Practice of Noseband Use and Intentions Towards Behavioural Change in Dutch Equestrians.
Authors: Visser E Kathalijne, Kuypers Monique M F, Stam Jennifer S M, Riedstra Bernd
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Noseband Tightening Practices and Welfare Awareness in Dutch Equestrians Following implementation of the two-finger rule by the Dutch equestrian authorities, Visser and colleagues examined both objective noseband tightness measurements and rider awareness of this welfare regulation across dressage and show jumping disciplines. Physical measurements of 59 horses revealed that only 59% of riders achieved compliance with the new standard, whilst tightness varied significantly by discipline (show jumpers wore tighter nosebands than dressage horses) and was inversely correlated with horse age. An online survey of 386 riders identified three distinct clusters based on attitudes, peer influence, and perceived behavioural control—crucially, competitive-level riders in the highest-performing cluster showed markedly lower conviction in welfare benefits (38%) compared to lower-level riders (78–89%), suggesting that performance-focused competitors represent the most resistant demographic to change. The findings underscore that blanket regulatory approaches are unlikely to succeed; instead, targeted interventions that address the specific misconceptions of competitive riders, coupled with transparent, objective enforcement mechanisms, offer the most promising pathway to genuine welfare improvement through behaviour change.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Implement differential regulatory strategies targeting different rider cohorts, as compliance intentions and welfare beliefs vary significantly between competition levels
- •Use transparent, objective measurement tools (e.g., two-finger rule) when introducing welfare regulations to improve adoption rates and understanding
- •Recognize that higher-level competitors may require additional education and evidence-based justification for welfare regulations to achieve behaviour change
Key Findings
- •59% of Dutch riders achieved compliance with the two-finger noseband rule following its implementation by the Royal Dutch Equestrian Federation
- •Noseband tightness was significantly less in dressage horses compared to show jumpers and decreased with horse age
- •54.5% of surveyed riders agreed with noseband regulations and 62% believed the regulation improves horse welfare
- •Higher-level competitors were significantly less convinced of welfare benefits (38% in Cluster 1) compared to lower-level riders (77.9-89% in Clusters 2-3)