2021-04-30-accounts

ISES COUNCIL OFFICER ANNUAL REPORT (2020-2021)

ISES Honorary President | Orla Doherty

Summary of year

• Coming hopefully towards the end of the covid phase of all of our lives, work within our society continues, albeit at a reduced pace, and still missing our annual facetoface meetings which spark so much discussion and renewed vigor and interest in the area of equitation science. That said, we have continued to work to advance matters on a variety of issues of concern to the society.

• Taper gauge matters:

• A steady flow of sales continues through our website – with 279 sold between 1 September 2020 and 1 September 2021. Of those 21% were sold to Canada, 23% to Denmark and 28% to Germany. Iceland purchases accounted for 9% and Sweden for 8%, with 4% of purchases made in the UK. After some discussion about the cost of post and packaging, we have reduced the cost to purchasers, giving more precise tailored quotes for orders greater than three, which were previously costing significantly more for the purchaser (due to an automatic doubling of packaging for any orders greater than three). It is the goal of ISES to make this product as widely available and affordable as possible while not depleting ISES finances.

• There continue to be some glitches with the ordering process, although the majority of problems we were previously experiencing have been ironed out. Occasional orders are not received by our distribution volunteers (who continue to devote their time to sending Taper Gauges out to various parts of the world – thank you againColleen Brady, Gemma Pearson, Uta Konig von Borstel, Elke Hartman and Sheena Browne.

• The National Equestrian Federation in Canada are currently running a pilot study with a view to introducing noseband regulations and have sought guidance on various questions arising from ISES Council and trustee members during the past year. We have been delighted to assist with this exciting development.

• Due to the continued steady sale of the taper gauges, supplies are running low, and discussions are underway regarding the next batch of taper gauges; where they should be manufactured, from what materials (with sustainability a desirable goal) and how to distribute to the maximum number of people, in an affordable manner.

• The general workings of this society continue to be undertaken by a dedicated group of volunteers who give generously of their time and energy on various matters that

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arise. Huge thanks to all who give so much to the society and in doing so help to improve horse welfare across the world (including council members, honorary

fellows, trustees, and all of those offering to help out on working committees addressing various issues).

• Following a lapse in production of our ISES newsletter, the call for volunteers to help with the writing of a regular newsletter was kindly taken up by Antonia Henderson, who proceeded to become the new newsletter editor on council, along with Susi Cienciala, and this capable team will hopefully be joined by Justin Harrison for future editions. Our quarterly newsletters provide greatly enjoyed insights into recent equitation science -related research, publications, personal interviews of people involved in equitation science and remind us of the ongoing work and progress around the world – greatly appreciated particularly when our conference meetings have been curtailed by covid. Many thanks to our newsletter team for their continued hard work.

• Funding for research projects continues to be much needed, and ISES welcomes the generosity of Dr Wendy Koch and Dr Sue Smith, both of whom have been in correspondence with ISES during the past 12 months regarding funding research projects. Invitation for applications have been set up on the website and it is hoped that others may follow the example given in helping fund badly needed research.

• Discussions also continue surrounding our website – how to improve various aspects of the website but also to address some of the challenges or problems that have proved difficult to resolve. These have included emails not reaching their intended recipients, taper gauge orders not reaching distributors, renewal reminders not being issued and problems with accuracy in membership lists. A rewording of the welcome message and invitation to renew membership has been added to encourage renewals, with a notice sent out one month in advance of the date of renewal and then a final reminder before membership lapses. David Andor continues to provide excellent support and help in unravelling the problems when they arise.

• The time-consuming nature of taking on a council role is likely to be a factor in challenges we face with filling some roles such as that of treasurer, which continues to be carried out by Jane Williams-in addition to her role as junior vice president during the past year. We have however welcomed two new council members, Toni Henderson as newsletter editor and Laura Jujova as student representative. It is hoped that when face-to-face ISES conferences can resume-hopefully in 2022 – renewed connections and contact during a non-virtual event will help us bring more volunteers forward who may be keen to step into the vacant roles and play a part on ISES council.

• Clarification of the separate roles carried out by our media, newsletter, social media, and website officers has been agreed following recent meetings and discussions regarding some overlapping of roles, resultant confusion regarding which officers were responsible for which areas, and the goal to develop a greater ISES social media presence. Thank you Kate, Klara, Toni, and Maria.

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• The challenge some scientific journals face in trying to find reviewers for scientific papers on equitation science is being addressed by a working group (thank you Toni, Kate) in an effort to ensure that journals are not struggling to find appropriate

reviewers willing to review equitation- science related papers submitted for publication.

• Following a highly successful 2020 virtual meeting organised by Jane Williams, it was agreed to proceed with another virtual meeting-again kindly headed by Jane, in light of continued COVID-19 setbacks and resultant travel restrictions. A huge thank you in advance to Jane and the LOC (Hayley, Natalie), the scientific reviewers, the sponsors, and all contributing to this event. While we all yearn for the face-to-face events we have enjoyed for many years, given the circumstances, the holding of this virtual event will give us all an opportunity to refresh our enthusiasm, learn and benefit from the research carried out by contributors and connect again with our colleagues across the world.

• As it comes towards the end of my time as Hon President of the society-I extend my heartfelt thanks to Presidential Council Janne and Jane for all their support and hard work during the past two years and also to all of the council members – working groups and non-council members who have continued to give generously of their time and efforts and hard work to advance the various matters that continually arise within our society. It is my sincere hope that we will all meet again in 2022 at Hartpury, UK for a most welcome reunion to share ideas, energy, knowledge, and our shared passion for improving horse welfare, with all of the hardships caused by the covid pandemic firmly in the past.

● Short-term plans

• To hand over to Jane Williams as Honorary President

• Serve as a consultant and advisor to the President, in order to provide continuity in the development and implementation of long-term policies of the ISES.

• Continue to participate in various working groups discussing aper gauge use and distribution, peer review issues, newsletter progress

• Medium to long-term plans

• To fulfil the role of Senior Vice President to the best of my ability

• Maintain a record of selected information from past conferences to assist with the running of future conferences and ensure that the information is made available to conference organisers.

• Perform other duties, which may be assigned from time to time by the President or Council.

• Help ensure that ISES remains to be a society of impact and that the awareness of ISES is increased throughout the world.

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• Continue to develop and disseminate equitation science knowledge through my teaching, continued research, and clinical work.

ISES Senior Vice President | Janne Winther Christensen

Summary of year

• This will be my last council officer report as my term on the presidential council is coming to an end. Thereby I will retire from 8 years of council work starting in 2013 as chair of the local organising committee for the 2014 conference in Denmark. It has been a pleasure to enter the engine room of ISES and understand all the work that goes on “behind the scenes”. And a particular pleasure to work alongside highly skilled and valued colleagues to steer the ISES ship forward - also when the waves were high. I was once asked whether ISES would be able to change the (horse) world. Well, at least ISES has changed my world :-). And I am confident that ISES impacts the horse world as well! Things are indeed changing for the better and I have seen many improvements to horse welfare during the past years. Yes, there is still a long way to go and a lot of work to be done, but we will get there.

• During the past year, I helped complete the guidelines for election of ISES Honorary Fellows, which are now on the website, so the criteria are clear to everyone who may wish to nominate someone for this honorable position. Generally, we try to improve the website bit by bit, so it becomes more user friendly and contains all relevant information.

• Finally, I just want to thank all the active council members, trustees and honorary fellows who continue to spend many voluntary hours on ISES work.

I will leave the points below for the coming senior vice president, but I will be happy to help out where I can.

Short-term plans

• Serve as a consultant and advisor to the President, in order to provide continuity in the development and implementation of long-term policies of the ISES.

• Serve on the membership committee to approve new membership applications.

Long-term plans

• Maintain a record of selected information from past conferences to assist with the running of future conferences and ensure that the information is made available to conference organisers.

• Perform other duties, which may be assigned from time to time by the President or Council.

• Help ensure that ISES remains to be a society of impact and that the awareness of ISES is increased throughout the world.

ISES Junior Vice President | Jane Williams

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Summary of year

● The past year has been another busy one – learning to live and work in the everchanging Covid environment and adapting research plans to be able to keep on going, alongside Council duties has been tiring but rewarding work! This year we have also seen a proliferation of online webinars and experts, more than ever horse owners can find someone or a gadget online that allegedly can make a difference to their relationship with their horse. At this time, I believe the Society has a really important role to play and to support horse owners to navigate the web. to help highlight how good science, evidenceinformed approaches, and the horses themselves should be what we look to inform how we train and manage our horses and judge the quality of their lives using a positive and inclusive approach that encourages discussion and debate rather than marginalising individuals and groups. Continuing to articulate how the principles of equitation science is just as important as ever and I am looking forward to working with Council to drive forward our strategic plan and increase the influence of equitation science across the equestrian sector.

● For a second year my colleagues and I had to make the difficult decision to postpone holding a face-to-face ISES conference at Hartpury – everything is crossed that we will have some form of Hartpury 2022! However, every cloud does have a silver lining and I am honoured to work alongside Dr Hayley Randle and Prof. Natalie Waran to organise ISES 2021 Conference: Advancing Equestrian Practice to Improve Equine Quality of Life. It has been great to see familiar and new faces submitting research for the conference, and we some excellent and thought-provoking speakers and projects being presented. We have also been really humbled by the generous support of our sponsors, which has enabled us to make this a free online event running over three days – I hope you will join us but also spread the word far and side to horsey friends so we can showcase the great work both the Society and our members do far and wide.

● I am also really excited to take over the reins (sorry couldn’t resist the equestrian pun) as ISES President from Orla and working with her, Council, and our valued Trustees to continue the great work of the Society. I would also like to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to Janne for all the work she has done for the Society for many years, she will be sorely missed.

● Finally, I would like to thank you for your continued support of ISES and the work the Society does and hope you and your family stay safe and well, and I look forward to welcoming you all to Hartpury for ISES 2020, 2021, 2022!

Short-term plan

● To work with Presidential Council and the Trustees to revisit and update the Society’s strategic plan and infrastructure in light of the pandemic.

• To implement the operational plan for the Society to make progress against our

• strategic goals.

● Personally, to continue to investigate the relationship between performance, welfare and equitation science across equestrian disciplines and practice.

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Medium/long-term plans

● A key remit for me over the next four years will be to engage and work with colleagues on Council, Trustees, ISES members and equestrian professionals and the wider public to support the Society to achieve the aspirations set out in the 2020-25 Strategic Plan.

● Aligned to this, I aim to continue and strive to increase dissemination of equitation science research into wider equestrian practice through effective and simple communication methods to engage those who impact the horse from grassroots upwards.

ISES Honorary Secretary | Katrina Merkies

Summary of year

• Developed and distributed agendas and recorded and distributed minutes from ISES council meetings (Meetings 65-69 + AGM) and ISES trustee meetings.

• Prepared the annual ISES calendar for meetings.

• Presented on the well-being of horses and humans at the 2020 ISES Virtual Summer Meeting.

• Scientific reviewer for abstracts submitted to ISES 2021 Virtual Conference ● Advocated Equitation Science through particular venues:

• Invited presenter on the welfare of horses in equine-assisted programs at CAFRE Enniskillen Campus Equine Welfare conference

• Judge for the UC Davis Animal Enrichment Competition

• Delivered workshop on equine behaviour for veterinary technicians at the OAVT conference

• Organized and hosted the annual Equine Industry Symposium at the University of Guelph in November 2020, 5 days themed around resilience in regard to the pandemic, with one day in particular focused on pandemic pressures on equine welfare and featuring speakers Roly Owers, Bettina Bobsien and Gayle Ecker.

• ○ Guest speaker on Equine Behaviour online course through Equine Guelph (2 semesters)

• Publications 2020-21:

• Merkies K, Copelin C, McPhedran C, McGreevy P. 2021. The presence of various tack and equipment in sale horse advertisements. Journal of Veterinary Behaviour under review

• Merkies K, Belliveau H. 2021. Human ability to determine affective states in domestic horse whinnies. Anthrozoös under review

• Merkies K, Franzin O. 2021. Enhanced understanding of horse-human interactions to optimize welfare . Animals 11:1347. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11051347

• Merkies K, Copelin C, Crouchman E, St-Onge A. 2020. The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on riding lesson barns and summer camps in Ontario. Animals 10(12):2412. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10122412

Short-term plans

• Continue to contribute to ISES council

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Medium/long-term plans

• Continue to incorporate ISES principles, equitation science and learning theory into my teaching and research

• Work with Equestrian Canada and Ontario Equestrian to incorporate Equitation Science into their mandates (study on the uptake of taper gauges is on the horizon!).

• Continue research into horse-human relationships during my sabbatical 2022-23

ISES Treasurer (Acting) | Jane Williams

Summary of year

Unfortunately, due to personal reasons, Kirstin Spencer had to step down as Treasurer midway through this year; I would like to thank Kirstin for the fabulous work she did as Treasurer and her continued support of the Society.

The Society remains financially stable. the main sources of income remain memberships and taper gauge sales. The Society has two bank accounts:

• The Treasurer’s account, for day-to-day business, current balance as of 22/09/21: £24,713

• Business account, a contingency holding current balance as of 22/09/21: £5,005

• This year we have used an independent accountancy firm, experienced in supporting charities to prepare and submit our annual report and accounts to the UK Charity Commission. We will continue to work with the firm to support financial reporting moving forwards.

Short-term plans

• To fill the Treasurer position.

• To continue to develop our financial practices with external support.

ISES Membership Secretary | Robin Foster

Summary of year

As of Sept 30, 2021, ISES had a total number of 243 members (Table 1). Membership has fluctuated slightly over 2021 between 240-250 members.

Table 1. ISES Membership Sept 30, 2021

Category	Count
Academic	70
Associate	33
Corporate	5
Honorary	9

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Practitioner	37
Student	54
Supporter	35
Total	243

Membership in different categories was relatively stable in 2021 but shows a drop in supporter members in October. Normally membership numbers in the weeks before the annual ISES conference is stable or increases, with the addition of new supporter members and expiry of supporter members from the previous year, but that has not happened yet.

Figure 1. ISES membership categories March through October 2021.

In 2021 ISES Council has discussed and acted on a few membership issues, summarized below.

● We have worked this year to create a reliable, complete, current, and simple membership data resource available on the ISES website. This record will also be used to create current membership email listing for newsletter mailings. The update was prompted by some discrepancies and missing items from membership counts, e.g., Corporate, Honorary, and Supporter memberships had not been included, and membership figures reported in May 2021 (307 total members) seem to have been inflated.

● To help increase membership renewals, automated dues reminder and expiry notices now include a personalized note from the ISES Hon. President Doherty.

Council approved the following membership policy changes

● Academic membership requirement. Letters from current ISES members vouching for the applicant were previously required, but the policy was not applied evenly to all applicants. The requirement for outside letters was removed for academic membership applicants.

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● Student membership requirement. ISES requests documents confirming student status for new but not for renewing student members. However, because student status is temporary, at the time of both new membership application and renewal, student members will be required to submit a copy of their current student ID to membership secretary.

Future membership agenda

● Recruit members to grow the Society: embed initiatives into strategic plan to grow membership numbers with particular emphasis on increasing supporter members.

● Consider how we can increase member benefits via website development. ● Review and update membership category requirements and post a clear set of required documents. Consider an alternative mechanism for document submission, perhaps at the time of application. A substantial proportion of new applicants do not reply to email requests for documentation to support the membership level for which they applied.

ISES Research Officer | Uta König von Borstel

Summary of year

• At the University of Giessen, we slowly continued our recovery from the contrasting demands of the cyber-attack that forced us to work 100% offline which was immediately followed by the covid-19 pandemic that forced us to work 100% online.

• Issues with grant applications not being sent to the research officer address seem to have been resolved at last (but we’ll have to wait for the next round, to be certain).

• Distributed a large number (~90?) taper gauges in my region - yeah for the Icelandic horse riding association whose members ordered significantly the greatest proportion of these.

• Assisted with implementation of the Dr Sue Smith - research grant.

• Continued to teach courses and give talks on various topics in equitation science, e.g., recently a talk at our regional ISAE meeting on horse welfare and horse-rider interaction delivered by my postdoc Dr. Desiree Brucks.

• Started with awarding of a national seal of quality for safe and welfare-friendly housing and use of work horses.

• Conducted with students a number of smaller research projects related to equitation science, e.g., on rider weight, personality, and self-control in horses.

• Started working on a large collaborative project with the aim to develop an ‘intelligent’ fence that detects and deters predators - in particular wolves. Wolves are a huge issue in Germany as they have been extinct for 100 years, so unlike many other countries with wolf populations we’re no longer used to dealing with them and due to a strict legislation that prevents virtually any hunting of wolves, even if an individual has already caused significant damage to livestock, there has been a drastic increase of the wolf population over the past 20 years causing by now several 1000 deaths in livestock, including some horses. Thanks to Janne WC, I have a French intern working on a sub-project looking into how horses react to encounters of wolves and how riders should react in these situations.

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• As a member of the German Equestrian Federation’s animal welfare advisory board, we started working on a revised draft of the German national guidelines for horse husbandry.

• As a positive example, how evidence-based equitation continues to be spread in practice, I noticed that at the pony school our daughter attends, they teach the children not to pat, but to caress the ponies when praising them!

Short-term plans

• Finalize ISES presentations.

• Further improve my equitation science course (e.g., include even more interactive elements).

• Organize student presentation contest for the upcoming ISES conference.

Medium/long-term plans

• Increase activities in my role as research officer and promote collaboration and research - these plans have been crossed too often in the past.

• Further promote equitation science in practice.

ISES Education Officer | Colleen Brady

Summary of year

• We have been busily shipping taper gauges to North America. Equestrian Canada recently changed their noseband policy, which has resulted in a lot of demand from Canada. I am working on getting an actual number we have shipped in the last year, and I will share it when I have it.

• Currently have a proposal, with colleagues, under review at the Morris Animal Foundation, Equine Behavior, to develop a set of online learning modules for horse industry participants to help them recognize affective states, and incorporate that recognition in their overall welfare assessments, fingers crossed, to have some data to present at ISES New Zealand, if funded.

• Study on interpretation of horse behaviors that we started with a pilot at ISES Rome has been completed. One portion was presented at the Equine Science Society meetings; currently in the process of finishing articles for publication. Hopefully they will be out by the end of the year. Short-term plans

• I would like to explore with Council the thought of having a monthly or bimonthly webinar series, following a similar format as the Summer Meeting, to engage people with Equitation Science. I would suggest it to be free for members, and that it serves as a membership benefit. Medium/long-term plans

• Continue to increase awareness of horse industry participants about Equitation Science, and how it can improve their work with their horses.

• Develop more creative ways to use technology to make the information accessible to people who are interested in equitation science.

• Continue my research area of the psychographic factors influencing equine well-being.

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ISES Veterinary Liaison | Gemma Pearson Summary

of year

• Since the last AGM I have defended my PhD, at last!! Whilst still based at the University of Edinburgh, I am employed by The Horse Trust. My time is now split between seeing clinical behaviour cases, research (both my own and supervising a variety of undergraduate and postgraduate students) and outreach work. I continue to promote Equitation Science to the veterinary community including. o Running a 10-week online Equitation Science MSc module, through Edinburgh University, this is now accredited as a module for people working towards becoming a Certified Clinical Animal Behaviourist. In the near future we will also be adding clinical equine behaviour modules and aim to set up a course that allows people to undertake all their clinical animal behaviour modules in horses (currently they have to undertake a lot of companion animal-based modules).

• I have continued to deliver training to equine vets internationally on the incorporation of learning theory into their everyday work. This has mainly been conducted by remote lectures over the past 12mths for obvious reasons and includes lectures on practical equine behaviour modification for local veterinary groups as well as a talk on the importance of early life experiences of horses for the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) and gave a webinar on the findings of my PhD thesis for the association of pet behaviour counsellors (APBC). By the time of the AGM, I will have also delivered a webinar on the use of psychopharmaceuticals in equine behaviour modification. o With UK veterinary students I have been able to deliver online lectures for the Student Equine Veterinary Association conference as well as several UK based vet schools. At the University of Edinburgh, I have now taken over several preclinical lectures on horse behaviour and handling, ensuring learning theory is streamed smoothly and continuously throughout their degree. o I worked with a major pharmaceutical company to help deliver knowledge on learning theory, particularly how to train a horse to stand calmly for their equine inhaler. There were over 3000 vets signed up for this around the world. o Through the new The Horse Trust project ‘Talk Equine’ I have contributed two case-based webinars to budding clinical animal behaviourists and veterinarians.

• I have given a few webinars with World Horse welfare on how horses learn and appropriate restraint, watched by many people across the globe. Additionally, I ran a series of 5 talks for the British Horse Society where we were able to cover riding and training in more depth.

• Through ISES I have now established a programme whereby we disseminate lay summaries of published papers to our members periodically. Hopefully this is disseminating useful knowledge in an easily accessible format.

• I have joined the science and ethics committee at The Horse Trust, the first person with a behaviour focus to be involved in reviewing grants for one of the main UK based funders.

• As well as publishing papers I have spent some time writing or contributing to several book chapters.

• Distribution of taper gauges throughout the UK, it is great to see they are still in demand.

• Another exciting note was being awarded the Richard Hartley Clinical Award 2021 for my paper “Difficult horses - prevalence, approaches to management of and understanding of how they develop by equine veterinarians”. This is given to the senior author of the best paper published in Equine Veterinary Journal or Equine Veterinary Education with

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direct clinical application. I was also asked to record a podcast discussing this paper for BEVA and subsequently have been in communication with a vet in New Mexico discussing how they can undertake behaviour modification alongside any required analgesia/treatment for cases that are difficult for the farrier.

Short-term plans

• I am part of a working party through BEVA that is looking at how we can incorporate LT into all vet schools and determine how we can deliver practical tuition on handling of equines to increase the standards and confidence of vet students to work with horses. This, like many projects has been delayed due to Covid 19.

• Develop a stand-alone course for people to take to become an accredited clinical animal behaviourist (Equine), as currently all the accredited courses are heavily small animal based.

Medium/long-term plans

• My position with The Horse Trust will allow me to continue working with the UK vet schools and BEVA to embed learning theory into the normal working protocols of all our veterinarians. It will also allow me to work internationally to increase awareness of Equitation Science amongst the veterinary world.

• I am aware that Equitation Science based research has not always received the best funding opportunities and a consequence of which is the quality of research may fall short of what may be found in other fields. In order to become more of a global influence, I want to investigate how we can increase funding opportunities, but also how we can promote work to the highest scientific standards, potentially through assisting students, setting standardised protocols for use of equipment or development of multicentre studies.

• Embed the principles of training into everyday coaching and assessment bodies in the UK.

ISES Practitioner Representative | Denise Rofe

Summary of year

• This has been a year with steady improvement in awareness of horse welfare in training, competition, and husbandry. Equestrian Australia has voted to implement the recent FEI rule banning the trimming of horse sensory hairs across all EA National Disciplines in the interests of horse welfare. The public awareness of biosecurity and traceability due to Covid has resulted in increased interest and approval of a traceability register for horses in Australia, with the Thoroughbred Racing industry becoming more involved in post-racing horse welfare. My coaching activities continue to emphasize the understanding of horse behaviour and biomechanics, and that evidence-based training is for all riders and horses, and especially for the young.

• In 2021, Pony Club Australia progressed the implementation of the new syllabus which incorporates Equitation Science for young riders. While some of the more established clubs have found the syllabus change challenging, some of the newer groups, including adult members, have shown encouraging enthusiasm.

• Throughout the year I have attended all ISES teleconference meetings and assisted with membership approvals.

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Short-term plans

• Resumption of normal coaching activities with updates and seminars for groups.

• ISES virtual conference in October 2021

Long-term plans

● Promotion of the ISES Principles of Training in the equestrian community, particularly raising awareness at club and amateur competition level.

ISES Communications Officer | Klára Ničová Summary

of year

• Due to the COVID situation, I would say that I received fewer questions or emails compared to the previous year. The communication within the ISES council works very well.

• Updating the website based on information obtained from individual council members or through ISES meetings works great. In addition to detailed adjustments of the website, I work in collaboration with David (website designer), who is always helpful. We tried to achieve a quick and suitable solution to any problems on the website. I have to say that the cooperation is perfect.

• During the semester, I always try to incorporate ISES principles, statements and recommendations in my teaching lessons and practical exercises at the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague where I´m completing my PhD.

• At the beginning of this year, we published a Czech publication summarizing current scientific knowledge about the behaviour of horses and biological principles of learning in a form accessible to both professionals and also to a general equestrian society. As you all know, this knowledge is crucial for training and working with horses, therefore we also addressed ISES as an important leading organisation in the field of equitation science. BARTOŠOVÁ, Jitka, NIČOVÁ, Klára . Využití teorie učení a biologických poznatků ve výcviku a využití koní. Praha: Výzkumný ústav živočišné výroby, v.v.i. a Česká technologická platforma pro zemědělství, 2020, 67 s. ISBN 978-80-7403-246-2

• During the summer, I organised a horse riding camp where the training method is based on the knowledge of the ISES training principles.

• I have been working with doc. Bartošová on translating the ISES first principles to a Czech version which is now available online.

• In March 2021 travelled to Sweden for my internship at the Department of Biosystems and Technology. I assisted with two equitation science-related projects on horses.

• Rørvang, M. V., Nielsen, B. L., McLean, A. N., 2020. Sensory Abilities of Horses and Their Importance for Equitation Science. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 7:633.

• Rørvang, M. V., Nielsen, T. B., Christensen, J. W., 2020. Horses failed to learn from humans by observation. Animals, 10(2), 221, doi: 10.3390/ani10020221.

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Short and long-term plans

• With a media team we decided to expand ISES social media to Instagram, which is a platform visited by many young people so “we want to be known also in this world”. The Instagram account is now open/available at: https://www.instagram.com/ises_equitation_science/

• In the future, I would like to discuss with council members some minor changes to the design of the website for a more user friendly and contemporary environment and style.

ISES Media Officer | Kate Fenner

Summary of year

• I completed my PhD (E-BARQ) in February 2021.

PhD, Sydney School of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney (2017 to 2021) Thesis entitled: The Equine Behavior Assessment and Research Questionnaire (EBARQ): How the domestic equine triad can advance ethical equitation . Supervisors: Professors Paul McGreevy and James Serpell, and Dr Andrew McLean. Degree awarded 20th Jan 2021;

https://ses.library.usyd.edu.au/bitstream/handle/2123/24338/fenner_kh_thesis.pdf?se quence=1

• I was offered a casual position to teach equine behaviour, training, and welfare with the University of Queensland during the first semester of 2021 and enjoyed introducing Equitation Science to the Equine Science students.

• I recently accepted an ongoing position at the University of Queensland as lecturer in equine science and I am looking forward to starting there next month, October 2021.

• In 2020, I enjoyed working with Jane Williams and Hayley Randle on the ISES Strategic Plan.

• Considerable effort has been made to reorganise the ISES Media Team in 2021 and it is wonderful to have the new structure working so well.

• Publications since our last report:

Anzulewicz A, Fenner K , Hyde M, Heald S, Burattini B, Romness N, McKenzie J, Wilson B, McGreevy P (2021). The Impact of the Sex of Handlers and Riders on the Reported Social Confidence, Compliance and Touch Sensitivity of Horses in Their Care. Animals, 11, 130. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11010130

McKenzie J, Fenner K , Hyde M, Anzulewicz A, Burattini B, Romness N, Wilson B, McGreevy P (2021). Equine Responses to Acceleration and Deceleration Cues May Reflect Their Exposure to Multiple Riders. Animals, 11, 66; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11010066

Weller D, Franklin S, White P, Shea G, Fenner K , Wilson B, Wilkins C, & McGreevy P. (2021). The Reported Use of Tongue-Ties and Nosebands in Thoroughbred and Standardbred Horse Racing-A Pilot Study. Animals (Basel), 11(3), 622–. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11030622

Fenner K , Matlock S, Williams J, Wilson B, McLean A, Serpell J and McGreevy P

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(2020). Validation of the Equine Behaviour Assessment and Research Questionnaire (E ‐ BARQ): A New Survey Instrument for Exploring and Monitoring the Domestic Equine Triad. Animals 10 (1982), doi:10.3390/ani10111982

Fenner K , Dashper K, Serpell J, McLean A, Wilkins C, Klinck M, Wilson B and McGreevy P (2020). The Development of a Novel Questionnaire Approach to the Investigation of Horse Training, Management, and Behaviour. Animals 10, 1960, http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ani10111960

Fenner K , Dashper K, Wilkins C, Serpell J, McLean A, Wilson B and McGreevy P (2020). Building bridges between theory and practice: How citizen science can bring equine researchers and practitioners together. Animals 10 (1644). doi.org/10.3390/ani10091644

Fenner K , Hyde M, Crean A and McGreevy P (2020). Identifying sources of potential bias when using online survey data to explore horse training, management, and behaviour: A systematic literature review. Veterinary Sciences 7(3), 140; doi.org/10.3390/vetsci7030140

Burattini B, Fenner K , Anzulewicz A, Romness N, McKenzie J, Wilson B, McGreevy P (2020). Age ‐ Related Changes in the Behaviour of Domestic Horses as Reported by Owners. Animals, 10, 2321; http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ani10122321

Romness N, Fenner K , McKenzie J, Anzulewicz A, Burattini B, Wilson B, McGreevy P (2020). Associations between Owners’ Reports of Unwanted Ridden Behaviour and In ‐ Hand Behaviour in Horses. Animals, 10, http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ani10122431

Short-term plans

• Relocating to the Brisbane area to take up my new position at the University of Queensland

Medium/long-term plans

• Continue to help students, riders, and horse owners to apply evidence-based training methods in their everyday horse handling and riding

ISES Social Media Officer | Maria Vilain Rørvang Summary

of year

• I was on maternity leave for the majority of 2020 (May 2020-March 2021), and hence the outcome of “my year” might seem slightly slim.

• The biggest role in 2020 onwards has been to keep up with messages and requests on our FaceBook page and the FaceBook membership forum. FaceBook is constantly changing the regulations and privacy settings, and hence the settings on both the page and the forum needed revision, which was done in the beginning of 2021. This has resulted in more visibility of our society and more members joining our social media channel.

• In the spring of 2021, our Twitter account was relaunched. This social media channel has been very well visited since then, and the communications teams and the conference organising team has been a great assistance in providing content. Since

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the relaunch, the channel has got more than 300 new followers, which is pretty impressive in less than half a year.

• Dr Elke Hartman and I have once again partnered in designing and hosting a PhD course in Equitation Science (the first course was in 2019). This year the course is online, we have 21 students signed up from all over the world, and not all have a background with equines.

• In March 2021 we welcomed Klára Nicova (our communications officer) at my department in Sweden. Klára stayed with our research group for half a year and assisted with our two equitation science related projects on icelandic horses. Both projects will be presented at the online conference in October.

• 2020/2021 publications in relation to equitation science:

• Rørvang, M. V., Nielsen, B. L., McLean, A. N., 2020. Sensory Abilities of Horses and Their Importance for Equitation Science. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 7:633.

• Rørvang, M. V., Nielsen, T. B., Christensen, J. W., 2020. Horses failed to learn from humans by observation. Animals, 10(2), 221, doi: 10.3390/ani10020221.

Short-term plans

• Looking very much forward to the online conference, and to presenting a new topic which I hope will be well received.

• Looking forward to covering the conference on Twitter this year - the ISAE online conference was very well covered on Twitter, and I expect nothing less from this conference - I encourage everyone to send content my way!

• Get a steady line of tweets going on the Twitter account - perhaps having a meeting with the media team to discuss having a “paper by members” series of tweets which could also go on the website.

Long-term plans

• Continue to develop the Twitter channel as I believe that we could reach much further and get much more online “attention”.

• Try to stay updated on the FaceBook regulations, and hopefully create ways to make it easier for members to access the membership forum.

ISES Newsletter Editor | Antonia (Toni) J.Z. Henderson

Summary of year

• The past year has been my first year on Council and together with Dr. Susi Cienciela we have put out three ISES Newsletters. We had a tough act to follow on the heels of the extremely professional, slick, and very informative newsletters of Christina Wilkins. With Council approval, we agreed to take a slightly different approach, making the Newsletter available to the general public (our ISES social media subscription list is over 4,000 members), rather than a members only publication, as was the protocol in the past. Both Susi and I felt that in keeping with the goals and mission statement of ISES (“to promote and encourage the application of objective research and consequently advance equestrian practice that will ultimately improve the welfare of horses in their interaction with humans”) we wanted ISES to reach as many horse people as possible and saw the Newsletter as one way of achieving this goal. Each

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Newsletter focuses on a particular theme (“A Synopsis of the ISES 2020 Virtual Conference”, “Horses Talking to Humans”, and “Equine Welfare”) with the goal of distilling the latest science to make it accessible beyond ISES members to the broader, not scientifically educated, horse community. With the help of graphic designer Lindsay Lorraine, who we hired to assist in the Newsletter outlay, I have been learning the Canva program and will soon be flying solo to hopefully create a Newsletter that is increasingly engaging and interactive. As well as the Newsletter I also publish frequently about Equitation Science issues in Horse Sport a Canadian online horse magazine geared for a lay audience.

• Publications 2020 to 2021:

Henderson, A.J. Z. (2021). Hey I remember you: The extraordinary equine memory https://horsesport.com/magazine/behaviour/hey-remember-you- extraordinaryequine memory/

Henderson, A.J. Z. (2021). Rising to the occasion: Why is my gelding always dropping? Horse Sport. - - - https://horsesport.com/magazine/behaviour/risingoccasion why gelding dropping/

Henderson, A.J. Z. (2021). A necessary evil: Is mane pulling an equine welfare issue? Horse Sport. https://horsesport.com/magazine/behaviour/necessary-evilmanepulling-equine-welfare-issue/

Henderson, A.J. Z. (2021). Do horses really need humans to be alpha leaders? Horse Sport https://horsesport.com/magazine/behaviour/youre-not-boss-truthaboutalpha-leaders/

Henderson, A.J. Z. (2021). Horses have been talking to us but have we been listening? Horse Sport . https://horsesport.com/magazine/behaviour/horses-havebeentalking-but-are-we-listening/

Henderson, A.J. Z. (2020). Twitch or treats: When and how to use humane physical restraints. Horse Sport https://horsesport.com/magazine/behaviour/twitchtreatswhen-how-use-humane-physical-restraints/ Henderson, A.J. Z. (2020). Social distancing for sport horses: A taste of how it feels. Horse Sport https://horsesport.com/magazine/behaviour/social-distancingsporthorses-how-feels/

Henderson, A.J. Z. (2020). The long awaited reunion: Will my horse remember me. Horse Sport https://horsesport.com/magazine/behaviour/long-awaitedreunionwill-horse-remember-me/

Henderson, A.J. Z. (2020). Stronger, faster, higher: Whips, spurs, and ethical equitation. Horse Sport. https://horsesport.com/magazine/equinewelfare/stronger-faster-higherwhips-spurs-ethical-equitation/

Short-term plan

● To continue to work with Susi Cienciela to produce the ISES Newsletter, with the goal of reaching a wider and wider lay audience so that our sport horses can live better and more ethologically authentic lives.

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Medium/long-term plans

● I would like to see ISES become a common household word in the greater horse community. Although the organization has grown tremendously since its inception, I still believe we have some ground to cover for ISES and its basic principles to become part of common equestrian knowledge and ubiquitous in the way we manage and train sport horses. I am hopeful that writing and publishing this Newsletter can offer one small piece to attaining that vision.

ISES Ordinary Council Member/Coaches Representative | Angelo Telatin

Summary of year

• The biggest accomplishment of 2020/2021 was implementing for the Italian equestrian federation two modules of equitation science and learning theory applied to horse training. These two modules will be part of a series of topics that every instructor needs to know in order to advance in the national instructor certificate scheme. The goal is to educate the new generation of trainers in equitation science and improve the horse welfare in the industry. Its implementation started in summer 2021.

• I was able to have the Italian Equestrian Federation adopt the 10 principles as part of the summary of topics that an instructor needs to know to advance in levels of certification.

• My unique position of being an industry certified trainer by the British Horse Society and also an academic has allowed me to teach Equitation Science clinics in various settings from private sector to university. Clinics were held in: Sweden, Dubai, USA, and Italy. With Covid 19 restrictions lifted the calendar of events is starting to fill up again.

• Worked with CRK Training to create Equitation Science content for their 70,000 online users. We just launched a new online platform called Horse Class.

Short-term plans

• Create a group of teachers proficient in equitation science that will deliver the content approved by the Italian Equestrian Federation.

Medium/long-term plans

• Develop a broader online base to bring Equitation Science to the equestrian community.

• Continue my quest in making Equitation Science content more user friendly for trainers and horse owners.

• Help the horse community to understand the structure of behavior modification that uses Differential Reinforcement of Incompatible Behaviors.

ISES Ordinary Council Member/Assistant Secretary | Carissa Wickens

Summary of year

Page 18

A summary of my 2020-2021 responsibilities and activities follows.

• Attended the 2020 ISES Virtual Summer Meeting. Assisted with meeting preparations which included working with my graduate student, Aly Morrison, and the local organizing committee to develop advertisements/flyers for distribution across a variety of platforms, finalizing the program agenda, recording a welcome address, and serving as session chair for Day 2 of the meeting with presentations focused on Horse-Human Interactions.

• Worked with Honorary Secretary Katrina Merkies to help coordinate the collection of 2021 Officer Reports.

• Assisted Membership Secretary Robin Foster (in collaboration with Janne WintherChristensen and Denise Rofe) with review and approval of membership applications.

• ● Served as a member of the ISES Scientific Committee to assist with the abstract review process for the 2021 ISES Virtual Conference.

• Delivered multiple presentations on equine behavior and welfare incorporating learning theory and equitation science (e.g.,Stereotypic Behavior and Recognizing and Addressing Behavioral Problems in Horses for the 2020 University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine Virtual Healthy Horses Conference and the 2021 North American Mounted Unit Commanders Association Virtual Conference, respectively; Florida 4-H Virtual Horse Club Meeting, Behavior Night; Auburn University, Undergraduate Horse Production and Management course, delivered guest lectures on equine behavior and welfare).

• Publications in 2020-2021:

A.C.C.M Vasco, J.C.B. Dubeux, A.M. Arias-Esquivel, L.K. Warren, and C.L. Wickens. 2021. Feeding behavior and preference of horses fed rhizoma peanut hay. J. Vet. Behav. In-Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jveb.2021.09.011

E.M. Rankins, C.L. Wickens , K.H. McKeever, and K. Malinowski. 2021. A survey of horse selection, longevity, and retirement in equine-assisted services in the United States. Animals 11(8): 2333. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11082333

C. Wickens and T. Fabus. 2021. Chapter 2: Selection and Use, HIH 260, Assessing Equine Welfare. Horse Industry Handbook Update. American Youth Horse Council Publications. Available for purchase at:

https://www.ayhc.com/product-page/hih-2021-update

Short-term plans

• I will continue to assist Katrina Merkies and other members of Council in their roles.

• Complete requested edits and work on compiling supplemental visual elements for inclusion in the Equine Behavior Chapter for the American Association of Equine Veterinary Technicians Manual, 2nd Edition. Writing and Co-editing this chapter with Gemma Pearson and Jamie Guiberson. Chapter includes information on safe handling, stereotypic behaviors, application of learning theory in veterinary medicine, and assessing pain in horses.

Medium/Long-term plans

• I hope to continue in the position of Ordinary Council Member/Assistant Secretary.

• Continue to incorporate Equitation Science and Learning Theory into extension and outreach programming.

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• Continue conducting horse behavior and welfare research with emphasis on horsehuman interactions and relationships between management and horse behavior and welfare.

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International Society for Equitation Science	International Society for Equitation Science	International Society for Equitation Science	1176401	CC16a
Receipts andpayments accounts
For the period from	01/05/2020	To	30/04/2021

Section A Receipts and payments	Section A Receipts and payments
A1 Receipts	Unrestricted funds to the nearest £	Restricted funds to the nearest £	Endowment funds to the nearest £	Total funds to the nearest £	Last year to the nearest £
Donations	967	-	-	967	2,553
Membershipfees	6,003	-	-	6,003	10,046
Tapergauges	2,008	-	-	2,008	-
		-	-	-	-
		-	-	-	-
		-	-	-	-
		-	-	-	-
		-	-	-	-
Sub total(Gross income for AR)	8,978	-	-	8,978	12,599
A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table).
	-	-	-	-
	-	-	-	-	-
Sub total	-	-	-	-	-
Total receipts A3 Payments
	8,978	-	-	8,978	12,599
Direct costs	-	-	-	-	8,714
Grants	-	-	-	-	500
Refunds	95	-	-	95	126
Bank fees	575	-	-	575	560
Postage fees	20		-	20	115
Website costs	408	-	-	408	2,417
Accountingfees	1,200	-	-	1,200	-
Advertising	750	-	-	750	-
Foreign exchange differences	574			574
Sundry	34			34
**Sub total **	3,656	-	-	3,656	12,432
A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table)
	-	-	-	-
	-	-	-	-
**Sub total **	-	-	-	-	-
Total payments Net of receipts/(payments) A5 Transfers between funds A6 Cash funds last year end Cash funds this year end
	3,656	-	-	3,656	12,432
	5,322	-	-	5,322	167
	-	-	-	-	-
	-	-	-	-	-
	5,322	-	-	5,322	167

Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at	Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at	the end of the period	the end of the period
Categories Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees B5 Liabilities B3 Investment assets B2 Other monetary assets B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use B1 Cash funds	Details	Unrestricted funds to nearest £	Restricted funds to nearest £	Endowment funds to nearest £
	All funds	24,587	-	-
		-	-	-
		-	-	-
	Total cash funds	24,587	-	-
	Details	Unrestricted funds to nearest £	Restricted funds to nearest £	Endowment funds to nearest £
		-	-	-
		-	-	-
		-	-	-
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	Details	Fund to which asset belongs	Cost (optional)	Current value (optional)
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	Details	Fund to which asset belongs	Cost (optional)	Current value (optional)
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	Details	Fund to which liability relates	Amount due (optional)	When due (optional)
			-
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	Signature	Print Name
				Date of approval
	Orla Doherty	Dr Orla Doherty		22/02/2022

International Society for Equitation Science

Hartpury College, Gloucester, GL19 3BE

22/02/2022

Date: …………………………

Your ref: IHS/I0438

Berg Kaprow Lewis LLP 35 Ballards Lane London N3 1XW

Dear Sirs

International Society for Equitation Science

We confirm to the best of our knowledge and belief and having made appropriate enquiries of other trustees and officials of the Charity, the following representations in connection with your preparation of the Charity's Receipts and Payments Accounts for the year ended 30 April 2021.

1. We acknowledge that the work performed by you is substantially less in scope than an audit performed in accordance with Auditing Standards and that you do not express an audit opinion.

2. We confirm that the Charity was entitled to exemption from the requirement to have its financial statements for the financial year audited and is also exempt from the requirement to have an Independent Examination.

3. We acknowledge as trustees our responsibility for the financial statements which have been prepared as Receipts and Payments Accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 and which otherwise comply with the requirements of that Act relating to financial statements, so far as applicable to the Charity. All the accounting records have been made available to you and all transactions undertaken by the Charity have been properly reflected in those accounting records. All records and related information, including the minutes of the trustees’ and members’ meetings have been made available to you.

4. We confirm that we have maintained proper accounting records, as required by the Charities Act 2011.

5. We confirm, to the best of our knowledge and belief, that there have been no instances of noncompliance or breaches of any laws or regulations which are essential to the activities of the Charity’s activities.

Registered charity no. 1176401

1. We confirm that we are not aware of any pending litigation which may result in a significant loss to the Charity.

2. We confirm that there were no contingent liabilities at the balance sheet date.

3. We believe that the Charity's financial statements should be prepared on a going concern basis on the grounds that current and future sources of funding and support will be more than adequate for the Charity's needs. We have considered a period of twelve months from the date of approval of the financial statements. We believe that no further disclosures relating to the Charity's ability to continue as a going concern need to be made in the financial statements.

4. We confirm that there were no transactions with related parties of the Charity or amounts due to or from related parties at the balance sheet date which are required to be disclosed in the financial statements other than those which are detailed in the notes to the financial statements.

5. We confirm that there have been no events since the balance sheet date which necessitate revision of the figures included in the financial statements or disclosure in the notes to the financial statements. Should further material events occur, which may necessitate revision of the figures included in the financial statements or inclusion of a note thereto, we will advise you accordingly.

6. All grants, donations and other monies, the receipt of which is subject to specific terms or conditions, have been properly recorded in the financial statements as restricted funds.

7. There are no restrictions that apply to any of the assets held by the charity which would limit the distribution of grants to more specific purposes than the trust deed of the charity specifies.

Yours faithfully

Orla Doherty

Signed on behalf of the Board of Trustees International Society for Equitation Science

PAGE 2 OF 2

2021 Accounts Pack - International Society for Equitation Science

Final Audit Report

2022-02-22

Created: 2022-02-21 By: Lee Freund ([e-mail]) Status: Signed Transaction ID: CBJCHBCAABAAP1L6smkz6vu5GKLND6mXvh-1XRYEGF6O

"2021 Accounts Pack - International Society for Equitation Scien ce" History

Document created by Lee Freund ([e-mail])

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Document emailed to Orla Doherty ([e-mail]) for signature

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Email viewed by Orla Doherty ([e-mail])

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Document e-signed by Orla Doherty ([e-mail])

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