horsetalk.co.nz

The FEI’s two-year extension of research into horse injuries in Endurance will also explore the potential of developing a similar approach for other disciplines.

The world governing body for horse sport yesterday announced that it had extended its injuries research agreement with Glasgow University for two more years.

This would allow further development of the Global Endurance Injuries Study. It will maximise the impact of the study across Endurance, with further agreement reached to explore the potential development of similar methodologies for other horse sports in the FEI’s stable.

horsetalk.co.nz

The sport of endurance and its issues were in the spotlight at the FEI Sports Forum in Lausanne, Switzerland, earlier this week, with panelists agreeing that speed and the non-compliance with mandatory rest periods were the key risk factors.

Panelists Dr Tim Parkin and Dr Euan Bennet from the University of Glasgow, who are conducting the FEI’s Global Endurance Injuries Study, and Professor Chris Whitton from the University of Melbourne, spoke on the sports risk factors and bone fatigue in the horse. John McEwan, Chair of the FEI Veterinary Committee, was also a panelist.

horsetalk.co.nz

Horse and rider combinations in leading positions at the start of the cross country phase of one-day events are at greater risk of falls, British research shows.

Myerscough College researchers Heather Cameron-Whytock and Charlotte Brigden presented the findings of their research to delegates at the recent International Equitation Science Conference in Denmark.

The pair set about exploring risk factors for horse falls in the cross-country phase of one-day events, which is recognised as a high-risk sport and associated with higher levels of fatalities and serious injuries than sports such as motorsport and rugby.

They collected data from 2002 horse-and-rider combinations in the novice, intermediate and advanced levels of 37 randomly selected British Eventing horse trials competitions from 2003 to 2012.