The Equine Behaviour Vet

31/10/2025

Just finished a fab couple of days delivering the BEVA - The British Equine Veterinary Association approved introduction to chronic pain CPD course with the support of the absolutely incredible Blue Cross rehoming centre Burford equine team. Can’t thank the Blue Cross team enough for hosting and supporting this event, the work they are doing to help horses is truly amazing!
And of course a huge thanks to all our wonderful delegates, so inspiring to exchange information and ideas with such a brilliant group of equine vets.

18/10/2025

Had a fabulous evening with the lovely Fakenham Farm and Equine Vets team and equine clients this week talking about welfare friendly weight management.
Winter is a great time to review your horses weight and consider if they could do with losing a few kilos before the spring!

02/09/2025

Join us on Wednesday 17th September for a thought-provoking webinar in partnership with Human Behaviour Change for Life.

Together we’ll explore Horse Sense - our new project using data and collaboration to tackle challenges and improve equine welfare across the UK 🐴

The session will share fresh insights, practical tools, and opportunities to reflect and connect with others who care deeply about equine wellbeing.

Join us and be part of the journey towards a better future for equines: https://bit.ly/45JjBwD

17/08/2025

Very grateful and proud to be part of this….

Picking up this thread - what do you want from your relationship with your horse and how do you think they feel about it?

LET'S KEEP HORSES' NEEDS AT THE CENTRE OF THE CONVERSATION!

Last weekend we hosted our fourth Understand Horses Live event, this year at Nottingham Trent University — and what an inspiring, supportive, and thought-provoking gathering it was.

A huge thank you to my wonderful colleagues who shared their knowledge so generously, and to everyone who came along and contributed to such an open and engaging atmosphere. The feedback from attendees has been fantastic, but the comments that have really made me proud are: "What a friendly, supportive and non-cliquey event", "No discussion was off the table”, “I honestly didn't think I'd find a safe space to ask questions in the equestrian world – now I have".

That was exactly the spirit we hoped to create — a place for open and honest conversation, curiosity, and collaboration.

I've shared one of my favourite slides of the weekend from Dr Jo Hockenhull’s superb presentation on horse-human interaction: “What do people want from horses? A dog". Jo discussed how her research had found that horse owners want their horse to be loyal, affectionate, attentive, cuddly, comes to call and wants to be with you all the time. But of course, horses are not dogs, they are horses. The equestrian world often seems to forget that. I want my horses to have a good life – healthy, relaxed and happy in their environment with their equine friends. Their wellbeing should not just depend on what humans want from them, but on recognising and meeting their needs as horses.

Here’s to more open dialogue, evidence-based practice, and putting horses first. See you next year!

Massive thanks to Trudi Dempsey: Equine Trainer and Behaviour Consultant, The Equine Behaviour Vet, Emma Lethbridge Horsemanship, Samantha Couper - Equine ABCs, Rosa Verwijs, Jo Hockenhull, Holly Gallacher, Kelly Yarnell, Carol Hall, Nicola Gregory, Hani Sparks, Tanyel Dede and David Taylor.

10/08/2025

Just home from an amazing weekend at Understand Horses Live hosted by the fabulous equine team at NTU. Two days packed full of learning and chatting to fabulous people about horses, what could be better!

30/07/2025

Super interesting read and open access for anyone that’s interested in the human aspect of horse welfare!

“But my horse is well cared for”: A qualitative exploration of cognitive dissonance and enculturation in equestrian attitudes toward performance horses and their welfare - Volume 34

18/07/2025

And yet more great free sessions!

FAB Advice for Veterinary Professionals! As part of our support for Veterinary practices the FAB Clinicians Veterinary Subcommittee will be running a series of Q and A sessions for veterinary professionals. Each session will focus on a particular topic and after a short introduction we will open up....

18/07/2025

Excellent free webinar!

FREE Webinar: Changing Lives: Advancing Equine Welfare Through Research, Co-creation and Action
September 17th, 7-8.30 pm (UK time)

We’re delighted to invite you to a dynamic and thought-provoking webinar hosted by Human Behaviour Change for Life, spotlighting a pioneering two-phase project commissioned by the RSPCA, to better understand and improve equine welfare across England and Wales.

In this interactive session, we’ll guide you through Phase 1 (research), which used a systems-based approach to map the equine welfare landscape. You’ll discover how a wide range of data sources from across the sector were brought together to uncover key challenges and opportunities, and hear the headline findings that have sparked meaningful conversations within the equine community and next steps for the project.

Next, we’ll delve into Phase 2, which focused on an exploration of the skills needs across the sector to improve equine wellbeing. This work culminated in the development of a practical, stakeholder-informed toolkit for change to support people to treat equines as sentient. This innovative, collaborative co-creation approach ensured the tools are rooted in real-world experience and designed to support lasting, positive impact.

During the webinar, we’ll be inviting your thoughts and reflections, mirroring the collaborative spirit that shaped this work. Whether you’re an equine professional, policymaker, passionate advocate, or have an interest in equines; this is your chance to explore how these insights and tools can support your efforts to improve the lives of equines.

Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of a shared journey towards meaningful, lasting change.

Book a ticket through Eventbrite below to be sent the link (and later the recording) for the webinar:
https://Equinewelfare.eventbrite.co.uk