The story of a North American beaver who went from repetitively pawing glass to successfully building dams could have repercussions for the way we keep our horses.

Rick Hester, director of animal care and wellbeing at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado, was among the speakers at the 2025 World Horse Welfare conference (21 November), the theme of which was “Through the horse’s eyes”.

Mr Hester, who has spoken at the International Society for Equine Science conference, told guests it is clear the zoo and equestrian worlds “have a shared goal of improving the lives of the animals in our care through a compassionate science application”.

“I hope that this crossover continues, and I’m excited to see where it might lead us,” he said.

Mr Hester explained that to understand behaviour, w

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