AWRN Workshop on “How happy are equine athletes?”
Date: 30/03/2021
Online
Summary of Workshop 
The National Equine Welfare Council (NEWC) in collaboration with The Horse Trust, World Horse Welfare and the University of Liverpool is holding a virtual workshop on Tuesday 30th March 2021 to discuss the concept of the happy equine athlete and how we can tell if the horses we are working with are indeed ‘happy athletes’. The aim of the workshop is to provide a platform for discussion and collaboration between representatives of the equestrian sporting disciplines (primarily dressage, eventing, showjumping, and endurance) and researchers investigating scientific approaches used to assess an animal’s quality of life (QoL).
This virtual workshop will be run on Zoom (9.00-17.00) and includes presentations by representatives from the equine welfare sector, academia, and equestrian sports. In addition, delegates will be invited to join Focus Group sessions to discuss the topics presented and their application within equestrian sport.
Draft Programme
09.00 Welcome Dr Carol Hall (NEWC)
Session 1: Setting the scene (Chair: Dr Carol Hall)
09.10 Collaboration, communication, and change Dr David Marlin (President of NEWC)
09.20 Social licence to operate Roly Owers (World Horse Welfare)
09.35 Ethical considerations in equestrian sport Dr Madeleine Campbell (Royal Veterinary College)
09.50 Q&A with the session speakers
10.00 Break
Session 2: Equestrian sporting disciplines (Chair: Roly Owers)
10.15 The happy equine athlete Göran Akerström (FEI Veterinary Director)
10.30 Dressage TBC
10.45 Para Dressage Natasha Baker
11.00 Showjumping TBC
11.15 Eventing Rosie Thomas
11.30 Endurance Antonia Milner-Matthews
11.45 Q&A with the session speakers
12.00 Lunch
Session 3: Focus Group 1
12.45 Focus Group 1 – discipline specific breakout groups (x4)
13.45 Break
Session 4: Assessing equine behaviour
14.00 Behavioural evidence of happy horses Dr Carol Hall (NEWC)
14.15 Equine sleep patterns and equine well-being Kym Griffin (Nottingham Trent University)
14.30 Current approaches to assessing QoL in animals Liane Preshaw (The Horse Trust)
14.45 Developing context specific QoL assessments Dr Fiona Cooke (The Donkey Sanctuary)
15.00 Q&A with session speakers
15.15 Break
Session 5: Focus Group 2
15.30 Focus Group 2 – mixed discipline breakout groups (x4)
16.30 Summary of Focus Group discussions Dr Carol Hall and Liane Preshaw
16.45 Workshop ends
Registration
Registration is now closed for this event. Places to attend will be confirmed as soon as possible.
