On Tuesday night, 10 FEIF member countries were represented in a vigorous and stimulating meeting about recent developments and initiatives regarding horse welfare and questions on the social licence to operate.

Naturally, discussions about horse welfare, public reception and the law have different weightings across nations. But at the same time, it is reassuring and interesting to see which topics overlap internationally, and which initiatives are more tied to individual countries and their circumstances. It clearly emerged that Icelandic horse associations have a lot to offer by way of clear rules and good practice, and in many countries close ties exist between our own organisations and the national horse federations. Concerns which are widely shared across nations are questions about the weight of riders and horses,  as well as discussions about more stringent controls, particularly in the context of competitions. At the same time, the conversation touched upon inspiring examples of how to tackle much the wider questions about, for example, appropriate ways of how we keep horses, how and when to optimise horse training, or how to encourage best practice amongst non-professional riders and horse keepers. All present shared a passion to do the best for the Icelandic horse and to encourage others to do likewise. The next meeting on horse welfare issues and concerns about our social licence to operate will be in mid-November.

An interesting booklet was published today…. MORE