With the internet and social media, it is easier than ever to get your hands on articles, blogs and webinars about horse riding and management. However, not all information is equal!
The best information comes from primary scientific research; this is the outcome of controlled experiments to test new ideas. It can be quite daunting to consider reading some of this research, and people usually turn to other sources of information, which are often not evidence-based. This can lead to the spread of misinformation, which can be detrimental to the welfare of the horse, the very thing we are trying to avoid.
This series aims to help those involved with managing horses to understand and interpret some of the intervention research available, and to be more confident about using it to make informed decisions. Here we use the word intervention to mean something that has been changed; for example, a different piece of tack or equipment, a training method, or a feed supplement. This is one of the most common study types that you will come across, and they are relatively easy to interpret once you are familiar with them.