Horse Welfare in Endurance: A glimpse from Top riders

Journal D'Endurance - Horse Welfare Podcast

June 15 2026
A Conversation by Journal d’Endurance

Castelsagrat, France | CEIO2* 120 km | 35°C | A few hours after the finish

In scorching temperatures and on one of the most demanding tracks of the French calendar, Melody Théolissat and Yalla de Jalima secured second place, only seconds ahead of Virginie Atger and Raya de Jalima, after a perfectly judged race and a memorable final sprint. Paul Bard, who was set to compete the following day in the CEI3* 160 km with Hasna Valarbin, a home-bred mare, also joined the conversation.

Beyond the sport results, this discussion provided an opportunity to explore one of the most important topics in endurance riding: horse welfare. How do top riders balance performance with respect for their equine partners? What signs do they rely on to assess their horses’ physical and mental well-being? How do they manage training, travel, and race strategy to keep their horses comfortable and motivated? Drawing on their experiences, successes, and the mistakes that helped shape them as horsewomen & men, Virginie Atger, Melody Théolissat, and Paul Bard share their perspective on horse welfare in endurance riding and explain why, in their view, it is one of the key foundations of performance...

Read more here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SlN6ikh-BhvC6ttAMa7fEVTMrlfXOoDT/view

Who Will Answer the Next Emergency Call?

HorseSport.com - Full Article

Equine veterinary medicine is struggling to attract and retain practitioners. Three different perspectives suggest that preserving access to care will require changes from veterinary practices and horse owners alike.

By: Horse Sport staff | June 10, 2026

When a horse colics at 10 p.m., the owner’s first thought is panic. The second is: call the vet.

For the equine veterinarian who answers, the call may come after a full day of appointments, while eating dinner, attending a family event or finally getting to sleep. When the emergency is over, the next day’s scheduled work will still begin as usual.

After-hours emergencies have always been part of equine veterinary medicine. Increasingly, however, the profession is questioning whether the traditional model is sustainable.

“The number one issue is the lack of people that want to go into equine practice,” says Dr. Mike Pownall of McKee-Pownall Equine Services, an equine veterinarian who has spent years studying and speaking about wellness and mental health within the profession. “Recent surveys show less than two per cent of graduating students in North America want to enter equine,” he says. “That’s less than 200 people a year for all of North America,” which is not enough to replace veterinarians who are retiring or leaving the field...

Read more here:
https://horsesport.com/magazine/business/who-will-answer-next-emergency-call/?vgo_ee=itb9xEAbpXVHm%2BpWDPrGyv8f1O%2FMpmeHqSoS3EM%2BfpHQW%2BO%2Bnyiv%3AqLLH0nZ3PSxoRFP3%2F26HNzRa78wzZhgu