Amanda and Beth had a great visit over lunch with Professor Natalie Waran, OBE, at the incredible Cape Kidnappers Lodge in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand. She has been a force for equine welfare in the industry, advocating for change by providing the science and evidence to support welfare at the highest levels of equestrian sport. She’d just returned from working with the Hong Kong Jockey Club, helping them implement plans to improve the lives of their young racing stock. If you’ve noticed that the FEI and other national equestrian organizations are turning a new focus onto welfare, you can thank Nat in large part for her dedication to A Good Life for Horses.
We got some great ideas and shared our experiences in both the academic and traditional equestrian worlds. Nat attended our Foundations workshop last year in Santa Fe. She told us that someone had asked her what it was like, and she described it as a “Learning Lab.” We loved that description of what we’re doing.
Change can be hard, but it’s good to know capable people like Nat are working to make a difference for horses at all levels.