Hear what Professor Nat Waran, one of the esteemed organisers of the 2024 ISES Conference has to say to wrap up the event.

And just like that – It’s all over!

I hope you found the 2024 ISES conference to be a worthwhile and enriching experience. I hope like me, you were impressed by the quality of the presentations, audience questions and the discussions these provoked. It was truly wonderful to have you with us whether in the room or online.

We welcomed around 175 ‘In person’ and 150 ‘Virtual’ delegates to join us at the ISES ‘A Good Life for Horses’ conference in Cambridge.

There were also three pre-conference workshops- with 43 attending the CANZ Animals as Good Citizens workshop, 45 attending the Equine ‘Is it Pain?’ Workshop and 33 delegates attending the Equine Emotions and use of AI Workshop.

Equitation Science certainly had a good reach with international speakers and conference delegates attending from 18 different countries – from NZ/Australia to UK, Poland, Switzerland, Sweden and the Netherlands to Brazil, US and Canada.

I am very grateful to the fabulous plenary speakers; Starting with our ‘Clever Hans’ Speaker Craig Johnson, and followed by Paul McGreevy, Andrew McLean, Cathrynne Henshall, Janne Winther-Christensen, Kathalijne Visser, and Madeleine Campbell.  The researchers who presented their work via the shorter research talks were all excellent and I am so pleased were able to provide a platform whether a short talk, a ‘lightening talk’ or a rolling poster exhibit for almost all of those who sent in their abstracts for consideration. Thank you to all of you and the reviewers and chairs for making the programme such a success.

A huge thank you must go to the Field Day hosts who despite the unfortunate weather in the Waikato on the one day we needed sunshine, provided us with a great opportunity to consider the assessment and achievement of a Good Life for Horses in various contexts from breeding and preparing young Thoroughbreds, therapy horses, preparation for a second career to those involved in racing or other sporting disciplines.

I hope those who were with us in person, enjoyed the hospitality at the various events we put on for you to ‘mix and mingle’. The Don Rowlings Centre on Lake Karapiro was a wonderful venue for our conference - despite the jetskis! And the space and time provided to those who attended the NZTB Racing sponsored ‘sun downers’ event after the field day on the village green. The final gala dinner at the Boatshed on Lake Karapiro was fabulous fun and I am very grateful to all of those came outside to have a go at “Scottish Dancing ( or X Country Dancing as it is now called!) .Last but by means not least, I want to acknowledge the amazing caterers at the conference venue and also at the other various venues who kept us very well fed indeed.

I am extremely grateful to our Conference Sponsors without whom large scale international events such as these are not possible. Thank you very much to; World Horse Welfare, Winning Form, FEI, Hong Kong Jockey Club, Spectravet, Hartpury University, ESI, Via Nova, Companion Animals NZ, The University of Edinburgh, The University of Guelph, The Horse Trust, New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing, World Breeding Federation of Sport Horses, New Zealand Warmblood Association, Kandoo Equine, Majestic Horse Floats, Charles Sturt University, Massey University and Equestrian Sports New Zealand. See https://www.equitationscience.com/2024-sponsors 

In answer to questions regarding recordings: All of the presentations have been recorded, and once the AV team has completed their work to tidy up the start and stop of each presentation, and we have checked permissions, we will provide them to the ISES Council so that they can be uploaded to the ISES conference webpages for you to view.

Please join me in thanking the ISES Conference 2024 Local Organising Committee members for all of their hard work in making the conference a successful event – We will now return to our day jobs having gratefully handed the batten over to the ISES 2025 Organising Committee.

The ISES NZ 2024 Conference was run in association with Companion Animals New Zealand, and I am grateful to my team for all the work they put into supporting not one, but two conferences and three workshops over one week of conference extravaganza!

If you want to hear more about the work of the Companion Animals New Zealand ‘A Good Life for Animals’ team see https://www.companionanimals.nz/

or if you want information about the EQuiChip events we have planned for microchipping and registration of horses in the community please contact us: email [email protected]

Meanwhile, if you were here from overseas, I hope you had time to look around our beautiful country before a safe journey home, and if you are from New Zealand – I look forward to seeing you again very soon.

Ngā mihi nui

Warmest regards

Nat

Professor Nat Waran

Director – A Good Life for Animals

Companion Animals New Zealand