Heads of Schools and Deans

Professor Hayley Randle

PhD BSc (Hons)

Hayley graduated with a BSc (Hons) Biology and Psychology in 1990, and gained her PhD in Animal Science on cattle in 1995 at Exeter University, UK. Hayley has worked in higher education for over 20 years, delivering on a range of animal, welfare, statistics and more recently equitation science subjects to a variety of students in a number of institutions over the world. Hayley has led a number of projects to develop academic land-based programmes which closely align with contemporary industry needs. Hayley has also done extensive work on Teaching and Learning Quality Assurance on a national level and has regularly undertaken expert witness work specialising in horse behaviour. Hayley is a frequent reviewer for a number of high impact animal and veterinary journals and examines PhDs internationally. In 2007 Hayley became one of the inaugural members of the International Society for Equitation Science Council and has held the roles of Hon. Secretary and all of the President roles. She is regularly involved in the Scientific committee for the annual ISES international conference, and chaired these in 2012, 2016 and 2017. She was one of the main organisers of the very successful ISES 2017 conference looking at Equitation Science in Practice: Communication, Collaboration and Change at Charles Sturt University in Wagga Wagga. Hayley is currently involved in a number of projects investigating quality of life in equids. She is currently enjoying her role as Associate Head of the School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences at Charles Sturt University. Any spare time is spent working with a collection of project horses, two young kelpies and a border collie and her son Harley - a dirt bike mad teenager.

Hayley has conducted research on a large number of exotic, farm, companion and equine species. Currently her main research interests are focused on equine welfare. She is involved in a number of studies looking at the direct and indirect impact of riders/handlers on horses within equestrianism. This includes research on rein tension, the ridden horse ethogram, application of Learning Theory in training, breeding management plans for feral herds of equids and the impacts of weaning practices on mare and foal welfare.

Book chapters

Randle, H. D. 2014. Equine personality and its influence on performance. Equine sports horse reader. Equine Science. Edited by Jane Williams. Saunders, Elsevier. London,
Boden, E., Randle, H. and Brigden, C. 2013. The effects of rider specific pilates on rider position from a later view: a six week study, Chapter 34, Performance Analysis of Sport IX, Routledge Publishing: London.

Academic papers

Randle, H., Steenbergen, M., Hemmings, A. and Roberts, K. 2016. The use of technology in Equitation Science. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. In press.
Waran, N. and Randle, H. 2016. What we can measure, we can manage: the importance of developing robust welfare indicators for use in Equitation. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. In press.
Williams, J. M. and Randle, H. 2016. Is the Expression of Stereotypic Behavior a Performance Limiting Factor in Animals?Journal of Veterinary Behaviour: Clinical Applications and Research. In press.

Invited Academic Paper (Review)

Randle, H. The horse-human relationship: a review. Critical Reviews in Biology (due 30.09.17)

Academic Journal editorial

Randle, H. 2016. Guest Editorial: Welfare friendly equitation - Understanding horses to improve training and performance. Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research. In press, due October 2016.
Randle, H. 2011. Guest Editorial: International equitation science – safety and welfare. Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research. 6(5): 251-253.
Randle, H. 2010. Guest Editorial: Ethical Equitation – A sustainable Approach. Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research. 5: 1-4.

Oral and poster presentations

Abbey, A. and Randle, H. 2016. Equitation pedagogic practice: use of a ridden horse ethogram to effect change. The Proceedings of the twelfth International Society for Equitation Science Conference, Saumur, France, p39.
Hale, C., Hemmings, A. and Randle, H. 2016. Accuracy of horse workload perception by owners when compared to published workload Parameters. The Proceedings of the twelfth International Society for Equitation Science Conference, Saumur, France, p120.
Scofield, R.M., Savin, H. and Randle, H. 2016. Horse and rider safety on the United Kingdom (UK) road system: pilot evaluation of an alternative conspicuity measure. The Proceedings of the twelfth International Society for Equitation Science Conference, Saumur, France, p94.
Williams, C. and Randle, H. 2016. What methods are commonly used during weaning (mare removal) and why? A pilot study. The Proceedings of the twelfth International Society for Equitation Science Conference, Samaur, France, p89.
Challacombe, J., Randle, H. and Abbey, A. 2015. The influence of handler experience on the behaviour of horses in an educational environment: Heart Rate and Visual Analogue Scores. The Proceedings of the eleventh International Society for Equitation Science Conference, Vancouver, Canada.
Fisker-Hansen, A., Dixon, J. and Randle, H. 2015. An Investigation of Equine Coat Colour Bias in Assessment of Potential Performance Horses. The Proceedings of the eleventh International Society for Equitation Science Conference, Vancouver, Canada.
Fisker-Hansen, A., Dixon, J. and Randle, H. 2015. Preliminary investigation into equine coat colour bias within the British Breeding Futurity young horse evaluations. Proceedings of the BSAS Annual Conference 2015. University of Chester.
Fisker-Hansen, A., Dixon, J. and Randle, H. 2015. Is there a colour fashion of British sports horses? An investigation into British equestrian's preference for horse colours and perception of equine coat colour bias Proceedings of the BSAS Annual Conference 2015. University of Chester.
Giblett, J., Randle, H. and Abbey, A. 2015. Effect of saddle pad thickness on the ridden horse's back. The Proceedings of the eleventh International Society for Equitation Science Conference, Vancouver, Canada.
Hampson, A. and Randle, H. 2015. The influence of an 8-week rider core fitness program on the equine back at sitting trot. The Proceedings of the eleventh International Society for Equitation Science Conference, Vancouver, Canada.
Parker, K. and Abbey, A. 2015. An investigation of rein tensions exhibited during therapeutic riding lessons. The Proceedings of the eleventh International Society for Equitation Science Conference, Vancouver, Canada.
Petrie-Ritchie, R.J. and Randle, H. 2015. The future of the Dartmoor Ponies: Breeding Management Plans. 2015. The Proceedings of the eleventh International Society for Equitation Science Conference, Vancouver, Canada.
Randle, H. and O'Neill, M. 2015. The effect of martingale attachments on rein tension in the ridden horse. The Proceedings of the eleventh International Society for Equitation Science Conference, Vancouver, Canada.
Shepherd, F., Ward, P. and Randle, H. 2015 The impact of a health intervention scheme on the mobility of dairy cattle in the South West of England. Proceedings of the BSAS Annual Conference 2015. University of Chester.
Edwards, H. and Randle, H. 2014. Do gloves have an impact on rein tension? Proceedings of the tenth International Society for Equitation Science Conference, Denmark, U.K, p64.
Randle, H. and Abbey, A. 2014. Research Informed Learning in Equitation Science. The VCs Teaching and Learning conference. Proceedings (online). Plymouth University. 27^th June 2014.
Randle, H., Abbey, A. and Joyner, M. 2014. Implementation of the OSCE assessment mode within Equitation Science. The VCs teaching and Learning conference. Proceedings (online). Plymouth University. 27^th June 2014.
Scofield, R., Savin, H. and Randle, H. 2014. Riding and road safety: building profiles of leisure riders and their environment in the United Kingdom. Proceedings of the tenth International Society for Equitation Science Conference, Denmark, U.K, p50.
Tabor, G., Randle, H., Ezra, R., Brown, L., Mackenzie, K., Langfjord-Clare, E., Williams, C., Clarke, A. and Parker, K. 2014. An investigation into the ability of riders to obtain an ideal dressage position. Proceedings of the tenth International Society for Equitation Science Conference, Denmark, U.K, p98.
Wentworth-Stanley, C., Randle, H. and Wolframm, I. 2014. Survey of Canadian Certified Coaches' Understanding and Application of Learning Theory in Horse Training. Proceedings of the tenth International Society for Equitation Science Conference, Denmark, U.K, p81.
Grills, K. and Randle, H. 2013. The effect of leg preference and track direction on racehorse performance. The Proceedings of the ninth International Society for Equitation Science Conference, Edinburgh, U.K, p65.
Grills, K. and Randle, H. 2013. The relationship between whip use and final race position. The Proceedings of the ninth International Society for Equitation Science Conference, Edinburgh, U.K, p66.
Hutchings, K. and Randle, H. 2013. Is horse head position used as an indicator of training in advertisements? The Proceedings of the ninth International Society for Equitation Science Conference, Edinburgh, U.K, p79.
Randle, H., Abbey, A. and Sears, K. 2013. Qualitative (perceived) versus quantitative (actual) assessment of rein tension: what lessons can be learnt? The Proceedings of the ninth International Society for Equitation Science Conference, Edinburgh, U.K, p37.
Scofield, R., Savin, H. and Randle, H. 2013. Road safety: is there are relationship between 'near misses' and the use of rider and horse reflective/fluorescent equipment. The Proceedings of the ninth International Society for Equitation Science Conference, Delaware, U.K, p30.
Tabor, G. and Randle, H. 2013. Upper body lateral deviation of horse riders, with unilateral leg movement, on a gym ball. The Proceedings of the ninth International Society for Equitation Science Conference, Delaware, U.K, p70
Tabor, G. and Randle, H. 2013. Validation of a simple method to quantify equine thoracolumbar posture. The Proceedings of the ninth International Society for Equitation Science Conference, Delaware, U.K, p80.
Waran, N. and Randle, H. 2013. Advancing evidence based practice and learning in equitation. The Proceedings of the ninth International Society for Equitation Science Conference, Edinburgh, U.K, p24.

Invited Talks

Equitation Science: Putting Research Into Practice (Plenary). The Sustainable Equine symposium, Nottingham Trent University. June 2016.
Rein tension studies: application to practice. Centaur RTG second annual symposium. Amsterdam, NL. June 2014.
Research Informed Learning. HE Academy Research and Scholarly Activity Symposium, April 2014.
Is there evidence of learned helplessness in horses? Invited speaker by the Equine Behaviour Forum; Brains Trust Forum. July 2012.
Weaning and Behaviour in Horses - to the French Equine Veterinary Association – Lyons December 2011.
Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere ~ seizing the learning opportunity through innovative assessment. Presentation to the HE Academy. Seminar Series. May 2011. (University of Plymouth).
Equine learning to the French Equine Veterinary Association– Bordeaux November 2010.
Black Rhinoceros management – Cambridge University. 2002.

Academic demonstrations

Williams, J.M., Randle, H. and Hall, C. (2012) Practical demonstration equine eye tracker, rein tension and EMG assessment of driving horses. In eds. Randle, H., Waran, N. and Williams, J.M. Proceedings of the 8th International Equitation Science Conference: The Road Ahead. 18th – 20th July 2012. Edinburgh: BSAS & Duchy College Print, pp. 52.
South West Equine Fair. December 2014. Topic: Ethical handling of equids Regional equine event.