Equine Welfare Series

A Forensic Behavioural Science Approach to Equine Welfare Consider a horse presented for a behavioural or health assessment. It stands quietly in its stable, causes no trouble when tacked up, and performs obediently under saddle. By the most commonly applied measures, it looks fine. Yet something does not feel quite right. The horse does not interact or investigate; it seems switched off. Its compliance is too complete, and for those who look carefully, that absence of curios

Professor Nat Waran (NavigateWelfare) An ancient Military Bit with long shanks and Curb action (Saumur) In equestrian circles, a light, following contact is widely regarded as the hallmark of a skilled and sympathetic rider. When researchers measure rein tension, lower forces recorded at the hand are broadly assumed to signal less pressure on the horse’s mouth. However as responsible equestrians it’s important to question that assumption, wherever equipment using lever action

Professor Natalie Waran OBE For centuries, scientists debated whether animals experience emotions -whether they had feelings. Most horse owners would probably laugh at this question. One only has to watch horses playing in a field, rolling in the sun, or standing nose to tail grooming each other on a summer's day, and you'd be hard pressed to argue they aren't experiencing emotions that we call contentment, pleasure or even happiness. Fortunately, science is catching up with

Professor Nat Waran OBE Last week (December 14-18 th 2025) , I had the privilege of delivering a couple of invited talks at the Hong Kong Jockey Club Equine Welfare Foundation's inaugural conference on 'Applying Science to the Care of the Thoroughbred Racehorse'. The first of these required me to reflect on what "putting the horse first" truly means across all equestrian activities, from racing to eventing, dressage to recreational riding. Universal Commitments, Universal Ch

By Professor Nat Waran OBE nat@navigatewelfare.com (with thanks to Professor Kathalijne Visser, Aeres University of Applied Science, The Netherlands for her valuable input) The history of the relationship between humans and horses involves a complex tapestry of utility, sport, companionship, and increasingly, moral responsibility. This evolving relationship reflects a profound societal shift: once primarily valued as working animals and economic assets, horses are now also tr

Horse Welfare and Human Behaviour Change Professor Nat Waran OBE   We've all been there. You attend an inspiring and engaging lecture on equine welfare, perhaps read an article about new research describing new stress indicators, and you nod along enthusiastically, and think "yes, absolutely, that makes perfect sense". Then you go home and carry on doing exactly what you've always done. Do you ever wonder why that is? We're fortunate to have an ever-growing body of scientific