Webinar series set to wrap up with ‘How to assess your horse’s welfare’

Our latest series of Welfare Wednesday Webinars is set to wrap up this Wednesday, 18^th March, by welcoming animal welfare scientist and consultant Dr Jill Fernandes to discuss ‘How to assess your horse’s welfare’.

Dr Fernandes, founder of Animal Centric, has worked successfully with a range of organisations from aquariums to zoos, and now equestrian yards. She’s created a welfare assurance programme centred around the Five Domains Model for animal welfare assessment, which she will explore in this webinar to show how it can be used to assess equine wellbeing at a yard level.

Our Education Officer Rebecca Boulert says:

“This is a not-to-be-missed opportunity for horse owners and yard managers to find out how to objectively assess the welfare of horses in their care, from an overall yard level through to assessing a single horse. After hearing Dr Fernandes’ insights and finding out how to use the Horses’ Experiences of Yards (HEY) tool that our charity recently launched, attendees will also have the chance to ask questions at the end, getting practical, expert advice for free.” 

Along with equine welfare scientist Cristina Wilkins, Dr Fernandes collaborated with our charity to develop the free-to-use HEY tool, which is also based on the Five Domains Model for welfare assessment. This week’s webinar will see Dr Fernandes and Rebecca explore the insights the HEY can bring, explaining how owners and yard managers can use it to reflect on the experiences of the horses in their care.

The Five Domains – nutrition, environment, health, behavioural interactions and mental state – are key areas that influence horses’ ability to not just survive but thrive in their environment. Rebecca says:

“Assessing welfare shouldn’t just be about avoiding negative experiences – it’s also about finding ways to give the horses in our care more positive, enriching experiences. Using the HEY can be a really helpful way to do this, especially if you repeat the exercise at regular intervals so you can monitor the impact of any changes you decide to make.”

To attend the webinar and find out more about how to assess the wellbeing of horses in your care, book your free place now.