In 1974 he was one of the organisers of the first Symposium of the Society for Veterinary Ethology (later the International Society for Applied Ethology) on the European mainland.

In 1980, he started teaching at the faculty of veterinary sciences in Gent where he conducted his first ethological research in the faculty (on stereotypies in voles I believe). In the same year, he founded the Laboratory of Ethology. Both fundamental and applied studies related to stereotypies of several species were a continuum in his lifelong research activities. 

He could be very straight forward into his goals to get ethology into the veterinary curriculum. Unfortunately, not always the veterinarians in the faculty understood fully his determination for the importance of ethology to understand the treatment of sick or injured animals.  

He also taught ethology to veterinarians at other veterinary faculties in and outside Belgium. Even until no so long-ago Frank has given the lectures on Applied Ethology in the Laboratory Animal Science Course for the French speaking African colleagues in North Africa as mentioned by one of his former PhD students after Franks passing.

In 1986 he was the first chairman of the Animal Welfare council in Belgium (in those times it was at federal level, nowadays there are separate councils at regional level). 

In 1996 he founded the behaviour clinic of for cats and dogs at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Ghent University.

Already in 1975 he presented “Elimination and grazing behaviour in the horse” at the ISAE conference, in the following years followed by presentations like “Behavioural studies on horses” and “Abnormal behaviours: stereotypies”. And published numerous papers on horse behaviour since the 80’s. 

In 2016 when the ISAE celebrated their 50^th anniversary Ruth Newberry and Victoria Sandilands wrote a chapter (Pioneers of Applied Ethology) in the book which came out for this celebration: Under 2.4.3 Further prominent applied ethologists there is the line (p63): “Pioneering studies on horse behaviour were conducted by Frank Ödberg, Jan Ladewig (1946-), and by Katherine A. Houpt (1939-) …….”

In June 2002 there was a Dorothy Russell Havemeyer Foundation Workshop (on invitation) about Horse Behaviour and Welfare in Holar, Iceland. Basically, during this workshop there was the “conception” of the idea that scientists worldwide working on equitation science should organise themselves, this finally led in 2007 to the official foundation of ISES. Of course, Frank was also in Holar. His contribution was about Heart Rate Reduction by Grooming in Horses. But during the whole workshop his contribution was ever so important.

The following year in in 2003 the first international conference meeting specifically focussing on equine welfare was organised: the Horse Welfare Satellite Conference organised in association with the ISAE conference in Italy     . And who was one of the three plenary speakers: Frank (the others were Andrew McLean and Natalie Waran). So, it is not a surprise that Frank, together with Katherine Houpt and Hilary Clayton were proposed and accepted to be the first honorary members of ISES when finally founded.  

Frank was a walking encyclopaedia and was passionate to hold long inspiring monologues. In long mails he gave his points of view about many ethological or animal welfare issues and kept hammering on the importance of good robust science. 

In 2011 he retired but he remained involved until the end in scientific and social activities concerning animal behaviour, animal welfare and human-animal relationship. But now he could also spend more time to his main interest his beloved horses and academic / baroque riding. The French Masters were never far away when you talked about horses or riding. He kept his horses behind his house. His last horse - the now 18-year-old Lusitano gelding Bohemio and his Shetland pony friend - still live at this home. I heard today a nice new home was found for Bohemio in the UK, where he will go to someone who rode Bohemio before at Franks home some years back.

Christel ended her tribute at the ceremony today with Jan Ladewig’s words:

Dear Frank,

I know you don’t believe in reincarnation. 

I don’t either.

I sincerely hope we are both wrong. 

The world needs people like you.

If you are interested in some of his older work, see https://research.ugent.be/web/person/frank-odberg-0/publications/en