Activities & Competition
Explore disciplines, preparation, clean sport and welfare-minded participation at every level.
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Is your horse ready for an event? A welfare check before you go
This welfare check helps you decide what needs attention before an event; it does not declare a horse fit or eligible. Compare today with the individual’s normal, review recovery and travel, check the live rules and be willing to withdraw when the evidence is uncertain.
Read article →Clean sport: medicines, supplements and feed contamination
A positive test can follow treatment, supplements, contaminated feed, shared equipment or human medication. Reduce the risk by checking the horse’s rules, recording everything administered or fed, separating medicines and utensils, retaining batch details and planning treatment with the vet. No product can promise universal competition safety.
Read article →Event biosecurity before, during and after competition
Events bring horses, people, vehicles and equipment from many premises into a shared space. Risk cannot be removed, but it can be reduced: travel only with a healthy horse, check current event and outbreak information, take your own clean equipment, limit direct and indirect contact, and monitor carefully after returning home.
Read article →Entering an activity or competition: how to check the current rules
The rule that matters is the current rule for the named activity, class, date, governing body and venue. Build a short evidence trail from rulebook, amendments and schedule, ask the organiser about ambiguity, and recheck before travel instead of reproducing changeable rules in your own notes.
Read article →Choosing an equestrian activity: match the horse, rider and welfare demands
The best activity is one the horse and rider can approach safely, willingly and with suitable support. Compare present ability, health, fitness, equipment, facilities, travel, rules, time and cost. Trial one small piece before investing, and adapt when the horse’s response says the match is poor.
Read article →Your first horse competition: entries, timings and a calm preparation plan
A first competition is easier when every decision comes from the current schedule, current rulebook and the horse in front of you. Confirm eligibility before paying, build generous margins into the day and be ready to withdraw if health, transport, weather or confidence changes.
Read article →After an event: recovery checks for your horse before you head home
Recovery starts before the tack comes off. Stop work, move to a safe area and watch breathing, demeanour and movement. Begin cooling when the horse is hot, offer appropriate water access and call a vet urgently for distress, collapse, neurological change, severe pain or recovery that is not progressing.
Read article →Competition vaccination rules: verify dates, records and event-specific requirements
Vaccination requirements differ between governing bodies and can change. Identify every rule that applies to the exact event, compare it with the horse’s original record and resolve questions well before travel. Only the organiser or relevant governing body can confirm eligibility; your vet should advise on the horse’s vaccination care.
Read article →Check tack, dress and protective-equipment rules before an event
Equipment rules change by discipline, level, phase and event. Build an item-by-item inventory against the current handbook, amendments, schedule and venue instructions. A product label or last week’s steward check is not approval for the next event, and permission never overrides welfare or fit concerns.
Read article →Equine doping-control testing: what owners should expect and record
If a horse is selected for doping-control testing, identify the official, read the current procedure and keep the horse supervised as directed. Record facts without obstructing collection or trying to interpret the likely result. Exact steps, sample types and rights differ by rule set, so seek prompt specialist advice about any concern.
Read article →If your horse needs treatment at an event: welfare first, then rules and records
Contact the event vet or your own vet today if your horse becomes unwell or injured at a competition. Withdraw from activity, follow the veterinary welfare plan and preserve accurate identity and treatment records; medication-control and future eligibility questions come only after the horse has received appropriate care.
Read article →Warm-up arena safety: space, etiquette and horse welfare under pressure
A crowded warm-up rewards preparation more than bravery. Read the current discipline and venue rules, learn the local direction and overtaking conventions, keep a clear picture of your horse and surrounding traffic, and leave early whenever behaviour, footing, crowding or rider control makes the space unsafe.
Read article →Ground, footing and course conditions: when welfare should change the plan
No rider-side check can certify a surface or course as safe. You can, however, notice meaningful changes in the ground, compare how your horse responds and make an early welfare decision: adapt, ask an official, withdraw or seek veterinary advice.
Read article →Competition in extreme weather: heat, cold, storms and cancellation decisions
There is no universal temperature, wind speed or warning colour that makes every competition decision. Check the actual route and venue, the horse’s health and fitness, the available shelter, water and cooling, and the return journey—then be prepared not to travel or start even when the event remains open.
Read article →When to withdraw or retire at an event: make the welfare decision early
Ask the event veterinarian or your vet promptly when gait, breathing, recovery, behaviour, coordination, pain or injury changes. Withdraw before starting, or retire during the event, whenever continuing would use competition as a test of whether the horse is all right.
Read article →Officials, stewards and organisers: who to ask and how to raise a concern
Roles and authority vary by discipline, governing body and event. Read the current schedule and rulebook, identify the contact assigned to that decision and ask a factual question through the official channel. Keep the response and escalate welfare, medical or safeguarding concerns promptly without publishing private details or allegations.
Read article →Competition protests and appeals: preserve records and follow the current process
A competition objection, complaint, welfare report and formal appeal are not interchangeable. Start with the exact event schedule and current governing documents, identify the route and deadline, preserve the original record and ask the authorised office to clarify procedure. This guide does not assess a case or promise that it will be accepted.
Read article →Taking your horse to a clinic, camp or rally: a welfare-first checklist
A polished timetable tells you little about how an organised clinic, camp or rally will work for your horse. Before paying, ask who is responsible, how horse-and-rider suitability is discussed, what the day and overnight care involve, and how illness or emergencies are handled. You retain the welfare stop decision after booking and after arrival.
Read article →Non-competitive activities with your horse: add variety without pressure
Variety can be a quiet walk, cooperative-care game, gentle obstacle, social grooming session or a day when the horse stays home and you volunteer. Choose from the horse’s health, confidence and willingness, not a human bucket list, and stop before novelty becomes fear, fatigue or conflict.
Read article →Planning a group hack: route, pace and etiquette for mixed partnerships
Do not set off until a named leader and back marker have agreed the route, order, pace words, gates, road transitions, regroup points and abort plan around the least experienced horse–rider partnership. Check live access, road rules and conditions that day; no route or group formation is guaranteed safe.
Read article →Getting started in dressage: tests, progression and horse welfare
Before entering a dressage test, ask a qualified coach to assess the whole partnership and help you choose a suitable opportunity without declaring either horse or rider “competition ready”. Then verify the organiser’s current rules yourself, plan a calm day and retain an uncomplicated right to withdraw.
Read article →Getting started in showjumping: course demands and safe progression
Before entering a showjumping class, have a suitably qualified coach assess the partnership across training, travel and unfamiliar environments, then check the organiser’s live rules. No article, coach or low fence can declare a combination safe for a height; plan the day with explicit limits and an easy route to withdraw.
Read article →Getting started in eventing: three phases, one welfare plan
A first event is not three isolated starts: travel, waiting, dressage, showjumping, cross-country and the journey home create one cumulative demand. Use a qualified coach and veterinary team to assess the partnership without certifying competence or fitness, verify the live rules, and agree when the horse will not start or continue.
Read article →Getting started in showing: choose a class and protect horse welfare
Choose the exact show, society and class before planning turnout or entry, because eligibility, judging format, rider requirements and permitted equipment vary. Ask the secretary to resolve rule questions and use a qualified showing professional who will protect the individual horse rather than promise eligibility, a placing or a particular “look”.
Read article →No exact matches
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