Control or communication? It's an interesting question and how we answer it tells us a lot about how we see the world and our relationship with our horse.

This week we talk to Hungarian dressage rider Krisztina Szucs, founder of My Way to Dressage.

Krisztina started her dressage career as many people do, as a junior, and achieved gold medal success at the national level as a young rider. After a break from horses and riding she found she still wanted to compete, but something had changed. She found herself concerned about some of the common dressage practices and their effect on horse welfare.

This concern inspired Krisztina to investigate bit free riding. She is now an ambassador for World Bitless Association, and a campaigner for rule changes to allow bit free riding in dressage competition at all levels.

We hope you, like us, find Krisztina's gentle but determined approach to promoting positive change inspiring.

“Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much” (H.Keller)

Dr Camie Heleski has worked in horse management and welfare research for over 25 years. She recently served on the FEI Ethics & Wellbeing Commission and she is an Honorary Fellow of the International Society for Equitation Science.

Additional information

D. Wayne Lucas - famous US racehorse trainer inducted into both Racing and QH Hall of Fame - Camie mentions him in her journey.

Heleski, C. (2023) Social License to Operate–Why Public Perception Matters for Horse Sport–Some Personal Reflections, Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, 124, May 2023, 104266, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0737080623000576

Heleski, C. & Anthony, R. (2012) Science alone is not always enough: The importance of ethical assessment for a more comprehensive view of equine welfare, Journal of Veterinary Behavior, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jveb.2011.08.003

Luke et al (2022) New insights into ridden horse behaviour, horse welfare and horse-related safety. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 105539, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2021.105539

Mellor et al (2020) Five Domains Model of Animal Welfare, Animals, https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/10/1870

A peak into the animal welfare competition developed by Camie Heleski

https://www.avma.org/events/animal-welfare-assessment-contest

This week on Changing Rein Karen and Meta talk to Fran Berry, a premier jockey from Ireland who rode more than 1300 winners across a career spanning 23 years.

Fran was born into a racing family and has ridden horses all over the globe, making him the perfect person to help us learn about the world of racing and explore opportunities for creating a more sustainable horse industry built on horse welfare.

As with all of our guests, you may find yourself agreeing or disagreeing with some of the ideas we discuss, so this week we have introduced the Changing Rein Challenge. Listen to learn about the challenge, and as always, we are keen to hear what you think.