On Tuesday night, 10 FEIF member countries were represented in a vigorous and stimulating meeting about recent developments and initiatives regarding horse welfare and questions on the social licence to operate. Naturally, discussions about horse welfare, public...
The aim of this study is to understand in detail recovery of heart rate and blood lactate concentration after a 250m pace race. Based on the results of how high the heart rate and lactate values rise and how long it takes for the lactate concentration to return to...
Help us shape the future of the Icelandic Horse world. Seats on the FEIF Youth and the Education committee, especially earmarked for young people, will become available in October 2024. Appointees have the same voting rights as any other committee member and will...
The Icelandic Hoofcare Conference 2024 will take place from August 23-24, 2024, Eldhestar, Iceland. Speakers: Michael Weishaupt: Impact of competition shoeing on movement, biomechanics and hoof health in Icelandic horses. Jeffrey Newnham: How to get the best from...
“A fair equestrian sport embodies principles of integrity, respect, and welfare for both the horse and the rider. It involves a level playing field which is characterised by honesty and horsemanship, which prioritize the well-being of the horse above all else. The...
FEIF condemns the practice of extracting blood from pregnant mares for purely commercial purposes, often resulting in the mistreatment of mares on blood farms. We support the actions taken by responsible authorities and welfare organisations in Iceland and on the...
Text: Jennie Boerema, Chair of the Icelandic Horses New Zealand Inc. (IceHNZ)Presentation picture on SLO from the presentation of Mike Weishaupt, FEIF Conference 2023 The topic for the yearly ISES conference, this time held in New Zealand, Don Rowland Centre, Lake...
At the FEIF conference 2024, all participants were invited to join the FEIF Welfare Café on “Welfare of the Horse“. The Welfare Café session delved into the complexities of horse welfare, considering all aspects, be it about the ridden horse or keeping and management....
All Rules and Regulations valid for 2024 are now published on the FEIF website. A summary of all changes is available here. In addition, the minutes of the annual meetings (FEIF Conference 2024 in Luxembourg), the sport judges guidelines and the booklet with approved...
Mike’s and Johannes’ participation in the conference was a great honour and eagerly awaited by participants. Apart from visiting most department meetings to discuss horse welfare and possible approaches of the Icelandic horse scene concerning the social license to...
The European Horse Network (EHN) invites for a webinar on 'How to communicate on the equine industry'. There is enough data to show that the concerns around horse involvement in sport are rising. The equine world must positively engage with both perception and reality...
The following trainers/instructors were nominated by their national associations this time (in alphabetical order): Dana Hausherr (Switzerland), Emma Möller Ljungqvist (Sweden), Fia Bergman (Finland), Jacqueline Van Den Heuvel (Belgium), Jana Meyer (United States),...
The past year has been characterized by debates on horse welfare and the concept of Social License to Operate (SLO). The importance of the reputation of the Icelandic horse sport among the public cannot be denied and underestimated, the reputation is a prerequisite...
In 2023, the WorldRanking event in Osterfingen, Switzerland ended the WorldRanking season 2023: 12 countries registered a total of 112 WorldRanking events, with 5037 horses and 19.923 results from preliminaries. https://www.feif.org/sport-dept/worldranking-statistics/...
A new documentary film was recently released by the Animal Welfare Foundation/Tierschutzbund Zürich, which recommends a ban on PMSG and informs on alternatives using hormone-free methods or synthetic preparations. Earlier this year, the Icelandic Ministry announced...
Challenges and opportunities on how to attract a young workforce in the equine industry The entire equine industry is struggling to employ a new workforce, whatever the activities, from breeding and racing/sport to veterinary professionals. The industry offers many...
Following complaints with the EFTA Regulatory Authority (ESA) on the topic of blood mares in Iceland, an official letter of warning was sent by ESA to the Icelandic government on May 10, 2023. Today, the Icelandic Ministry announced that the current regulation will be...