How equestrians conceptualise horse welfare: Does it facilitate or hinder change?

More than ever the welfare of horses in equestrian sport is in the spotlight. In response to this scrutiny, one peak body, the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) has created an Equine Ethics and Wellbeing Commission to protect their sport's longevity. However, for welfare-based strategies to be successful, the conceptualisation of horse welfare must align across various stakeholders, including the general public. The value-laden nature of welfare makes agreement on its definition, even among scientists, difficult. Given little is known about how equestrians conceptualise horse welfare, we interviewed 19 Australian amateur equestrians using a semi-structured format. Systems thinking and the Five Domains Model provided the theoretical framework and informed our methods. Using reflexive thematic analysis, three themes were identified: (1) good horse welfare is tangible; (2) owners misinterpret unwanted horse behaviour; and (3) equestrians publicly minimise horse welfare issues but are privately concerned. Our results highlight participants' conceptualisations of horse welfare do not align with the Five Domains Model; participants' ideal of prioritising horse welfare does not align with their practice; and there is inconsistency between what participants share publicly and what they think privately about horse welfare. These findings can inform the development of programmes to improve ridden horse welfare throughout the horse industry. As a starting point, programmes that provide a safe space for equestrians to explore their private horse welfare concerns, and programmes that build a partnership mindset to facilitate knowledge exchange between all stakeholders are needed.

What is my child telling me? Reducing stress, increasing competence and improving psychological well-being in parents of children with a developmental disability.

High levels of stress in parents of children with a developmental disability have been extensively documented. These heightened stress levels seem independent of diagnosis and are better explained by the level of challenging behavior of the children. Furthermore, the relationship between stress level and difficult behavior appears reciprocal. The negative impact of stress on parents' skill development, response to difficult behavior, sense of competence, well-being and the child's developmental outcomes have also been thoroughly detailed. The Parent Child Relationally Informed - Early Intervention (PCRI-EI) aims to expand the response repertoires of parents to help address the challenges of parenting a child with a developmental disability, including through reducing parental stress. The current study presents a quasi-experimental assessment of the efficacy of PCRI-EI in reducing stress levels and increasing sense of competency and psychological well-being in a sample of 22 parents of children with a variety of disabilities presenting to a community early childhood development service. Statistically and clinically significant changes in overall stress levels (Parenting Stress Index), psychological well-being (K6) and sense of competence (PSOC) were observed across time.