Another hectic day of presentations, not even time for breakfast! Paul McGreevy presented an interesting paper asking us to consider what activities occur when horses interact with horses, when horse interact with humans and when humans interact with horses. This is relevant when we are considering what is reasonable to expect of horses and how they react or respond to humans. How might these interactions be perceived by horses and should this shape what are acceptable interactions with horses? A big question but as public opinion on our handling and training of animals will influence our future opportunities to work with horses it is worth considering.
Another very interesting presentation was give by Barbara Murphy on the impact of time zone changes on the performance horse. This is becoming increasingly a consideration to horse welfare as more horses are flown to competitions.
Unlike any other animal so far tested horses can adjust their body clock within hours rather than the days it can take humans however the horses body temperature adjustment and metabolic performance can stay linked to the old time zone for longer. A recommendation to adjust feeding times to the new time zone some days before travel can help the body adjust. Did you know that the horse's body temperature reaches its maximum around 3hrs after night fall; we may need to leave off that top rug a little later so they don't overheat.
Next year the conference will be in Sydney (July) so keep checking the ISES website for updates. It will be a really worthwhile investment.
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