A new research project is calling on event horse owners and riders to share their experiences as part of an important study into one of the sport’s most common welfare challenges, lameness.
Despite being a leading cause of reduced performance, time out of work and early retirement, there is still limited research exploring how everyday management and training practices may influence the risk of lameness in event horses.
This new study aims to change that. Using a short, anonymous online survey, researchers are investigating potential links between how horses are managed and trained and the likelihood of lameness occurring. The goal is to identify practical, avoidable risk factors that could help improve horse welfare and reduce injury risk across the sport.
Importantly for the Animalweb community, Dr Heather Cameron-Whytock, one of Animalweb’s trusted experts and a familiar face from our recent Safety Series, is involved in this work.
The survey takes around 10 minutes to complete and is open to anyone who owns or rides event horses. Participants are asked to answer questions about one horse at a time, with the option to submit multiple responses for different horses if they wish.
By taking part, riders and owners can contribute valuable real-world data that could help shape future guidance and improve outcomes for horses at all levels of eventing.
Animalweb encourages its members and the wider equestrian community to get involved and support this important research.
Take part in the survey and help drive better understanding of lameness in event horses.
