Kristen Closson possesses a unique trifecta of expertise.  As a rider that knows how it should feel, a coach who knows how to create it, and a judge who knows how to assess it. 

She has successfully competed through the FEI levels, and then diversified her attention to also include the coaching and the judging aspects of the sport.  She assists riders of all levels from young riders to International Grand Prix riders with her keen eye.

Kristen is remains active in education and sports administration, and holds two committee seats at Equestrian NSW, as well as being a coach educator and a judge educator.

In this episode we discuss promoting harmony in dressage through learning how to ask questions and interpret answers, and the role our self awareness plays in this ability.

You can learn more about Kristen's work on her website https://www.clossondressage.com/

Karen and Meta share an interest in Systems Thinking and its potential applications to horse welfare in sport. So when Dr Megan Ross and her co-authors published a paper on wicked problems and systemic issues in Canadian dressage she had to be a podcast guest!

Dr Megan Ross has a background in dressage and eventing. She has an applied science degree from the University of British Columbia with a focus on Animal Welfare and has applied this background (and Pilates certification) as a trainer and riding instructor to support the horse-rider dyad. 

She recently completed a PhD at the Atlantic Veterinary College and the University of Prince Edward Islandunder the supervision of Dr. Caroline Ritter and Dr. Kathryn Proudfoot. Her research focused on the human dimension of horse well-being/welfare, exploring owners’ perspectives of horse welfare in their daily life like management andtraining. 

She is now conducting postdoctoral research with Dr. Katrina Merkies at the University of Guelph assessing the influence of interventions on rider and horse behaviour during lessons.

Link to the paper discussed in the episode

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/388845023_A_wicked_problem_Systemic_issues_surrounding_Canadian_equestrian_dressage_and_dressage_horse_welfare

The map of the issues mentioned by Megan in the episode is available atthis link:

https://static.cambridge.org/content/id/urn%3Acambridge.org%3Aid%3Aarticle%3AS0962728625000028/resource/name/S0962728625000028sup001.pdf

Dr. Miriam Baumgartner is a veterinarian and equine scientist with over 15 years of experience researching horse-friendly husbandry. Her work focuses on how equine behavior and health reflect their living conditions, aiming to improve welfare and sustainability in horse management.

Miriam earned her doctorate in 2012 from the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU) in the field of ethology, animal husbandry, and animal welfare, specializing in the lying behavior of horses in open housing systems. From 2013to 2017, she contributed as a researcher at the Technical University of Munich-Weihenstephan, working on the Weihenstephaner evaluation system, for which she was awarded the Boehringer-Ingelheim Animal Welfare Medal in 2015. In addition to her academic endeavors, she gained practical experience as an equine veterinarian from 2010 to 2015.

Between 2018 and 2021, Miriam led the development of the BestTUPferd project, a collaborative research initiative based on her previous studies, aimed at developing an assessment system for evaluating animal welfare and environmental impacts in horse husbandry.

Since 2022, she has been a senior scientist in the Equine Team at Agroscope, working at the Swiss National Stud Farm, where she continues her dedication to advancing sustainable and welfare-friendly horse management practices. 

In 2025, she completed her habilitation on the topic: "Animal welfare in horse husbandry – how to measure, assess, and improve? Development of indicators for evaluating the welfare compliance of horse husbandry systems with regard to validity, reliability, and practicality as a basis for a digital advisory tool."

Miriam's research output is available at this link: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Miriam-Baumgartner

If you would like a complete list of her publications, email us at [email protected]

In this episode we chat with Prof Paddy Wall about his recently published report into the scandal involving a horse abattoir in Ireland in 2024.

Prof Wall is a vet and medical doctor and has awide-ranging resumé with contributions spanning public health, food safety, governance and education. He was the first Chief Executive of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland and has held senior positions on international food safety bodies including the European Food Safety Authority. He is Professor of Public Health at University College Dublin. He has further qualifications in infectious diseases, business administration and corporate governance.

A keen horseman, Paddy has shown and judged young horses, produced riding horses for the Ridden Hunter classes, participated in hunter trials and one-day-event competitions, and ridden in Point-to-Points. 

He was co-author of the 2010 UCD report on Horse Welfare in Ireland commissioned by World Horse Welfare and was chairman of Horse Sport Ireland from 2013-2016.

In 2024 the Irish national broadcaster, RTÉ, screened an investigative documentary which alleged potentiallysignificant animal welfare breaches and fraud at Ireland’s only equine abattoir which was under the supervision of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM). In the wake of this documentary Paddy was asked by DAFM to carry out a review of the issues highlighted in the documentary, particularly around equine identification and traceability. The report was published in March 2025 and is available at this link.

The report was accompanied by an ActionPlan from DAFM setting out proposals to implement the recommendations of the Wall report.

Equine vets are at the heart ofequine welfare - working with owners to provide optimal health care and management whilst always striving to put the needs of the horse first.

Our guest in this episode is equine vet Imogen Burrows, who graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in 2000. She is an equine first opinion vet in ambulatory practice and isthe current President-Elect of the British Equine Veterinary Association(BEVA). She is a Member of the  BEVA Education Committee and chairs theirEthics and Welfare Committee. She also represents BEVA on the BritishVeterinary Association Animals in Performance Sport Working Group.

Imogen’s professional interestsinclude animal welfare and ethics; education; clinical governance; internalmedicine; anaesthesia; ophthalmology and stud medicine.

We felt that Imogen was ideallyplaced to chat about how equine vets navigate the complex landscape of equinewelfare, and we weren't disappointed - she packed so much wit, wisdom andpractical insights into our chat that the time just flew!

Outside of work Imogen enjoys the outdoors:walking/mountaineering; skiing; scuba diving and more. And if you live in EastSussex or Kent you may come across her expressing her love of music by playingin brass bands!

Our guest Dr Gemma Pearson has so much to say that we decided to offer her episode in two versions - this one is the condensed version, in which Gemma discusses the highlights of her journey in equine behavioural medicine.

In her current roles, Gemma combines her time between research and outreach as Director of Equine Behaviour at The Horse Trust and running a referral clinic for clinical equine behaviour cases where she is based at the University of Edinburgh.

After working in ambulatory practice Gemma undertook a rotating residency programme in the equine hospital alongside an MScR investigating horse veterinarian interactions.

Subsequently she completed her CCAB (certified clinical animal behaviourist) exam and her PhD thesis ‘Stress in equids undergoing veterinary care and the development of interventions that positively influence the horses’ experience’.  As well as continuing with her own research she supervises several students at PhD, MSc and undergraduate level. Subsequently she has been recognised as the first species specific RCVS specialist in Veterinary Behavioural Medicine (Equine).

Gemma is frequently invited to lecture internationally, as a recognised expert in this field and an excellent communicator. One of the most successful projects was filming a series of short YouTube videos with the British Equine Veterinary Association aiming to reduce injury rates when dealing with difficult horses under the ‘Don’t break your vet’ campaign.

In her spare time she has competed up to advanced level endurance on a homebred horse as well as enjoying competing in affiliated dressage and eventing. Currently she is retraining a Thoroughbred recently retired from racing.

Gemma's research output is available at this link:

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Gemma-Pearson-2/research

Our guest Dr Gemma Pearson has so much to say that we decided to offer her episode in two versions - this one is the extended version, in which Gemma discusses with us her journey to equine behavioural medicine and her current roles, combining her time between research and outreach as Director of Equine Behaviour at The Horse Trust and running a referral clinic for clinical equine behaviour cases where she is based at the University of Edinburgh.

After working in ambulatory practice Gemma undertook a rotating residency programme in the equine hospital alongside an MScR investigating horse veterinarian interactions.

Subsequently she completed her CCAB (certified clinical animal behaviourist) exam and her PhD thesis ‘Stress in equids undergoing veterinary care and the development of interventions that positively influence the horses’ experience’.  As well as continuing with her own research she supervises several students at PhD, MSc and undergraduate level. Subsequently she has been recognised as the first species specific RCVS specialist in Veterinary Behavioural Medicine (Equine).

Gemma is frequently invited to lecture internationally, as a recognised expert in this field and an excellent communicator. One of the most successful projects was filming a series of short YouTube videos with the British Equine Veterinary Association aiming to reduce injury rates when dealing with difficult horses under the ‘Don’t break your vet’ campaign.

In her spare time she has competed up to advanced level endurance on a homebred horse as well as enjoying competing in affiliated dressage and eventing. Currently she is retraining a Thoroughbred recently retired from racing.

Gemma's research output is available at this link:

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Gemma-Pearson-2/research

This week, Karen and Meta discuss two recent events, and what they found interesting and potentially helpful in building a better future for equestrian sport.

We discuss World Horse Welfare's recent virtual conference titled:

"Accountability for welfare in equestrianism: Looking beyond the obvious"

https://www.worldhorsewelfare.org/accountability-for-welfare-in-equestrianism-looking-beyond-the-obvious

And also the latest offering from the Teagasc series, Let's Talk Equine, featuring our own Meta Osborne.

https://www.teagasc.ie/rural-economy/rural-development/equine/lets-talk-equine-webinar-series/

We hope you enjoy this bonus, and as always, reach out and share your thoughts and opinions and ideas for the future.

Our email is: [email protected]

Will you be our next Changing Rein guest star?

Read on to learn how!

This week we are replaying an episode that many of our listeners ranked as their favourite - our chat with the endangered species specialist - Dr Jake Veasey.

We are replaying part 2 of our chat where he talks about using his approach to understanding animal welfare to design habitat for tigers that is enriching and helps them thrive, even while living in captivity.

The Changing Rein Challenge is back!!!

So what's the challenge?

Jake's ideas really inspired us, and we hope you were inspired too. We are asking you to listen to Jake's episode, and see if it inspires you to think of some change we could implement to make our horse's lives better. Or maybe you already do something clever that you can share with us. The goal is to share ideas around so we can make life better for our horses and better for us too.

Please take up the challenge - we really can't wait to hear from you - and send us an audio clip so we can play your idea on an episode of Changing Rein.

To record your clip, go to our Changing Rein Facebook page and send us an audio message.

We hope you enjoy re-listening to the incredible Jake Veasey as much as we did, and we can't wait to hear your tips about how you make life better for your horse.

Gabriel Lencioni is a young, equine vet with an interest in horse welfare and behaviour.

Recently qualified, Gabriel is already embarking on research that just might change the way we think about horse welfare in equestrian sport - he is creating an AI model to assess horse welfare during competition.

Not your regular AI tech-bro, Gabriel shares with us his journey into animal behavior and welfare, and why he is determined to leverage the latest technology to improve the lives of horses, vets and owners.

As our first guest from South America, we also explore cultural perspectives on animal welfare, and as always, we talk about how optimistic we are the future of horse sports.

Reading and Resources

Find all of Gabriel's research here

The Cambridge Declaration on Consciousness (2012)

An integrative and functional framework for the study of animal emotion and mood (Mendl et al, 2010)