AUGUST 2023 THE RIDER /39 Made By The Equine Ethics And Wellbeing Commission ISES Supports The Recommendations The International Society


for Equitation Science (ISES) promotes the continual advance- ment of equine welfare through the development and application of an evidence-based approach to improve and enhance interac- tions between humans and horses. Horses in equestrian sport are especially vulnerable owing to the potential for human inter- ests to be placed before the wel- fare of the horse. ISES strongly endorses the


work of the Equine Ethics and Wellbeing


Commission


(EEWC), notably the develop- ment of the 30 Recommenda- tions and the proposed adoption of the vision of a “Good Life for Horses”. Improved welfare must inevitably lead to improved sus- tainability of horse sports. The recent focus on main-


taining Social Licence to Operate


for equestrian sports has raised some important questions related to both welfare ethics and wel- fare science. The ethics of horse use concerns the moral proposi- tion that individuals or society takes in relation to how horses ought to be treated. It is impor- tant to recognise that what is deemed acceptable or unaccept- able is a value-based position held by an individual, commu- nity or society and may or may not be informed by science. Wel- fare science is more objective and contemporary research that illuminates the horse’s own sub- jective experiences that deter- mine their overall welfare state. Welfare science therefore helps provide a more definitive under- standing as to what is, or is not, acceptable from the animal’s per- spective. On matters where there are


important ethical concerns, such as the mandatory use of double bridles at Grand Prix level in Dressage, there may be a differ- ence between the perspectives of stakeholders and animal welfare researchers. While stakeholders may consider scientific evidence of any welfare risk to be lacking, welfare scientists caution the dangers of such a perspective. Therefore, ISES supports the ap- plication of the ‘precautionary principle’, where any doubts that may exist in any situation sur- rounding horse welfare, the out- come should favour the interests of the horse until such time that research reveals there to be no welfare risk. ISES supports the applica-


tion of ‘precautionary principle”. ISES is supportive of there


being choice for riders in favour of their horse’s welfare in rela-


Manitoba mule Lark wins global competition with Equine Synergy


Scoot Boot™, the world’s leading supplier of


equine hoof boots proudly announces Lark as the official winner of its global competition. The Scoot Boot ‘I love my mule’ competition


attracted hundreds of entries from all over the world spanning Australia, Canada, US, Europe and


Scoot Boot team for awarding Lark and helping showcase hoof health for mules around the world.


About Scoot Boot™ Scoot Boot is an Australian success story es-


tablished in 2015 just outside of Hobart, Tasmania. Driven by a passion for the barefoot movement and the welfare of horses, co- founders Annette Kaitinis and Dave Macdonald launched the business with their first product which today remains the world’s leading hoof boof in inno- vation, design and comfort. Scoot Boot supplies tens of thousands of retail cus- tomers and more than 600 wholesale customers across 85 countries. It offers hoof boots and accessories for all breeds and sizes of equines. Scoot Boot’s vision


is for all horses around the world to enjoy the freedom of being barefoot. www.scootboots.com


the South Americas. Lark won the judges’ hearts with her story of


having been saved at an auction and then relocated to Blackbird Ranch Equine Rescue and Rehab. There she is able to live a good life and spend


her spare time co-starring in Train Robbery stage shows and helping out with fundraising events, last year raising more than 14,000 CDN for breast can- cer research. Scoot Boot Co-Founder and Chief Executive


Officer Annette Kaitinis said Lark was a worthy recipient of two free pairs of personally fitted Scoot Boot hoof boots. “With this competition we wanted to reinforce


that Scoot Boot designs protective and perform- ance hoof boots for all equines large and small, in- cluding mules,” Ms Kaitinis said. “We’ve just released larger sizes of our Scoot


Boot Enduro hoof boots which are a great fit for mules who tend to have tougher hooves than horses, but do need protection, especially if they are traversing over rough, challenging, rocky ter- rain.” The Blackbird Ranch benefits from the serv-


ices of local barefoot trimming company and Scoot Boot Stockist Equine Synergy, owned by Coreen Bradley. Ms Bradley said she was looking forward to


fitting Lark with her very own Scoot Boots and helping share the benefits of going barefoot with the wider Canadian public. Lark’s owner, Corrine Nykorak, who is also a Co-Director of the Blackbird Ranch thanked the


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tion to use of the double bridle. ISES is disappointed that the FEI proposed rule changes do not re- flect the early recommendation made by the EEWC regarding deregulating the mandatory use of a double bridle for any disci- pline. ISES believes that contin- uing to require all riders at FEI Grand Prix level to use a double bridle is not in the best interest of horse welfare. Many National Federations have responded by allowing riders the choice to use a snaffle bridle at Grand Prix level, and Sweden for example has proposed that the use of the double bridle be optional for FEI competitions, as per the EEWC recommendation. ISES strongly encourages the FEI to support the EEWC early recommendation to allow riders to make better choices in favour of the welfare of their horses. Supporting the optional use of the snaffle bridle in Dressage speaks in favour of social license to operate and fur- thers sustainability of the sport


horse. It is important that the FEI shows the strength of its commit- ment to horse welfare by overrul- ing the views of the International Dressage Trainers Club and the International Dressage Riders Club.


ISES also supports the pro-


posed noseband tightness ruling including the use of an objective measuring device. ISES is disap- pointed that the FEI remains un- committed to measurement being on the frontal nasal plane of the horse despite the significant body of evidence from equine scien- tists and veterinarians as outlined by the EEWC. ISES is also con- cerned that there is no clear FEI commitment to ensuring that noseband ‘tightness’ is defined. The scientific evidence clearly shows that nosebands must not be applied tighter than the equiv- alent of ‘two fingers’ as meas- ured between the noseband and the nasal frontal plane. The ISES taper gauge designed to meet this standard has been successfully


used for measuring noseband tightness at competitions and has recently been adopted for use by the French National Federation. ISES believes that the actual maximum tightness should be clearly articulated in line with the research that is available, and the device should measure tightness where the pressure is known to be greatest. ISES supports the proposal


that all equestrians be required to pledge to the EEWC Equestrian Charter demonstrating recogni- tion of the horse as sentient and able to experience negative and positive emotions, thereby taking responsibility for providing for a “Good Life for Horses”. The application of the pre-


cautionary principle will ac- knowledge our responsibility in social license and ensure sustain- ability of equestrian sports. ISES encourages the FEI to consider making changes that unequivo- cally put equine welfare first.


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