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THE RIDER IN THE EQUATION: WHAT PERSONALITY RESEARCH SAYS ABOUT HORSE WELFARE

A German study of nearly 500 equestrians has found that a rider's self-esteem, empathy and adaptability measurably shape how horse-centred their riding is, and how their horse experiences the relationship. It is one of the more useful welfare studies to come out in a while, because it turns the lens away from the horse and…

BylizzieJuly 7, 20260Comments

Horse Health

UNDERSTANDING GUT HEALTH IN HORSES

And how you can improve it Text: Ricolette du Preez, Founder of Supreme Equine Nutrition and Independent Equine Nutritionist, (BTEC) Professional Dip in Equine Nutrition (UK), BSc Dietetics. Gut health plays a fundamental role in the overall wellbeing, performance, recovery, and behaviour of horses. However, many factors can negatively affect or compromise the equine gastrointestinal system…

BylizzieJuly 6, 20260Comments

Horse Channel

FEI HORSE CONDITIONG TASK FORCE MEETS

On 29 June 2026, the FEI's newly formed Horse Condition Task Force held its first working session at FEI headquarters in Lausanne. Representatives from across the sport agreed that welfare should sit at the centre of any new rules on blood, though the meeting produced no concrete rule changes and no timeline for when any…

BylizzieJuly 5, 20260Comments

Horse Channel

THE PREMIER JUMPING LEAGUE IS COMING IN 2027

A new professional showjumping league with F1 level funding and broadcast ambitions just received FEI approval. The Premier Jumping League, launching in 2027, represents a significant shift in how international showjumping may be structured and marketed. What is the PJL, exactly? The Premier Jumping League is a franchise based professional showjumping series modelled on sports like…

BylizzieJuly 4, 20260Comments

Events

OLYMPIC CHAMPION PULLS OUT HER ONLY GRAND PRIX RIDE

From home World Championships selection Reigning double Olympic dressage champion Jessica von Bredow-Werndl has withdrawn Times Kismet from Germany's second selection trial for the 2026 World Championships in Aachen, ruling herself out of contention for a home Games she would have been favourite to make. The German rider announced on 28 June that Kiss, an 11…

BylizzieJuly 4, 20260Comments

Horse Channel

NATIONAL HORSERACING AUTHORITY REJECTS ALL NSPCA WELFARE PROPOSALS WITHOUT EXPLANATION

The NSPCA says the National Horseracing Authority has rejected every welfare proposal it submitted for the 2025-26 rules cycle and refused to provide any reasoning for the rejections. The announcement came two days before the R10 million Hollywoodbets Durban July. The National Horseracing Authority's response to the NSPCA's welfare proposals amounts to a blanket rejection without…

BylizzieJuly 3, 20260Comments

Image for Unbridled Challenge Bridleless Show at Stellenbosch District Riding Club

Horse and Rider

BEYOND THE BIT: WHAT BRIDLELESS RIDING REALLY ASKS OF YOU

Bridleless riding is having a moment. Earlier this year, Britain held what was billed as its first fully bridleless competition, with more than twenty riders jumping and doing dressage tests with nothing on their horses' heads, watched by a sold-out crowd and, once the clips went online, by hundreds of thousands more. A run of…

BylizzieJuly 3, 20260Comments

Artistic image of rhino for ICSI breeding article with Onderstepoort.

Breeding Horse Channel

HORSE PREGNANCIES MADE BY ICSI AND WHAT IT COULD MEAN FOR RHINOS

A team at Onderstepoort, working with Hemmersbach Rhino Force, has produced South Africa’s first horse pregnancies through ICSI and frozen embryo transfer. The technique is well established overseas, but the significance lies in having the capability here in the country, and what that could do one day for the rhino population. In November 2025, researchers in…

BylizzieJuly 2, 20260Comments

Horse Channel

A MOOR FAR AWAY WITH A LESSON CLOSE TO HOME

This year, the Dartmoor Hill Pony has become the centre of one of the most heated animal-welfare rows Britain has seen in a long time. More than 200,000 people have signed a petition to protect them, members of parliament have weighed in, and the prime minister has said the government will not support a cull. It…

BylizzieJune 30, 20260Comments

Image for article on variability in horse state and behaviour.

Horse Health

WHY YOUR HORSE FEELS AMAZING ONE DAY AND AWFUL THE NEXT

We've all been there when we arrive in the same arena with the same plan, but our horse feels completely different. One day our horse is soft and forward, and two days later he is stiff and distracted. Interestingly, this is rarely to do with the situation in the moment. How a horse feels under…

BylizzieJune 29, 20260Comments

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