IRT Horse Welfare

IRT is the Official Horse Welfare Partner of ESNZ in a relationship that aims to put equine welfare at the forefront of its focus. All horses involved in sport and leisure activities should be able to live a good life. We have signed up to the One Voice Equine Aotearoa Charter which requires all those involved in sport and recreation involving horses adhere to their organisation’s Code of Conduct and to acknowledge and accept that at all times the welfare of the horse must be paramount.

One Voice Equine Aotearoa - Charter Contact IRT.COM NZPCA Horse Welfare video Equine Welfare Concern Reporting Form

Horse Welfare Policies

Code of Conduct for the Welfare of the Horse

Extreme Weather Policy

Transport Policy

Boosting Veterinary Support

International Horse Carrier IRT New Zealand is continuing to support Veterinary services at key New Zealand equestrian events again for the 2025/26 season, as its partnership with Equestrian Sports New Zealand continues to put equine welfare at the forefront of focus. Last competition season, over 1,800 riders benefitted from IRT’s support at Dressage FEI and national events, World Cup Jumping events, the Endurance nationals, and long-format three-day Eventing. Here’s more.

Horse Welfare Partners

The IRT-ESNZ partnership takes an holistic approach that incorporates the wider equestrian sector, it also builds on initiatives already undertaken by ESNZ within the competitive disciplines of eventing, jumping, dressage, endurance and para-equestrian. This includes supporting a number of key events on the equestrian calendar, demonstrating best practice and results for equine athletes, both horse and human. Here’s more.

Our NZHAT MoU

The New Zealand Horse Ambulance Trust was established in 2016 to fund and procure purpose-built equine ambulances for horse racing and equestrian events in New Zealand. In 2024, ESNZ and NZHAT signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the purpose to assist in promoting the highest equine welfare standards at ESNZ Events. Here’s more.

Five Domains Guidelines

The Five Domains model of animal welfare assessment has been used since 1994 and is based on an individual animal, or group of animals’ welfare at any point in time. The model was developed by Professor David Mellor and Dr Cam Reid in 1994, with further significant contributions by Ngaio Beausoleil. It is an evidence-based framework designed to assess welfare by evaluating four physical domains (Nutrition, Environment, Health, Behaviour) and their impact on the fifth, the Mental Domain.We explain them in detail and offer you examples by clicking on the button below:

Five Domains

Preparing for a Hot, Humid Summer

Horses may cope with hot OR humid weather but when both these combine, their wellbeing can be put at risk – and so can a human’s too. ESNZ has adopted the FEI’s approach by using the 𝗪𝗲𝘁 𝗕𝘂𝗹𝗯 𝗚𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗲 𝗧𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗲𝘅 (WBGT) to make recommendations as to when and what actions are needed in hot and humid weather. The WBGT reading combines air temperature and relative humidity and these can be measured by most weather apps found on smartphones.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗮 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻? It is the responsibility of the Organising Committee (OC) to be aware of pending weather conditions and in conjunction with the Technical Delegate (TD) and Ground Jury (GJ), consider the provision of facilities to mitigate the effects and/or alter the format of the competition to ensure safe competition. However, it is ultimately the responsibility of the rider to care for the welfare of the horse.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘄𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗶𝗳 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝘁 + 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗶𝗱𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸𝘆? By cross-checking the temperature with the humidity percentage on the WGBT Index, you will find a rating that guides the level of risk of overheating your horse.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲? Bear in mind that horses can often cope with more extreme conditions than humans can. So, a WGBT:

under 28 is considered normal and of no concern;

28-30 some consideration should be given to have shade available for horses and humans;

30-33 aggressive cooling is needed (see next point);

33+ is considered high risk and probably not compatible with safe competition.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗔𝗴𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴? The most effective way to rapidly cool a horse is to apply large volumes of cold water all over the horse and replace it as soon as the water warms. The colder the water is, the faster the horse will cool. Note that:

• aggressive cooling will not cause muscle damage;

• aggressive cooling should continue until the horse stops panting, its heart rate falls below 100 bpm and its rectal temperature falls below 40c;

• shade, fans, misting fans and hose spray nozzles assist in cooling.

However:

• wet towels draped over necks and rumps do not assist cooling and will actually trap heat in.

For more info, our full Policy for Extreme Weather Policy is available below.

And the FEI also has some helpful information at: https://inside.fei.org/uploads/bth/FEI_Beat_The_Heat_FINAL.pdf and this video on FEI campus: https://campus.fei.org/mod/feivideo/view.php?id=14250