-BARQ, the citizen science project on horse behaviour and management is already giving back, thanks to the contributions of thousands of horse owners. While 2020 offered fewer opportunities for us to be out and about with our horses, behind the scenes, equine...
It’s More than the Early Starts. Horseracing’s Staff Recruitment and Retention Problems
The problems surrounding the recruitment, training and retention of stable staff in horseracing extend beyond the early starts. For at least half a century, the multi-billion-pound horseracing industry in the UK has had a hard time keeping staff on board. And that’s...
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...
Horse Riders’ Attitudes to Managing Risk “Disturbing” Says Safety Researcher
So, horses are dangerous. Is that just the way things are? And does taking risks with horses make you look braver, more confident, or more of a leader? According to one equestrian safety scientist, there are better ways to deal with horse-related risks. And there are...
Anxiety Levels High in Eventers Post-lockdown, Say Researchers
When human and equine athletes get separated for several weeks—such as during lockdown—physical and emotional strain can lead to anxiety, poor performance, and even reduced welfare, according to a new study. Elite three-day eventing riders isolated from their horses...
Researchers Investigate the Horse-Human Bond
Your horse probably recognizes your face and knows your voice—maybe even the sound of your car driving up to the stables. And while he or she may develop some level of attachment to you, it might not be the same kind of bond that grows between parents and children or...
Disparate views on horse welfare impact the future of racing
Depending on their connection with horse racing, different people have different views about what’s “natural.” And that, according to one researcher, is having a major impact on the future of the sport. While racing industry leaders might consider it “natural” for a...
Research into the Human-Horse Bond
There’s a sense of peace that comes with standing in a pasture of grazing horses. There’s something that feels incredibly safe about surrounding ourselves with dozens of animals each weighing 10 times our own weight and seeing that they have no intention of hurting...
Recruiting the help from those who know their horses best
You know your horse best andthat's why researchers need you to help advance horse welfare You read the articles about how scientists study horse behaviour, and you think, Why did they need to study that? I could have told them that. Or maybe it’s the opposite. Maybe...
Identifying ‘fearfulness’ in foals could improve horse sports’ safety, say researchers
A fearful horse, in the wrong hands, is a dangerous horse. That’s why Danish researchers have set out to determine clues to identify the foals that are likely to become fearful adults. As a result, those horses could go to the right trainers with the skills necessary...
Researchers uncover scientific clue to the relationship between whorls and horse personality
Whorl judging of horse temperament and personality may have found its scientific grounding. Ever notice that donkeys have very different temperaments compared to horses? Ever notice that donkeys have very different heads compared to horses? If you’re starting to think...
Report of Bone Damage at Noseband Site
A new study has identified bone damage at the site of the noseband. This research has important ramifications regarding the use of this part of the bridle which is not only common, but compulsory in certain disciplines, like dressage and showing. The changes were...
How Many Foals End up Racing?
Only 66% of Thoroughbred foals entered training in Australia and 5% were exported to other countries. What happened to the other the other 28%? You see the ones that win. You even see the ones that lose. But if you’ve ever wondered where the rest of the racehorses...
Researchers Compare the Welfare of Competition vs Leisure Horses
Tough question time. Which horses have better health and welfare: leisure-riding horses? Or competition horses? A recent Swiss study has just shown that competition horses generally face greater limitations on their movement freedom. But leisure horses tend to be more...
Research to Lift the Veil on Bridles
Research on horse owners' use of bitted and unbitted bridles, believed to be first of its kind, could change the equine industry. Charles Sturt master’s student to research horse owners’ use of bitted and unbitted bridles Mrs Jude Matusiewicz wants to determine...
On-board Technology Helps Avoid Hyperflexion
When a horse is moving straight forward, it can be difficult for a rider to evaluate the horse’s head position. In particular, is his head vertical to the ground, or does his nose point too far in front of or behind that vertical? To help riders better evaluate head...
Thermography a Promising Tool for Saddle Fitting
Thermography, a useful tool for saddle fit evaluation. Saddle fitting isn’t just black and white. While you’d always aim for a “Good” saddle fit and avoid a “Bad” saddle fit, there’s actually quite a bit of grey area in between those two extremes. Or, according to one...
Nosebands: Survey Reports Reasons for use and Complications
A survey into noseband use asked riders why they choose nosebands and, one in five respondents reports complications related to their use. They look nice. They frame a horse’s head. They’re part of the standard equipment used in my discipline. They keep the tongue in...
Researchers Question Artificial Weaning
Weaning foals Six months old. That landmark age when your baby foal isn’t a baby anymore. Time to wean... As in, time to take him away from his dam, lock her up so she doesn’t injure anyone trying to get to her baby. And time to make him try to get past the anxiety of...
Webinar: Tongue Ties and Tight Nosebands
Noseband tightness in competition is a hot topic that is high on Equestrian Canada's agenda. In the process of revising the rules, this equestrian federation invited Professor Paul McGreevy to explain the science. Scroll down to watch the webinar... A riding...
International study on the effect of COVID-19 on horse owners
Researchers around the world have teamed up to determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on horse owners and their animals. Using separate online surveys, the international research team is collecting qualitative and quantitative data to investigate the varying...
The Equestrian Coach Challenge
The coronavirus crisis is creating huge problems, but it's also opening opportunities for us to focus on connecting with what really matters and embracing the opportunity to lead. A leader who believes in turning a crisis into an opportunity for meaningful change is...
Horses recognise our disgust and they don’t like it!
Horses recognise disgust in humans. Disgusted? Don’t show your horse. In keeping with the findings by Léa Lansade’s team in France, a Japanese study has found that horses recognise when humans show facial and vocal expressions of disgust—and they change their...
The Challenges of Recognising Stress in Horses
Recognising stress in horses. Can you recognize stress in a horse during a veterinary exam? Your observations might not be as accurate as you think. Physiological stress parameter measurements could give more reliable information about equine stress—but they have to...
Have you ever wondered how your horse compares to others?
Horse behaviour research. The International Society for Equitation Science is proud to announce that Honorary Fellow, Professor Paul McGreevy has been awarded the Fulbright Future Scholarship, funded by The Kinghorn Foundation. The scholarship will allow Prof....
Horse Rider Weight Gain: If you gained some holiday weight, don’t give up horse riding
Horse rider weight gain. It happens to the best of us. We think we’re maintaining our weight, trying to get fit, hoping we don’t look too bad in our riding breeches and especially not weighing down our poor horses. Then come the holidays. Family events. Work parties,...
Noseband design significantly affects pressure on horse’s nose
Noseband design. If you use a flash or drop noseband, you may be surprised at the results of a recent preliminary equine study. Jayne Peters from Bishop Burton College, UK and her research team, investigated three different noseband designs for their effect on rein...
How do we Measure a Horse’s Quality of Life?
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...
Yes, Horses ‘Figure Out’ Tasks from Watching Humans but Rarely Mimic Them
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! Horses learn by watching people...
Owners commonly fail to recognise signs of stress in horses
Recognise the signs of distress. 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...
Not in Front of the Ponies! Why Humans Should Control their Emotions around Horses
Humans Should Control Their Emotions Around Horses 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...
Whip Use in Equestrian Sports
Whip use in equestrian 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...
Don’t box me in!
box stalls and welfare 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...
The Equine Behaviour Assessment and Research Questionnaire (E-BARQ)
The Equine Behaviour Assessment and Research Questionnaire (E-BARQ) 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...
Social Licence to Operate: The Life or Death of the Sport
Social Licence to Operate 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...
Is your horse normal? Now there’s an app for that
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...
Safety Overhaul in the Horse Industry Will Require a Mindset Change
Safety in the Horse Industry. 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...
In Search of the Equine Good Life
Once, there were the Five Freedoms—looking at what was available to the horse. Then came the Five Domains—looking at the state of the horse itself. Today, with ever-increasing public scrutiny of animal welfare and a greater understanding of their ethological needs,...
In Search of the Happy Horse
If you’ve been around horses long enough, you know the scene. A friend says, “Now that’s a happy horse! Just look at him!” And meanwhile, you’re thinking, “Wait, happy? Are we talking about the same horse? That’s not what I call a happy horse.” As interest in equine...
Get Involved in Improving the Communication of Science
Science Communication: The 15th International Equitation Science Conference, with the theme of ‘Bringing Science to the Stable’, kicked off on Sunday 18th August 2019 with two pre-conference workshops. The first was ‘Lost in Translation: Improving the Communication of...
Slow Your Horses Overnight Feeding
Overnight Feeding: That midnight snack might not make your tummy very happy... But then again, you’re not a horse. To maintain your horse’s digestive health and general welfare, you should consider trickle feeding your stabled horses during the night so as to better...
The Great Escape… Clever horse yes… But can you keep him in?
Clever horse. Everyone’s in the barn, all stall doors snugly closed. Lights out. Fast forward to the next morning, and there’s your gelding hanging out in the paddock, his stall door wide open. Or maybe all the horses are out, and all the doors are open. After a few...
Starting Gate Trouble at the Horse Races
Horse race starting gate And…. They’re off! Or… are they? Actually, no. They’re still at the starting gate. Well, trying to get into the starting gate. Well, trying to resist getting encouraged/forced/shoved into the starting gate. Maybe it’s the jockeys who are...
Top five trends to help build happy horse groups
When it comes to understanding herd dynamics that help build happy horse groups, it’s hard to beat 15 years of cumulative, ongoing research. And that’s exactly what Icelandic scientists have done. They’ve spent a decade and a half studying hundreds of horses living in...
Could your horse walker be causing your horse unnecessary stress?
You go to his stall, put his halter on him, lead him out away from his companions, and take him to that Great Contraption that he’s finally learned to accept. You guide him into the enclosure, tie him up, give him a friendly pat on the croup and tell him he’s a good...
Which Horse Behaviours Indicate Friendship Best?
Horses are social animals. They like each other. They like being together. Well, that’s the simple version. The more complex, and more accurate, version is that horses like some horses more than others, and they dislike some horses more than others as well. How do...
Is Your New Saddle Symmetrical? Your Horse Isn’t!
Is your saddle perfectly symmetrical? Before you proudly say, “Yes, of course! I’d never have an asymmetrical saddle for my horse!”, consider this second, and equally important question: Is your horse perfectly symmetrical? A well-fitting saddle - meaning one that...
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...
Young Riders’ Vision for Riding Schools
When it comes to horse (and rider) welfare, the “dreams of the youth” aren’t to be taken lightly. According to one Swedish researcher, professionals and scientists can learn a lot about developing more ideal riding schools tomorrow by listening to the young horse...
Don’t rug based on how cold you feel say researchers
When to rug your horse. If your horse is cold, rug him. The trick, though, is to know if he really is cold. Unfortunately, humans (and even equine scientists themselves) aren’t necessarily very good at picking up the signs that our horses are too hot, according to a...
Snorting and chewing helps horses calm down when they are stressed
Snorting and chewing helps horses calm. He sees a tree stump, and you roll your eyes… because you know what’s coming next. This is the part where your horse plants his feet, perks up his ears, snorts, blows, and chews his own saliva. If you said he’s stressed at that...
Scientists want to build trust in science and technology. The alternative is too risky to contemplate
Trust in Science. New research shows that despite differences in their funding commitments, major political parties in Australia – the Coalition, Labor and the Greens – see science and technology as important aspects of our economy and future prosperity. But that’s...
Can positive change be achieved on social media?
Can positive change be achieved on social media? It starts with a photo, a horse looking withdrawn and depressed, or scared out of his mind, or starving to death, or getting his head yanked against his throat, or getting his nose cranked together with a noseband so...
Ridden-horse ethogram helps identify pain
Horses, as flight animals, instinctively remain silent in the face of pain, but a new study, recently published in Equine Veterinary Education, shows they have a ‘voice’ if observers are trained to ‘listen’. The study confirms that if vets are trained to use a...
Horse-rider weight ratio pilot study: Results are in
Horse-rider weight ration pilot study: The results of a pilot study on the effects of rider weight on equine performance have been published in the world’s leading journal of equine veterinary education, Equine Veterinary Education (EVE). It not only highlights the...
Sleep Deprivation in Horses
Sleep deprivation in horses. Sleep is essential for life. The quality and quantity of a horse’s sleep directly affects their health and well-being. However, sleep is rarely considered as part of a horse’s management plan. But a new study has found that poor management...
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...
Equitation Scientists Challenge ‘Misinformation’ Presented at WHW Conference
World Horse Welfare. In an open letter, the International Society for Equitation Science (ISES) asked World Horse Welfare (WHW) to publicly rectify "a number of incorrect claims and insinuations" made by Olympian and WHW trustee Richard Davison regarding noseband...
Researchers Study the Effect of Different Rugs on Skin Temperature
Horse core body temperature and the effect of rugs on skin temperature. Many horse owners rug their horses all year round, however, a preliminary study, warns that the ambient temperatures expected and the type of rug needs to be carefully considered as horses can...
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...
Boost your Dressage Scores Part 1: The Equitation Science Training Scale
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...
Is Your Horse in the Mood to Learn?
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...
Setting Good Ground Rules Part 3 – Training Park
Setting Good Ground Rules Part 3 Training Park Many people wrongly expect the horse will know he is supposed to stand still when he is tied up or is in a horse box, when in reality we should first train every horse that once you ask him to stop, he should not move nor...
Setting Good Ground Rules Part 2 – Stop and Go
Setting Good Ground Rules Part 2 Stop and Go In this Part 2 of our series I will explain how I train the basic responses of “go forward” and “stop” from the ground. Before you start Make sure you are wearing gloves, a safety helmet and appropriate boots, and work in...
Setting Good Ground Rules Part 1 – Introduction
Setting Good Ground Rules Part 1 - Introduction This is Part 1 of a series of articles about training the horse in-hand. The AEBC has recently published "Academic Horse Training" by Andrew and Manuela McLean which covers all the aspects of this effective, evidence...
