Scientific Workshop
Welfare aspects in the training of young horses

Organizers
Graf Lehndorff Institute, Vetmeduni Vienna, Austria (Christine Aurich)
Beaufort Cottage Educational Trust, Newmarket, UK (Fred Barrelet)

Organizing Team
Christine Aurich, Fred Barrelet, Lisa-Hélène Wagner, Jörg Aurich

Venue and Date
Birkenhof, Gols (Burgenland), Austria, 12.-14.9.2026

Aims and Focus of the Workshop
The age at which young horses should enter training and the way horses are stabled in training yards are discussed controversially. While research data indicate that stimulation of the equine musculoskeletal systems at a young age supports physical health and longevity, the mental maturity of two- and three-year-old horses to undergo training has been addressed only recently in scientific studies. Optimizing the training, management and housing of young horses should benefit from a multi-disciplinary approach including veterinary medicine, animal behaviour science, exercise physiology and genetics. Our workshop fills a gap in the international scientific community of the field, as there are currently few formats that address the welfare of young horses in this form.

Besides presentation of current research results, objectives of the workshop include networking between young and established scientists, definition of open research questions and development of joint project or publication ideas.

Format of the workshop
Two days of invited lectures plus free oral communications and poster presentations (mainly by young scientists), a one day stud farm visit and informal discussions.

Programme                                           

Registration and Abstract Submission

Travel and Accomodation

For further information contact Jörg Aurich <joerg.aurich@vetmeduni.ac.at>