"Equestrian" encompasses the study and practice of horse riding, management, and care. This field covers a wide range of topics, including equine anatomy, physiology, behavior, nutrition, and training techniques. It also addresses the various disciplines within equestrian sports, such as dressage, show jumping, eventing, and endurance riding. Research within this area often focuses on improving horse welfare, enhancing performance, and understanding the human-animal bond in equestrian contexts. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the diverse aspects of equestrian activities and horse management, aiming to provide insights into best practices and advancements in the field.
Dordel HJ.Since November 1973 a riding course has been carried out with six blind adults. Due to the instructional methods the participants were able to ride independently, without an attendant, after only 30 hours. The effects of riding on the blind encompass coordination training and development of muscle strength. Furthermore, riding has a pronounced influence on the circulatory system. This attractive reaction activity provides the person who, as a result of his specific handicapping condition is limited in both the spatial and social fields, with an expansion of his living space and sphere of exper...
Back pain is the cause of bad welfare in humans and animals. Although vertebral problems are regularly reported on riding horses, these problems are not always identified nor noticed enough to prevent these horses to be used for work. Results: Nineteen horses from two riding centres were submitted to chiropractic examinations performed by an experienced chiropractor and both horses' and riders' postures were observed during a riding lesson. The results show that 74% of horses were severely affected by vertebral problems, while only 26% were mildly or not affected. The degree of vertebral probl...
Swezey E, Szydziak E, Angus LDG, Mehta V, Cardozo-Stolberg S.Equestrian trauma is recognized as a high-risk injury mechanism with the potential for significant morbidity and mortality. Although horse-related injuries are more frequently seen in a rural environment, they can also occur in urban settings. Urban physicians should be mindful of these potential cases. Methods: A retrospective review was performed on all patients treated at Nassau University Medical Center, East Meadow, New York, for equestrian-related trauma from January 1, 2000, to December 31, 2024. Results: Twenty-nine equestrian trauma patients ages 10-70 were included, with injuries ob...
Wells A, Hiney K, Brady CM, Anderson KA.The welfare of horses depends on the ability of their caretakers to accurately recognize and interpret their affective states. This study evaluates the effectiveness of RAiSE (Recognizing Affective States in Equine), an online educational course designed to enhance horse industry participants' skills in identifying equine emotions. The course content was developed using the Theory of Planned Behavior. The study involved 45 participants who completed pre- and post-surveys assessing their ability to interpret affective states from 20 video clips of horses. Results of the study showed that partic...
Stuart RB, Miles-Farrier F, Bard AM, Rees G.Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an increasingly serious threat to human and animal health. Antimicrobial use (AMU) in horses is gathering research interest, although there remain significant evidence gaps. Currently, there is scant qualitative research into equine owners' use of antimicrobials, specifically antibiotics, hindering the design of evidence-based stewardship interventions and policies. Objective: To understand Welsh equine owners' views and behaviours relating to antimicrobial usage. Methods: Cross sectional survey and qualitative data collection and analysis. Methods: An online ...
Loftus L, Newman A, Leach M, Asher L.There is increasing focus on how to induce and measure positive affective states in animals and the development of social license to operate has brought this to the forefront within equestrianism. This study aimed to utilise a range of methods to induce and measure positive affect in horses in real-world settings. Twenty healthy horses were scored for personality, exposed to four induction methods (wither scratching, high value food provision, positive reinforcement training and the addition of an affiliative conspecific), and data collected on their behaviour (QBA and ethograms) and physiolog...
Szczepek Reed B, Lundesjö Kvart S.In many types of embodied skills instruction, the learnables-that is, the local and jointly negotiated foci of instruction-emerge from a combination between a pre-existing lesson plan and the spontaneous interaction between teacher and student. Through the analytical lens of Conversation Analysis, this paper investigates the interspecies instruction setting of horse-riding lessons and shows how here, it is not only the human teachers and learners that determine the emergence of new learnables but also the horses. Horses' actions can initiate new courses of action in a lesson, and horses can th...
Pusterla N, Lawton K, Barnum S, Flynn K, Hankin S, Runk D, Mendonsa E, Doherty T.The present study reports on the management of an EHV-1 outbreak at a large, multi-week equestrian event with ongoing showing. Within a 48 h period, 8 horses out of a cohort of 38 horses from the same trainer displayed elevated rectal temperatures ranging from 38.4 to 39.0 °C. Initial testing using a point-of-care PCR assay detected EHV-1 in 2/8 horses, with the results being confirmed at a later time by qPCR. As a precautionary measure and because of the inability to isolate the entire at-risk population, the 38 horses were relocated to an equine facility outside the equestrian event for dai...
Horan K, Pfau T.Racehorses and jockeys can incur injuries, not only during gallops, but also during routine trotting exercise to access gallop tracks or warm-up. Understanding how jockey position affects racehorse movement may influence safety, and this may vary across different surface conditions. This study used inertial sensing technology (XSens MTw sensors) and linear mixed models to quantify and determine the significance (p ≤ 0.05) of jockey riding position ('rising' versus 'two-point seat') and surface type (artificial, grass and tarmac) on: 1) time offsets between stance and flight phases; 2) ho...
Turcotte GK, O'Sullivan TL, Spence KL, Winder CB, Greer AL.Horses may travel for a variety of reasons, leading to potential exposure to pathogens. Typically, these movements are bidirectional with horses returning to their home facility, therefore also risking pathogen exposure to resident horses at home facilities. The Canadian National Farm and Facility Level Biosecurity Standard for the Equine Sector was designed to outline best practices for managing biosecurity at equestrian facilities, however, there is a gap between the implementation of these recommendations and the day-to-day operations of equestrian facilities. This study aimed to explore th...
Maguire M, Brusie R.To determine the outcome of skeletally mature performance horses with subchondral bone cysts and fissures in the proximal aspect of the first phalanx treated by lag screw compression. Unassigned: Case records of horses that underwent lag screw compression to treat subchondral bone lesions in the proximal aspect of the first phalanx were reviewed. Performance horses > 5 years old with lameness referrable to the fetlock region; radiographic or other advanced imaging evidence of subchondral bone lesions, with no other concurrent cause for lameness; and at least 6 months of follow-up data were inc...
Simões J, Santos AM, Santos C, Silva AS, Vintém C, Fonseca J, Coelho C.Show jumping is a popular and complex equestrian modality practiced by a athletes of different levels. However, most studies focus on elite athletes. Objective: The aim of this work was to assess the effect of a show jumping test (SJT), designed for novice athletes, on the physiological biomarkers and energy indexes of a group of horses, bred and trained in Portugal. Methods: In this prospective cross-sectional study, thirteen horses and their riders performed a SJT with obstacles set at 80 cm height using a heart rate monitor (M430 with H10 sensor). Physical examination and blood samples, for...
Sanigavatee K, Wonghanchao T, Poochipakorn C, Pongnarudech P, Suchairat T, Jitsopin S, Wanichayanon B, Sripiboon S, Chanda M.Long-distance road transport is known to be stressful for horses, with most research conducted in temperate climates. This study investigated horses' stress responses during long-distance transport before and after a jumping competition in a tropical environment. Ten healthy horses (aged 7.9 ± 1.9 years) were studied. Blood cortisol concentrations, haematology, and heart rate variability (HRV) were monitored during outbound (OTJ) and inbound journeys (INJ). Cortisol concentrations increased five minutes after unloading and remained elevated for up to 180 minutes in the OTJ (P < 0.05-0.001)...
Liedtke AM, Meijer H, Horstmann S, von Reitzenstein C, Rump I, Kirsch K.Eventing is an Olympic equestrian discipline comprising dressage, cross-country, and show jumping, with the cross-country phase imposing the greatest physical demands on horses. This study presents a composite model to estimate energy expenditure during the cross-country phase, integrating physiological data (heart rate-derived VO2 and lactate-based anaerobic estimates) with external workload indicators (GPS-derived speed, elevation, and course complexity). Model development was based on 691 rides from 256 horses across 232 events at 2-star to 5-star competition levels. The analysis showed tha...
Faithfull R, Lewis K, Drury E, McBride S.Despite welfare concerns, conflict behaviours (indicative of momentary states of acute stress) are common in horses during dressage competitions. Identifying factors that affect conflict behaviours during competition therefore has the potential to improve equine welfare. The aim of this exploratory study was to assess the effect of bridle type (double versus snaffle) in relation to other potential affecting factors (e.g., average head angle, competition level and type, tack variation) on conflict behaviours during dressage competition. An ethogram was created to analyse the conflict behaviour ...
Loder RT, Walker AL, Blakemore LC. Equestrian activities can result in spine injuries. Most studies are from single centers, and none use a national database. It was the purpose of this study to describe the demographics, injury mechanisms, and types of equestrian-associated spinal injuries using a US national ED database. The National Electronic Injury Surveillance System database was queried for equestrian-related spine injuries from 2000-2023. ED disposition was categorized as discharged or not discharged. Statistical analyses accounted for the weighted, stratified nature of the data to obtain national estimates. There we...
Maloney B, Jung MS, Kearns G, Bowe C.Equestrian-related activities inherently involve the risk of serious injury. There are few reports of maxillofacial injury patterns and management arising from equestrian activities in the literature. Objective: To investigate maxillofacial fracture presentations at a tertiary trauma centre to identify injury profiles of patients who have sustained equine-based injuries over 5 years. Methods: This work involved a retrospective review of all trauma presentations to our unit over 5 years. The data collected included patient demographics, injury mechanisms and patterns, and management of fractu...
Douglas M, Williams J, Randle H.Recent research has highlighted the detrimental impact of an ill-fitting saddle on equine health, welfare and performance. A correctly fitting saddle may not fit if positioned incorrectly. Objective: This study assessed riders' ability to visually evaluate saddle position and examine factors that influenced accuracy of assessment. Methods: Survey participants were provided with photographs of a series of saddles on horses obtained from the lateral aspect of the left side of the horse. Saddles were either correctly positioned (n = 5), too far forward (n = 5) or too far back (n = 2). This was in...
Durgam S.The mid-metacarpal SDFT, intrasynovial DDFT and suspensory ligament are frequently injured soft tissues in the equine athlete. The mid-metacarpal SDFT exhibits a hierarchical structure and encounters repetitive strains at its functional limit. The intrasynovial DDFT possesses fibrocartilage where opposing bony surfaces to facilitate resistance-free gliding and contains chondrocyte-like cells embedded in a proteoglycan-rich ECM. While suspensory ligament enthesis injuries are common, collagen and non-collagen ECM structure-function specializations at the bone-ligament interface are understudied...
Knox AL, Fenner K, Zsoldos RR, Wilson B, McGreevy P.The off-the-track Thoroughbred's (OTTTB's) suitability for equestrian retraining and rehoming should always be subject to behavioral considerations. Certain attributes may be advantageous to a horse's racing performance but unfavorable to their prospects off the track. It is important to gain a non-biased understanding of how Thoroughbreds (TBs) in equestrian disciplines compare with other horses behaviorally, to minimize risks of poor welfare and safety outcomes. The current study used owner-reported information ( = 1633) from the Equine Behavior Assessment and Research Questionnaire (E-BARQ)...
Diptera-borne diseases pose a major threat to global health, and their distribution is constantly changing due to climate change, globalization, and environmental changes. To improve the knowledge of dipteran species and their distribution in equine facilities, CDC-UV and oviposition traps were placed, and the dipping technique was performed in 16 equestrian centers of Northwest (NW) Spain (Galicia and Castilla y León Autonomous Communities) between July and November 2023. A questionnaire was distributed among the horse owners to obtain additional information. Four genera of culicids, (51.8%...
Cheung E, Mills D, Ventura BA.There is concern amongst the public, equestrians, animal welfare organisations, and horse-sport governing bodies regarding the welfare of performance horses, but equestrian culture appears slow to change. The present study seeks to increase our understanding of human factors underlying the persistence of welfare-compromising management and training practices within the performance horse world. Individual, semi-structured interviews focused on equestrians' attitudes were conducted with 22 equestrians from classical equestrian disciplines in the US, Canada, and the UK. Interview transcripts were...
Loder RT, Walker AL, Blakemore LC.IntroductionAmputations and avulsion injuries due to horse-associated activity are rare, yet they can result in significant impairment. The purpose of this study was to further investigate such injuries using a national emergency department database.MethodsThe US National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) was used to identify horse-associated amputation and avulsion injuries occurring between 2000-2023. Demographic data of age, sex, and injury details were collected.ResultsThere were 34,091 emergency department visits for equine-associated injuries, with 120 (0.35%) due to amputati...
Fiedler JM, Rosanowski S, Ayre ML, Slater JD.Participation in horse-related activities frequently involves relocating horses from the home stable to an activity venue, which might require local, regional, or international travel. In these circumstances, horses are exposed to unfamiliar surroundings and experience changes to their daily routines, which could have negative welfare impacts. An online survey was conducted in 2021 to ask experienced horse sector participants about the horse management practices that they perceived worked well and provided for positive horse welfare when undertaken at venues. Qualitative analysis identified fo...
Corbally AF, Mulligan FJ, Sweeney T, Fahey AG.This study examines the associations between linearly scored phenotypic traits and auction sales prices of young event horses in Ireland, aiming to identify key traits influencing market value. Data from 307 horses sold at public auctions (2022-2023) were analysed using regression analysis, binary optimisation, and Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Regression identified Head-neck Connection, Quality of Legs, Walk length of Stride, and Scope as highly significant predictors of sales price ( < 0.001), with Length of Croup, Trot Elasticity, Trot Balance, and Take-off Direction also significa...
Becard B, Sapone M, Martin P, Hanne-Poujade S, Babu A, Hébert C, Joly P, Bertucci W, Houel N.The saddle's adaptability to the rider-horse pair's biomechanics is essential for equestrian comfort and performance. However, approaches to dynamic evaluation of saddle fitting are still limited in equestrian conditions. The purpose of this study is to propose a method of quantifying saddle adaptation to the rider-horse pair in motion. Eight rider-horse pairs were tested using four similar saddles with small modifications (seat depth, flap width, and front panel thickness). Seven inertial sensors were attached to the riders and horses to measure the active range of motion of the horses' forel...
Manolăchescu D, Tripon M, Crecan C, Tătaru M, Papuc I.Emotional contagion in human-horse interactions has been widely studied; however, the role of body language in stress transfer remains insufficiently explored. Unassigned: This study examines whether human emotional states, particularly stress and anxiety, influence horses and whether the transmission occurs primarily through body language. Unassigned: A repeated-measures within-subjects design was used. The order of interaction styles was randomized across subjects during 33 HCIs. Participants were categorized as high-anxiety (HA) or low-anxiety (LA) based on State Anxiety Scale scores and he...
Copelin C, Merkies K.Equestrian sport's social license to operate has come under scrutiny due to concerns surrounding the well-being of ridden horses. Inappropriate equipment use, such as harsh bits or overtight nosebands, can negatively influence well-being by generating inescapable pressure or pain on the sensitive structures of the horse's head and limiting natural behaviours. Restrictive equipment may also be used to generate exaggerated, stressful and uncomfortable head and neck positions such as hyperflexion. Saddles must be properly fitted to both horse and rider to ensure appropriate distribution of kinema...
Balog O, Havanecz K, Csányi T, Ökrös C, Tóth L, Berki T.Equestrian sport is a unique multi-species discipline in which the performance of a horse-rider dyad depends on the harmonious interaction of two athletes with distinct biomechanics and needs. Although the sport contributes substantially to the global economy and is the only Olympic event involving two species, research on rider-centered factors has been fragmented. Current narrative review centered peer-reviewed evidence addressing three questions: (RQ1) how rider biomechanics and posture influence horse performance and welfare; (RQ2) what causes and consequences rider asymmetry has; and (RQ3...
Fialová S, Kuřitková D, Sobotková E.This pilot study investigated stress-related behaviors in 238 dressage horse-rider combinations competing at national levels from Elementary (A) to Grand Prix (GP). Noseband tightness was assessed on-site using the FEI noseband measuring device (FNMD), and all but two horses complied with FEI regulations. Video-based analysis quantified conflict behaviors including mouth opening, tail swishing, and changes in head-neck position. Because noseband tightness showed minimal variation, no meaningful association with behavioral expression could be determined. In contrast, competition level had a cle...
Gerow SL, Clegg SR, Cooke AS.In the UK, fireworks are common during several celebratory events throughout the year. Previous evidence has shown the adverse effects of fireworks on domestic companion animals. However, there has been little focus on equids. An online survey was developed to understand the impact of fireworks on horses and donkeys, how owners attempt to mitigate these impacts, and the owners' views on fireworks. A total of 1,234 horse owners and 232 donkey owners responded. The majority (77%) advocated tighter regulations surrounding the use of fireworks, including reduction in the maximum noise produced, an...
Burns JJ, MacMillan KM.The Standardbred racing industry plays an important role in the North American economy and is expected to continue operating and growing. However, public perception is often unfavorable, with increasing concern about the health and welfare of Standardbred racehorses. Despite this, limited research has examined Standardbred well-being. To address this gap, a survey of equine trainers on Prince Edward Island (PEI) was conducted to evaluate key health and welfare issues during racing careers. Results showed that over one quarter of respondents had at least one horse displaying stereotypic behavio...
