welfare | Horse Racing Free Tips

Shave And a Haircut: An Equine Welfare Issue?

On July 1, the Fédération Equestre Internationale banned competitors from trimming the hairs around their horse's eyes and muzzle, citing their removal as an equine welfare issue. These hairs, called vibrissae, are deeply embedded in the skin and help a horse sense the environment around him.

Dr. Andrew McLean of Melbourne University Equine Hospital in Australia and CEO of Equitation Science International, says that whiskers around the eyes and muzzle are unique, specialized structures that are larger than other hair follicles. Each whisker has its own blood capsule and nerves, and even the smallest whisker movement is perceptible and the information is relayed straight to the brain, reports the Chronicle of the Horse.

Whiskers help horses do everything from feel the ground while grazing to investigate objects, food, and other horses. Whiskers around the eyes help the horse feel what is nearby to avoid eye injuries.

Specific research on whiskers in other species has been done, but concrete evidence of whisker role in horses is lacking. In other species, whiskers do everything from help the animal maintain balance to assist with spatial awareness in water.

The FEI passed the rule unanimously in 2020. Horses with shaved or clipped sensory hairs are not permitted to compete unless the whiskers have been removed by a veterinarian to provide treatment. Germany banned eye and muzzle whisker removal in 1998, followed by Switzerland and France. Thus far, the U.S. Equestrian Federation, which governs horse sport in the United States, has not banned the trimming of sensory hairs for national-level competition horses, though the organization does encourage riders to consult with their veterinarian.

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McLean notes that it's imperative for organizations involved with horse sport to remain aware of how they are perceived by the public as it is the public, not necessarily the equine experts or the riders, who will determine the fate of equine sport. Called the “social license to operate,” McLean reiterates that regulating horse sport to ensure the welfare of the animal is key to positive community interactions.

British Horseracing Authority Bans Assistant Trainer 15 Months For Striking Horses

The British Horseracing Authority has issued a 15-month ban to former assistant trainer Neil Harris over two videos of incidents showing him striking horses during jumps schooling, reports racingpost.com.

The incidents occurred on Dec. 3, 2017 and Aug. 7, 2020, and were brought to the BHA in March 2021. Harris' ban is backdated to March 16, 2021.

“Welfare and the care of horses is absolutely paramount,” James O'Mahony, the BHA disciplinary panel's chairman, told racingpost.com. “In the first footage, there is in our judgement a loss of temper, which is completely inappropriate.

“Yet perhaps the most disturbing feature was blows to the face and neck of the horse concerned. In the second video, there's also the use of a solid implement. His attitude must of course be changed if he thinks for one moment he can do anything like this again.”

Study Indicates Bitless Bridles Not Necessarily Better Than Snaffles When It Comes To Equine Welfare

Some riders believe that riding a horse without a bit is kinder than traditional bitted options, but new research suggests this may not be the case. Results of a new study show bitless bridles can cause as much pain and pressure on the horse's face as a traditional noseband might, according to The Horse.

Tracy Bye with the University Centre Bishop Burton in Yorkshire, and student Nina Robinson used five university-owned horses in a study using three types of bridles: a bridle with a snaffle bit and regular noseband, a cross-under bitless bridle, and a sidepull bitless bridle. The nosebands on the bitless bridles were fitted to manufacturer instructions and the bridle with the snaffle was tightened to the “two finger” rule.

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Each bridle was fitted with pressure sensors under the crown piece and the noseband. The horses were worked for 30 minutes per day, three days in a row with the same rider, with each type of bridle.

The scientists found that the average amount of pressure on the nose was 65 percent higher with a sidepull bitless bridle than a snaffle-bit bridle. The cross-under bitless bridle had pressure that was 11 percent higher than a snaffle bridle. Compared to the snaffle, peak pressure on the nasal bones were 147 percent higher with the sidepull and 109 percent higher with the cross-under bridle compared with the snaffle.

Though peak pressures were high, they were not sustained, so it's unclear if they would cause damage. The team found that each noseband created pressure as high as that recommended for a tourniquet in human medicine. The scientists also noted that horses ridden in a cross-under bridle tended to hold their heads higher with their necks extended, which could contribute to back pain and poor performance.

The team concluded that the different styles merely transfer the pressure to other areas of the face. The ideal welfare solution may be teaching riders to use their hands differently rather than switch to any one particular type of equipment.

World Horse Welfare-Funded Research Project Seeks To Keep Horse Sport Ethical

World Horse Welfare strongly believes in the value and benefits of the horse-human partnership and actively supports the participation of horses in sport as long as their welfare is put first. Against the backdrop of increasing societal concerns about the involvement of horses in competitive sport, and with the aim of underwriting equestrian sport's continued social license, World Horse Welfare initiated this research project with the Royal Veterinary College. The project is especially relevant in light of the heightened public interest around equine welfare, sparked by recent events such as the incident at the women's Modern Pentathlon at the Tokyo Olympics and this summer's Panorama documentary, “The Dark Side of Racing.”

The first phase of the project was led by Dr. Madeleine Campbell, Senior Lecturer in Human-Animal Interactions & Ethics at the Royal Veterinary College. Phase 1 covered the theory and function of the ethical framework. Campbell also leads Phase 2, which will begin in October 2021 and continue for three years. This phase focuses on optimizing the function and uptake of the ethical framework tool. It aims to extend the scope and significance of this project's impact on welfare by advancing the applicability and uptake of the framework across the equestrian sports sector.

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To achieve the project's broader aims, the specific objectives are:

To refine the ethical framework tool following the final phase of testing in the preceding project and develop a tutorial explaining how to use it
To test the applicability of the ethical framework tool at a grassroots level
To investigate socio-cognitive drivers, facilitators and barriers to adoption of the ethical framework tool in practice, and to develop effective methods of overcoming such barriers and promoting adoption
To conduct systematic reviews of evidence relating to two discipline-specific, stakeholder-identified ethical dilemmas in order to identify research priorities targeted at improving welfare through promoting evidence-based use of the framework

Roly Owers, Chief Executive Officer, commented, “We are delighted to support this project into its second phase, which aligns so closely with a key aspect of our 2020-2024 strategy: 'Supporting the ethical involvement of equines in sport and entertainment.' As recent events such as the infamous Gordon Eliot photo and the treatment of horses during Modern Pentathlon at the Tokyo Olympics have shown, this work has never been more relevant and we are excited to be a part of this pioneering development.

“Working together with equestrian sport and its regulators is an essential part of our work to help achieve the best possible welfare standards and practices throughout the whole lives of sport horses. We are pleased that, in line with this approach, the project will make particular use of stakeholder consultation, building on the results of the October conference and conducting further testing and consultation with equestrian organizations as we progress with the project over the next three years.”

Dr. Madeleine Campbell, Senior Lecturer in Human-Animal Interactions & Ethics at the Royal Veterinary College, commented, “We are looking forward to testing this tool with further decision-makers across all levels of horse sport and we hope the workshop engages everyone in discussion around what exactly needs to be considered when making policies that can impact upon horse welfare. The framework in itself does not tell any stakeholder what conclusion they ought to be reaching on any particular issue – it simply provides them with a logical method of reaching some conclusion based on a set of guiding principles. This means that the framework tool can be used in any setting within equestrian sport to facilitate the transparent, consistent justification of decision and policy making.”

On Nov. 11, 2021, “Whose opinion matters?” will be the theme of World Horse Welfare's annual conference, which is being held both virtually and in person at The Royal Geographical Society, London. The Conference will bring together influential figures in the industry and will address the increasing challenge of distinguishing key voices at a time when the sheer volume of strong opinions on welfare can be overwhelming and deafening. The event will consider the role of objective evidence in decision making and when – if ever – opinion should overrule fact. The RVC research project will be particularly relevant to the Conference in light of these themes.

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