World Horse Welfare (WHW)’s final Wednesday Welfare Webinar of the season, on Wednesday 1 June 2022 at 7 pm, will tackle a fascinating but often overlooked subject: bridle fit. Tying in with the recent publication of evidence-based guidelines developed with the help of Dr Rachel Murray, this webinar will consider the design and fit of a bridle and how that affects the comfort of the horse and how they perform.
Rachel joins WHW for the webinar and will talk us through some of the key anatomical points that we need to consider, explaining the issues that can be caused by a bridle that is unstable, or that puts too much pressure on the horse’s head. She will also cover the improvements in performance that can be gained from optimising bridle fit.
Regardless of whether you are a happy hacker, a top-level eventer, or even a bitless rider, whether you ride a cob or a Warmblood, Rachel will be on hand to provide tips that we can all use to assess our own bridles, and make sure that we are not inadvertently causing pain and discomfort to our horses through incorrect bridle fitting.
Rachel will be joined on the panel discussion by Di Fisher and both with be on hand to answer any questions you may have on bridle design and fit.
By registering for the WHW webinar through Zoom, you will be able to take part in the various polls, ask questions of Rachel and Di during the panel discussion and enjoy an interactive experience. If you are keen to be part of the conversation, then please join.
The webinars are free to attend and if you are unable to attend via Zoom they can also be viewed as a Facebook Live session. Don’t worry if you have missed any of the previous webinars – which have tackled subjects as fascinating and diverse as keeping horses fit, weight management, the stabled horse, euthanasia, biosecurity, horse mental wellbeing and travelling – they are all available to watch on the WHW YouTube channel.
Meet the presenters
Dr Rachel Murray is a highly experienced veterinarian, based at Rossdales Diagnostic Centre. She previously spent more than 20 years at the Animal Health Trust where she was responsible for the Equine MRI diagnostic service, ran the orthopaedic research group and provided a clinical service focused on imaging, poor performance and rehabilitation in sport horses. Rachel graduated from University of Cambridge before specialising in equine surgery, undertaking an internship and surgical residency in the USA, becoming a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons. After five years in the USA, she returned to England as an equine surgeon at the University of Cambridge Veterinary School. She subsequently completed a PhD, investigating exercise-associated joint adaptation and injury in horses.
Diana Fisher is a Society of Master Saddlers Master Saddle Fitter and Bridle Fitter. She has worked with a varied assortment of horses in her training career, including on hunt yards, livery yards, on a thoroughbred stud, racing stables, event yards and showing yards. Diana has competed up to Grade B in Showjumping, Intermediate Eventing and Prix St George Dressage. She is a UKCC level 2 coach and has consulted for Word Horse Welfare as a Technical Advisor supporting their Cambodian project.
