1. New research into nosebands’ tightness
Equestrian Canada (EC) has published the results of its noseband-measuring project, undertaken with the view of implementing a rule that reflects scientific recommendations; that a horse’s noseband “should not be tight enough to prevent the placement of two adult fingers between the noseband and the frontal nasal plane”. As part of the research stewards measured the tightness of 551 nosebands across 32 competitions using the International Society for Equitation (ISES) taper gauge, a tool that precisely measures the space between the noseband and nasal plane. More than 1,500 EC members also took part in a survey on noseband fit – and potential rule changes.
Read the research findings and what EC plans to do next
2. What horse sport needs to learn from other industries
The equestrian sector must learn from other industries and establish public trust, if it is to keep its social licence to operate, according to a peer-reviewed paper published in Animals. The review highlights issues faced by industries including mining, fishing, forestry – and animal-related activities such as greyhound racing, aquariums and zoos – and discusses how these issues are relevant to equestrianism. World Horse Welfare chief executive Roly Owers told H&H the aim of the review was to produce a comprehensive paper that focused on the relevance of social licence in equestrianism: “It is important to stress that public acceptance is not just a matter for equestrian sport; different industries and sectors promoting and protecting their social licence is something that goes through a myriad of activity. We need to look at what we can learn from these other industries.”
Find out more about the review’s findings
3. Cheltenham Festival to remain over four days
Discussions around potentially extending the Cheltenham Festival to run over five days from 2024 have come to naught. Following extensive consultation and analysis, The Jockey Club has decided it is in the Festival’s best interest to remain a four-day meeting. The Jockey Club’s Ian Renton, who runs Cheltenham Racecourse, explained: “While we explored the financial benefits and an opportunity to reach new audiences, we also found a number of counterpoints to this. For example it is clear that it would be challenging from a turf management perspective, without further work on the track, and on balance we still feel 28 races over four days is the right format.”
Keep up to date with all the news in the run up to The Festival
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