For our extended bumper Christmas edition we have a very special guest, Dr Mette Uldahl.

Mette is a Danish veterinarian who until earlier this year was veterinary advisor to the Danish Equestrian Federation. She resigned from that role  in September 2024 and is now chief consultant to Dyrenes Beskyttelse (Animal Protection Denmark). Mette has devoted her career to being a voice for animals. As well as her work with DEF, Mette is a Past President of the Federation of European Equine Veterinary Associations and is currently 1st Vice President of the European Veterinary Association.

Mette also regularly take part in research projects and publications of peer-reviewed papers, many of which she discusses in this episode.

This episode is particularly fitting as we wind down to the holiday season because Mette touches on so many of the topics that have been raised by the guests on Changing Rein over the past six months. What is more Mette brings her own unique perspective, whether it is thinking about horse behaviour through understanding neurodiversity, or the language we use about and around horses and its impact on welfare. How should vets balance their roles as advocates for horses while also having to satisfy client demands and expectations? What is the intrinsic value of horses? And if we are to use horses in sport, how much compromise is acceptable? And we touch on the mind games we play in our interactions with horses, we talk about blue tongues and oral lesions and knee rolls, we discuss the role of governing bodies, and Mette shares her profound wish for horse sport into the future.

We hope that wherever you are that you enjoy this extended edition of Changing Rein and we look forward to continuing our journey with the podcast and our listeners in 2025.

You can find Mette’s research output at https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mette-Uldahl