From the editor

If the last couple of months are anything to go by, it’s going to be a long, hot summer. Always a dangerous statement… by the time you read this we could be experiencing unprecedented floods!

Fabulous as the long summer days and evenings are, they do add to the challenge of managing a competition horse. Whether you are a professional who is on the yard throughout the day or stuck in an office, there’s always the niggling thought that your steed might be too hot, have removed his fly hood or even been bitten by a fly and be running round the field!

And then there’s the question of whether the temperatures make it safe for the horse to compete. While a horse’s response to what is a bearable temperature is almost as personal as a human’s, the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) index gives a reliable guide to weighing up the factors that determine the thermal environmental load for horses, and is used by the FEI to assess weather conditions for competitions. It’s a technology first used at the Atlanta Olympics, and is discussed in more detail in our ‘Hot Stuff’ feature on p33.

An enjoyable and illuminating part of my role as editor is hearing about the exceptional research being carried out into equine health and welfare. There’s another great example in the ‘Feeling the Strain’ feature where Professor Roger Smith of the RVC outlines some of the work being done to improve the diagnosis and treatment of tendon injuries.

Which makes me wonder if we should be more vocal about the veterinary expertise in our industry.

Formula One has done a great job in promoting how its investment in technology has benefited the motor industry and boosted the safety of everyday motorists.

Similarly, is it time that we showed to the public at large what advances have been made in veterinary medicine and how the extraordinary care and attention that is paid to ensuring competition horses live happy and healthy lives filters down to the equine world as a whole?

Many family horses, RDA ponies, service animals and even wild herds have been helped by veterinary knowledge and improved horsecare techniques derived from sport.

World Horse Welfare recently updated its research into public perception of horses in sport and while the results are broadly similar to 2022, it must ring alarm bells that 40% of those polled say that they would support the continued involvement of horses in sport only if their welfare is improved.

Recent progress made in media coverage of the way welfare of horses is protected in sport and how this influences perceptions has perhaps been countered by the high profile of the disturbing events at the Grand National and Epsom Derby. It’s naive to think that illinformed protest won’t impact other areas of horse sport.

We need to stand together as a sports horse industry. But we can also play a role by spreading the word about the high standards in our discipline to other horse owners and even to those who simply enjoy watching the ‘dancing horses’ on television. It may just help to turn the tide.

Jane

Carley

Editor, British Dressage