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New horse-riding simulator to be unveiled
"Beginners can learn how to sit on the saddle during the basic gaits before starting to ride a real horse, whoch reduces injury risk and improves the horse welfare" - Professor Heikke Handroos.
The high-performance simulator will be revealed at the Saddle Research Trust Conference. 

A new horse-riding simulator will be revealed at the Saddle Research Trust's 4th International Conference. The state-of-the-art simulator will improve horse welfare, with beginners able to learn basic gaits before starting to ride.

The simulator, creating using the latest approaches in engineering sciences, has a freely programmable motion capability, and has been designed to provide the necessary motion capabilities for the simulator in all gaits, with jumping included. The technology makes it possible to replicate the motion of real individual horses. 

At the conference, Professor Heikki Handroos PhD will give a comprehensive session on the most important outcomes of the Horzim Project, to demonstrate how the engineering science has been utilised to develop the new horse-riding simulator. 

Professor Handroos, from the Department of Mechnical Engineering at the Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology, said: “This realistic horseback riding simulator can benefit riders with different skills in many ways.

“Beginners can learn how to sit on the saddle during the basic gaits before starting to ride a real horse, which reduces injury risk and improves the horse welfare. 

“The simulator can also carry heavier riders to help them to access the hobby with reduced welfare risks. For more advanced riders the technology will enable them to practice and enhance their skills as often as they wish.”

Not only does the simulator have the potential to improve the welfare of ridden horses, but it also has potential as a hippotherapy tool. 

Professor Handroos explains: “It has the potential to enable the ideal gait pattern to be programmed for each patient.

“We should also be able to use sensors to monitor the rider, while the simulator is performing different gait patterns. 

“The same sensor technology could also be used in riding schools to monitor the learning curves of riding students. 

“Our next project is going to be on sensing the rider’s bio-signals when riding the simulator and intelligent processing of sensor data to assess the progress of riding school students or hippotherapy patients.”

Taking place on Saturday 11 December, the Saddle Research Trust Conference will focus on the 'Welfare and Performance of the Ridden Horse: The Future'. Tickers are available here

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Practices urged to audit neutering data

News Story 1
 RCVS Knowledge has called on vet practices to audit their post-operative neutering outcomes.

It follows the release of the 2024 NASAN benchmarking report, which collates data from neutering procedures performed on dogs, cats and rabbits.

The benchmarking report enables practices in the UK and Ireland to compare their post-operative outcomes to the national average. This includes the rate of patients lost to follow-up, which in 2024 increased to 23 per cent.

Anyone from the practice can submit the data using a free template. The deadline for next report is February 2026.

Visit the RCVS Knowledge website to complete an audit. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
New guidance for antibiotic use in rabbits

New best practice guidance on the responsible use of antibiotics in rabbits has been published by the BSAVA in collaboration with the Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund (RWA&F).

The guidance is free and has been produced to help veterinary practitioners select the most appropriate antibiotic for rabbits. It covers active substance, dose and route of administration all of which are crucial factors when treating rabbits owing to the risk of enterotoxaemia.

For more information and to access the guide, visit the BSAVALibrary.