The Female Equestrian Health and Wellness Network (FEHWN) aims to address holes in equestrian research and to deliver educational and outreach programs that help advance female equestrians across all disciplines as riders and as professionals.

The FEHWN’s consensus paper, published in May 2021, outlined six main points that will drive upcoming research and programming. The six statements, which follow, broadly address the economics of the industry, career pathways, sex/gender distinctions and overall female health and wellness.

1. More scholarly research is imperative to improving health and wellness outcomes of riders and to the economic prosperity of equestrian sport.
2. Equestrian athletes should receive or have access to sport-specific guidelines and training to address the physical and psychological skills required within each discipline of riding in order to promote health and wellness, improve safety and prevent injury and encourage full participation throughout recreational and professional athletic pursuits and careers.
3. Female equestrian health and wellness issues differ from male issues due to biological (sex) and gender (social and cultural) distinctions.
   1. Female equestrians should have and will benefit from access to female-sport-specific guidelines and training designed to address female sex and gender needs and expectations.
   2. With these sex and gender distinctions in mind, research on topics specific to female health promotion and injury prevention and educational programs designed for female well-being within equestrian sports should enable female riders to avoid unnecessary pain and to participate fully in recreational and professional pursuits.
   3. Athletic equipment and apparel serve to protect, preserve health and promote optimal performance. Both equipment and apparel designers and manufacturers should consider female anatomy and physiology so that their products can maximize female equestrian function and wellness.
   4. Clearly defined development tracks within equestrian disciplines and trades should become a priority for the industry.
   5. Many equestrian sports are sex-integrated, with males and females competing against one another. However, equestrian pursuits are not fully equitable, and all organizations within the equestrian industry should ensure parity of the sexes in opportunities, roles, responsibilities and compensation.

Now that the FEHWN has published the consensus statement, it would like to start addressing the issues. To that end, the FEHWN is inviting equestrian organizations to speak at upcoming FEHWN meetings. This multidisciplinary and cross-border collaboration will help the FEHWN define its initiatives so they are closely aligned with members’ health and wellness concerns.

Upcoming research projects may include a breast health and bra fit guide, menstruation/female life cycle research survey and career pathways survey. Subsequent research, education and outreach will be based upon feedback from organizations.

Invitations have been dispatched to individuals at US Equestrian, Pony Club, U.S. Pony Club, Pony Club Australia, Kentucky 4-H, among others. Because of the global nature of equestrianism, representation is needed from international organizations. Representatives who can speak about health and wellness issues are invited to contact Karin Pekarchik at karin.pekarchik@uky.edu.

Source: The University of Kentucky Female Health and Wellness Community of Practice (CoP) provided this information.