Article published in Animals #11 - Special Issue: Animal Use in Competitive Sport: Ethics and Welfare, June 9 2021
Simple Summary:
In recent years, there has been increasing societal concern about the use of horses in competitive sport. Ethical frameworks can help stakeholders to make contextual decisions about what should or should not be done in a particular situation. In this paper, it is argued that although there is a recognised need for an ethic (i.e., a set of moral principles relating to conduct) for the use of animals in sport, neither existing animal welfare frameworks nor existing sports ethics frameworks provide us with a suitable or sufficient tool for considering situations in which the athlete is a non-human, non-consenting participant. The theoretical development of a novel ethical framework for the use of horses in sport is presented. The derivation and limitations of the framework are explained. The use of the framework will serve both to underwrite the continuation of the social license to use horses in sport and also to enable those within equestrian sport to critically assess existing and proposed practices and to make welfare-improving adjustments to practice if/where necessary. Practical testing and refinement of the theoretical framework presented in this paper is currently being undertaken in consultation with industry stakeholders, and will be submitted for publication in future.
At Flyinge’s Horse Welfare Summit, the Professor Ingvar Fredricson Foundation awarded its 2026 scholarship to Dr Andrew McLean, recognising his pioneering work in equitation science and his longstanding contribution to equine welfare.
%20copy.png)
Two days. One shared goal: advancing horse welfare through science, education and practice. Join leading international experts at the Horse Welfare Summit 2026, where Dr Andrew McLean will deliver two keynote lectures and receive the Professor Ingvar Fredricson Foundation Scholarship.
A new review examines how smartphones are becoming genuine tools for monitoring a horse's soundness, heart rate and recovery, and even for meeting international competition requirements. Among the systems it highlights is Sleip, co-founded by Dr. Elin Hernlund, one of the Foundation's own scholarship recipients, whose work builds on decades of Swedish equine biomechanics research going back to Professor Ingvar Fredricson himself.
On November 2, visitors gathered in Hall B at the Jönköping Horse Show for the Professor Ingvar Fredricson Foundation’s 2025 scholarship ceremony, celebrating groundbreaking Swedish research in equine biomechanics. From the pioneering efforts of the 1970s—when high‑speed cameras and manual measurements were the researcher’s tools—to today’s AI‑powered motion analysis and robotic hoof simulators, the audience was taken on a journey through decades of innovation. Professors Lars Roepstorff and Marie Rhodin, together with Associate Professor Elin Hernlund, shared their latest breakthroughs, followed by live demonstrations showing how AI and high‑precision sensors are transforming the understanding of horse–rider interaction. Moderator Jens Fredricson guided the dialogue and inspired exchange between researchers, while post‑event discussions with attendees helped build valuable bridges between research and practice.