HORSE racing endures a relentless welfare lens on it, yet it is often the innovators in the thoroughbred field that pave the way for welfare progress for the entire equestrian sector. Last Friday saw the inaugural Horse Racing Ireland Equine Welfare Symposium “Changing Stride, The Way Ahead For Horse Racing Safety and Care” take place at the Keadeen Hotel, Co Kildare. The event was sold out and had a waiting list for tickets, which in itself perhaps paints a portrait of the interest in equine welfare within the current racing and equestrian community.

Following a warm welcome from HRI CEO Suzanne Eade, the busy schedule was broken up into four sessions and introduced by equine welfare and bloodstock director at HRI, John Osborne. In the first presentation we heard from Dr Tamsin Furtado of Liverpool University, who shared ‘The Horses Are The Easy Bit: Human Behaviour and Why It Matters’.