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Horsetalk.co.nz Anxiety felt by some riders using the road highlighted by researchers
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A depiction of the categories and themes which contribute to UK equestrians’ decisions to no longer use roads with their horses, based on each specific horse‐human dyad and locale.
Public roads have been characterised as places of interspecies conflict in a fresh study of human-horse interactions on Britain’s roads.
Researchers Danica Pollard and Tamzin Furtado noted that real or perceived traffic risks posed a significant barrier to walking and cycling.
In their paper, just published in the journal
Animals, the pair set out to understand whether similar barriers influenced equestrians.
Horsetalk.co.nz Abnormal behaviour during tacking‐up and mounting is common, study finds
Riders may look forward to an outing in the saddle, but their horses may not always feel the same way.
An investigation in Britain into horse behaviour during tacking-up and mounting delivered what the researchers described as disturbing results.
The study, reported in the journal
Equine Veterinary Education, centred on 193 sports and leisure horses recruited from 11 locations, with both amateur and professional riders.
The researchers designed a protocol for documenting behaviour during tacking-up and mounting. It comprised 64 abnormal behaviours for tacking-up, and 30 for mounting.
The protocol was tested in a small pilot study and underwent subsequent minor modifications.
More than 60% of Britain’s horse riders have experienced a road-related near-miss or accident.
The challenges and perils faced by riders on Britain’s roads have been highlighted in a just-published study, with data indicating more than 60% of the country’s riders have experienced a road-related near-miss or accident.
Last year’s National Equestrian Survey estimated there are 27 million people in Britain with an interest in the equestrian industry.
The nation has an estimated 1.8 million regular riders, and 3 million people have ridden a horse at least once in the past year.
The survey revealed that a majority of riders (94%) take part in pleasure-riding activities, which can include hacking out around the roads.