Changing Rein

What if the problem in equestrian sport isn't the riders who make the headlines, but the culture that produced them? In December, five-star eventer Matt Brown and FEI dressage rider Cecily Clark posted an open letter to the equestrian world. It struck a nerve — thousands of reactions and a flood of private messages from people who'd felt the same unease but thought they were the only one. In this...

"It's in their constitution to be injured." "We've bred them to be like this." Both of these came up in the same conversation — and the paradox sitting between them is one of the patterns Jessie McCarthy's research surfaces about how racing talks to itself about risk. In this week's episode, Karen and Meta sit down with Jessie McCarthy, a final-year veterinary s...

We love our animals. But is that enough? Captive animal welfare specialist Georgina Groves joins Karen and Meta for a conversation about the uncomfortable gap between what we know about animal welfare and what we actually do. Georgina's work takes her into some of the world's most under-resourced zoos — but the parallels she draws for horse people are striking. Stables that haven't mea...

Erica Cheung is a horse owner, mixed-practice (including equine) vet clinic co-owner, and PhD candidate living in rural central Alberta, Canada. She obtained a Bachelor of Science from the University of Alberta, a Master of Science in clinical animal behaviour, and is currently studying under the supervision of Professor Daniel Mills and Dr. Beth Ventura for her PhD at the University of Lincoln, U...

What happens when you look — really look — at how dressage is judged? In this episode of Changing Rein, PhD researcher Cristina Wilkins shares a finding that genuinely surprised us: the Dressage Judging Guidelines mention the requirement to maintain contact 37 times — and visible rein releases are penalised. The longer the release, the greater the penalty. For anyone trained in learning theory, th...

In this episode, we're joined by Cristina Wilkins to explore some fascinating - and important - questions emerging from elite equestrian sport. Drawing on her recent article in Horses and People magazine, Cristina walks us through the revised FEI blood rule in show jumping and what it signals about the direction of welfare policy at the top level. From there, we get curious about what new photogra...

The Innate Health Assessment tool developed by Prof Dan O'Neill and a team from the Royal Veterinary College has been described as revolutionary. In a podcast dedicated to the sustainability of horse sport from a welfare perspective, why are we talking about flat-faced dogs? Because we humans do things to and with animals in our lives that are not always in the animals' best interests, and breedin...

Lucinda Creighton truly bridges two worlds - a former member of the Irish Parliament and a Government Minister with responsibility for European affairs, she also served on the board of Horse Sport Ireland, the governing body for equestrian sport in Ireland. Lucinda grew up in Co Mayo, Ireland as a self-professed 'pony-mad kid'. In this episode we discuss her journey into public service, th...

This episode kicks off our new season of Changing Rein, in which we hope to step back and take a ‘big picture’ look at how welfare policy happens in equestrian sport, and what are the challenges and opportunities in making a better life for horses in sport. Our first guest is Prof Natalie Waran.   Nat is an internationally acclaimed animal behaviour and welfare scientist, educator and opinion lead...

We had so much to talk about that we split our chat with Bonny Mealand into two episodes which are interlinked. We discuss how free-living equids offer vital insights into the needs of domestic horses, and why recognising how essential these inextricable links between these two worlds is for the future of meaningful equine care. We explored how Bonny developed the HELP model which recognises that...

Summary In Part 1 of our conversation with Bonny Mealand, she shares her journey into equine podiatry and the development of her HELP model , which emphasizes a holistic, horse-led approach to care. She discusses the importance of understanding horse behavior, building trust, and ensuring emotional safety in interactions. Bonny highlights the significance of observation in equine care and the impo...

Kristen Closson possesses a unique trifecta of expertise.  As a rider that knows how it should feel, a coach who knows how to create it, and a judge who knows how to assess it.  She has successfully competed through the FEI levels, and then diversified her attention to also include the coaching and the judging aspects of the sport.  She assists riders of all levels from young riders to Internation...

Karen and Meta share an interest in Systems Thinking and its potential applications to horse welfare in sport. So when Dr Megan Ross and her co-authors published a paper on wicked problems and systemic issues in Canadian dressage she had to be a podcast guest! Dr Megan Ross has a background in dressage and eventing. She has an applied science degree from the University of British Columbia with a f...

Dr. Miriam Baumgartner is a veterinarian and equine scientist with over 15 years of experience researching horse-friendly husbandry. Her work focuses on how equine behavior and health reflect their living conditions, aiming to improve welfare and sustainability in horse management. Miriam earned her doctorate in 2012 from the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU) in the field of ethology, a...

In this episode we chat with Prof Paddy Wall about his recently published report into the scandal involving a horse abattoir in Ireland in 2024. Prof Wall is a vet and medical doctor and has awide-ranging resumé with contributions spanning public health, food safety, governance and education. He was the first Chief Executive of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland and has held senior positions on...

Equine vets are at the heart ofequine welfare - working with owners to provide optimal health care and management whilst always striving to put the needs of the horse first. Our guest in this episode is equine vet Imogen Burrows, who graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in 2000. She is an equine first opinion vet in ambulatory practice and isthe current President-Elect of the British Equine...

Our guest Dr Gemma Pearson has so much to say that we decided to offer her episode in two versions - this one is the condensed version, in which Gemma discusses the highlights of her journey in equine behavioural medicine. In her current roles, Gemma combines her time between research and outreach as Director of Equine Behaviour at The Horse Trust and running a referral clinic for clinical equine...

Our guest Dr Gemma Pearson has so much to say that we decided to offer her episode in two versions - this one is the extended version, in which Gemma discusses with us her journey to equine behavioural medicine and her current roles, combining her time between research and outreach as Director of Equine Behaviour at The Horse Trust and running a referral clinic for clinical equine behaviour cases...

This week, Karen and Meta discuss two recent events, and what they found interesting and potentially helpful in building a better future for equestrian sport. We discuss World Horse Welfare 's recent virtual conference titled: "Accountability for welfare in equestrianism: Looking beyond the obvious" https://www.worldhorsewelfare.org/accountability-for-welfare-in-equestrianism-looking...

Will you be our next Changing Rein guest star? Read on to learn how! This week we are replaying an episode that many of our listeners ranked as their favourite - our chat with the endangered species specialist - Dr Jake Veasey. We are replaying part 2 of our chat where he talks about using his approach to understanding animal welfare to design habitat for tigers that is enriching and helps them th...

Gabriel Lencioni is a young, equine vet with an interest in horse welfare and behaviour. Recently qualified, Gabriel is already embarking on research that just might change the way we think about horse welfare in equestrian sport - he is creating an AI model to assess horse welfare during competition. Not your regular AI tech-bro, Gabriel shares with us his journey into animal behavior and welfare...

Rachel is both a racing 'insider' and an academic - she has worked in horse racing for over 20 years and she obtained her PhD from the University of Bristol in 2023 for her work developing a racehorse welfare assessment protocol. This welfare assessment has been trialled by industry assessors to gather population level racehorse welfare data. The welfare assessment has also been used to mo...

In this episode, Master Farrier Andrew Bowe discusses his journey from traditional farriery to a focus on barefoot hoof care. He shares insights on treating chronic conditions like laminitis and navicular disease, the ethical considerations of hoof care, and the importance of educating horse owners. The conversation also covers performance solutions for horses, the significance of farrier care, an...

For our extended bumper Christmas edition we have a very special guest, Dr Mette Uldahl. Mette is a Danish veterinarian who until earlier this year was veterinary advisor to the Danish Equestrian Federation. She resigned from that role  in September 2024 and is now chief consultant to Dyrenes Beskyttelse (Animal Protection Denmark). Mette has devoted her career to being a voice for animals. As wel...

Life with horses is complicated, because we take on responsibility for another sentient being- and if we humans want to improve horse welfare, we need to find common ground with one another. Tamzin Furtado BA(Hons), AdvDip, PhD is a social scientist with a background in global health, and a specific interest in the interconnections between human and animal health, and well-being. She completed a P...