Lisa Ashton, a lecturer at Hartpury University and Education Officer for the International Society for Equitation Science (ISES), has co-authored the newly published COMPASS Guidelines. This groundbreaking framework is designed to enhance welfare standards in animal behaviour research, particularly in equine training, handling, restraint, and equipment use.
The COMPASS Guidelines, published in Animals here, aim to support researchers in conducting rigorous, ethical, and welfare-focused studies. As public concern grows about the treatment of animals in sports and work, these guidelines provide essential tools for ensuring that research into training techniques prioritises animal welfare.
Lisa Ashton, alongside other experts from equitation science, veterinary medicine, animal welfare science, bioethics, and behavioural science, contributed to the development of the COMPASS Guidelines through a collaborative consensus process. The guidelines offer practical advice on designing, conducting, and interpreting behaviour-modification studies, ensuring that research is transparent, well-designed, and focused on protecting animal welfare.
“Horses occupy a unique position in animal behaviour and welfare research due to their evolutionary history and intensive human use,” said Lisa Ashton. “The COMPASS Guidelines give researchers, ethics committees, reviewers, and students a shared, explicit standard for designing and evaluating behaviour-modification studies in ways that are both scientifically credible and defensible from a welfare perspective.”
Equitation Science research carries particular ethical and methodological responsibilities, given a horses previous learning history, human use, and the potential for training and equipment to affect both physical and mental states. These studies also present practical challenges, including recruitment, ethical oversight, and the collection of meaningful welfare data. The COMPASS Guidelines address these issues by setting clear standards for welfare-focused research, helping ensure studies inform, rather than obscure, horses’ lived experiences.
While the guidelines are rooted in equitation science, they are designed to be applicable across species and disciplines, complementing existing frameworks such as the ARRIVE and PREPARE Guidelines.
Hartpury University is proud to support Lisa Ashton’s contributions to this important initiative, embedded now in semester two modules; Equine Learning & Cognition (level 5) and Equine Ethics & Welfare (level 6). The Applied Equine Cognition and Learning (level 7) module, delivered within the MSc Equitation Science, also aligns with the university’s commitment to advancing animal welfare and promoting evidence-based practices in equine science.
For more information about the COMPASS Guidelines, visit MDPI Animals.
