In an era when the glare of the media reaches beyond catastrophic breakdown of racing horses to other equestrian events such as endurance racing, public pressure is building alongside growing intolerance of animal abuse and questionable training practices. “If we use animals for sport, they have certain rights,” says rider, scientist, and horse welfare advocate Dr. Andrew McLean. “The right to not be in pain, not suffering and not afraid. All horse sport is under the spotlight and this welfare philosophy should be the guiding tenet for all riders and trainers.”

Humane training and equine learning theory

With a PhD in horse cognition and learning, McLean’s goal is to use equine learning theory to clarify horse training and lift its veil of mystery for amateur and professional riders. “When people really understand about learning theory, they begin to understand they can make the horse’s welfare a lot worse, or a lot better. Sports people have to be particularly aware of this, because the goals in sport can overshadow, to some extent, the motivation for good ethics. But once you get trainers to really understand the theory, you find good ones do it, but they don’t know it!”

McLean’s fascination with equine psychology marked the end of his competitive riding career and launched him towards his PhD. To him, it’s clear the mental health of the ridden horse is inextricably linked to their training experience and handling/riding methods used by humans.

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