The riding academies encourage interaction with these wonderful animals, learning more about horseback riding in general and support the sense of community among the equestrians themselves. But riding would not exist without horses and ponies, which is why it is crucial that these animals thrive in their role as training horses and live under good conditions.
The individual riding academies throughout Denmark have different physical settings, but the common denominator is that they want to give their training horses the best conditions for a good life. Even so, the financial situation of many riding academies is occasionally constrained, which means that they cannot always keep their horses’ living conditions up to standards they prefer.
The Danish Equestrian Federation
The Danish Equestrian Federation has used the support from the QATO Foundation to launch a study that looks into the general quality of horse welfare at Denmark’s riding academies. This study reviews all the relevant factors affecting the horses’ well-being.
"Altogether, this comprehensive study will provide knowledge on how training horses are doing at the riding academies and whether any areas of the horses’ well-being need improvement. This is an area where we know that making the right intervention can make a difference to the horses. Now we just have to chart precisely what this right intervention is,” Anne Silfwander, Head of DRF’s Club and Sport Activities.
The Danish Equestrian Federation
By means of a comprehensive questionnaire survey and visits to ten selected riding academies in Denmark, DRF’s veterinary consultant Mette Uldahl and senior researcher Janne Winther Christensen, Aarhus University, will cooperate with DRF’s development consultants to examine the training horses’ health, stable and enclosure conditions, equipment, instruction, interaction with instructors, riders, other horses and much more besides.
The project was launched in 2023, and the first study subresults are expected to be ready during 2024, whereas the entire project will run until 2025.
The Danish Equestrian Federation is a specialised association under the National Olympic Committee and Sports Confederation of Denmark (Danmarks Idrætsforbund). DRF was founded in 1917 and about 450 riding academies are currently members of DRF.
