The conference took place at the University of Guelph, in Guelph, ON, Canada from August 19-21. The University of Guelph, considered Canada’s Equine University, offers unique diploma, degree, certificate and online learning opportunities specific to equine alongside undergraduate and graduate studies in animal and veterinary science. The practical day was held at the Ancaster Fairgrounds in Ancaster, ON, Canada.

The conference theme of “bringing science to the stable” explored the origins and evolution of our relationship with horses, the current state of equitation science and what we have learned, and the promising future to improve the lives of all equids. The five keynote speakers each spoke to one of these sub-themes, while the 23 oral presentations and 21 poster presentations examined interactions between horses, riders, equipment and the environment. The practical day featured demonstrations of technology useful to measure both horse and rider effects, along with Codes of Practice for welfare assessment and positive reinforcement training techniques.

Over 200 delegates attended the conference from 20 different countries. Pre-conference workshops presented communication strategies, ethograms, and large animal rescue training.

With thanks to the Local Committee:

Organizing Committee: Katrina Merkies (chair), Cordy DuBois, Gayle Ecker, Lena Levison, Wendy Pearson, Kim Sheppard, Lorraine Stubbs, Cathy Wentworth-Stanley, Tina Widowski, and the team of scientific reviewers.

Plenary Speakers 

Camie Heleski, Andrew McLean and Sandra Olsen address the importance of Equitation Science