When sport restarted after the first lockdown in 2020, a raft of measures was introduced to ensure all participants were safe, and to allow events to run. Many of the ideas and schemes forced into place by Covid have been kept as they have benefited organisers, riders and others.
T507T7 Foot of the athlete in a stirrup astride a horse
(Image credit: Alamy Stock Photo)
Understanding horses’ happiness in competition is key to better welfare — and our sport’s future.
Research has been published after a workshop involving representatives of the animal welfare sector and different equestrian disciplines, on welfare in sport.
It was discussed that there can be “conflict” between the demands of competition, stakeholders involved in a competition horse’s team such as the owner, rider and vet, and the innate needs of a horse, such as social contact, turnout, and emotional health. It was also recognised there is a need to be able to measure welfare better and that current welfare assessment tools were not suitable.
The Essex with Farmers & Union Hunt at its “Boxing Day” meet on 27 December
(Image credit: Alamy Stock Photo)
Covid restrictions meant Boxing Day and New Year’s Day meets were among the many casualties of the pandemic last year. But as in England, there were no restrictions on numbers at outdoor gatherings, this year, they were back in style. Hunts and thousands of supporters braved miserable weather on Monday, 27 December to carry on the tradition, nearly 17 years after the Hunting Act came into force. Many Welsh hunts had to be cancelled again owing to Covid restrictions, while numbers were limited in Scotland.
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Eleanor is an experienced journalist who spent over eight years working for local and national newspapers before joining H&H as news editor in March 2016. Passionate about equine welfare and exposing the truth, Eleanor has reported on all aspects of the industry, from Brexit to anti-bullying campaigns, and from dressage rules to mules. Her sport of choice is showjumping, in which she competes her own horses, and she also enjoys reporting at local jumping shows through to international championships.
