In this week’s episode, I revisit Sue Dyson, one of the initiators Horse and Hound referred to as top equestrians when we launched our petition New Era for Equestrian Sports? #LetHorsesSpeak in December 2023. Sue Dyson is a specialist in veterinary medicine and rehabilitation, a … Read moreEP34: #LetHorsesSpeak
Equestrian sports have several severe welfare issues that needs to be addressed… Just before Christmas 2023, TV2 Denmark released the documentary “Operation X: Secrets of the Horse Billionaire,” where a journalist, using a hidden camera, exposed highly questionable conditions at one of the World’s most … Read moreNEW ERA FOR EQUESTRIAN SPORTS?
A horse can certainly be forced to do whatever we want it to do because they are sensitive flight animals seeking safety and survival. And if events organised by the FEI do not crack down on ugly riding on warm-up arenas, or displayed conflict behaviour … Read moreEP33: OPEN LETTER TO THE FEI
When my pocast hit 450.000 downloads I asked my brilliant colleague Ove Hals to help me design a visual presentation of my Norwegian podcast – and so he did! WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW! Opening title reads “The Enigmatic Horse”. The rest is self-explanatory – no … Read moreTHE ENIGMATIC HORSE
– Sometimes the horse exhibits behaviour that we mistakenly interpret as disobedience, but it’s actually a cry for help. In such cases, it’s not effective to ride for a trainer who instructs you to look straight ahead, keep your hands still, and use your legs, … Read moreEP32: MEET ELAINE BUTLER
– I really call this disruptive technology because from this point on there is no excuse anymore not to measure lameness objectively. It’s practical, it’s scientifically proven and it’s validated, says doctor in veterinary medicine Filipe Bragança. Today I have invited doctor in veterinary medicin … Read moreEP31: BIOMECHANICS MEETS AI
– We need to start with the assumption that animals aren’t looking for conflict. They don’t want conflict any more than we do. But animals will become aggressive if they become frightened. So the number one point is never to scare them, says Professor Emeritus … Read moreEP30: MEET JAMES SERPELL
– Good ridning means that you stop disturbing the horse, and that is one thing I find it important to tell everybody; get out of the way, cause you are the problem, says Arne Koets, who during his five years as a rider and curator … Read moreEP29: MEET ARNE KOETS II
– Rather than focussing on the footfall of your horse, feel the rhythm in the movement of his spine. It is like the rhythm of a song, and you can move with it, says Jeff Sanders. You’ll meet a lot of trainers out there teaching … Read moreEP 27&28: MEET JEFF SANDERS
– Offering our horses scentwork and exploration exercises not only reduces stress and make them more confident. It can also be a brilliant tool when horses struggle with what we often refer to as behaviour problems, she says the Dutch trainer Rachaël Draaisma Draaisma has worked … Read moreEP26: SCENTWORK FOR HORSES