Workshops on Welfare

The WBFSH General Assembly in Hungary in 2018 saw a range of interesting presentations and discussions centred on the topic of Equine Welfare.

We are able to explore how studbook gradings and selections can have a direct impact on welfare. Examples included a presentation on stallion selections by Gábor Bódó, professor of equine surgery at the Veterinary School Budapest [link to stallion selections presentation], as well as an introduction to screening for hereditary diseases such as WFFS through DNA testing by Sofia Mikko from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.

We also considered the direct impact breeders can have on welfare in how they manage their horses, a topic that was explored by Janne Winther Christensen from Aarhus University and president of International Society for Equitation Science who spoke about the maternal transmission of behaviour.

The global relevance of welfare considerations in sport horse breeding was explored by Roly Owers, chief executive of World Horse Welfare, in a thought provoking presentation, which formed the basis for further group work and discussions among the assembly participants whose outcomes are summarised here.