Could Your Work with Horses Make It Onto a Scientific Poster?

If you're working with horses regularly, as a practitioner, coach, nutritionist, or student then this is for you.

The Horses Inside Out Conference 2027 is calling for scientific poster submissions on the theme of Wellness and Welfare, and you might be sitting on exactly the kind of valuable, real-world data that belongs on display.

If you're thinking - "I'm not an academic researcher…"

That doesn't really matter. If you're out in the field every week, working hands-on with horses and their owners, you're constantly collecting information. Case records, treatment outcomes, training observations, nutritional data, this all has the potential to inform and improve practice across the equine world. A scientific poster is your opportunity to do that and in this article Professor Meriel Moore-Colyer shares what you need to do to produce and present one.

What Does a Scientific Poster Actually Involve?

The winning Scientific Poster from our 2026 conference

Think of it as a snapshot, a clear, engaging summary of a question you've explored, what data you gathered, what you found and what it means. A good poster can be taken in within about two minutes, which makes it a brilliant tool for sparking conversations and sharing knowledge quickly.

A strong scientific poster grabs attention quickly by clearly defining the issue, problem or question, explaining what data was collected and how, highlighting the key findings from your analysis, and ending with a clear, meaningful conclusion. It should offer a concise overview of your work while being engaging enough to draw readers in and encourage conversation. Not all data lends itself to formal statistical analysis, but it should still be examined in a structured and objective way.

Is My Data Suitable for a Poster?

An example of field-collected data might be a series of photographs showing muscle development, symmetry or foot size, which could be analysed by measuring angles or distances between relevant anatomical points in the photos. These values can then be analysed for differences or used to show relationships (correlations) between two variables (measurements). Many of you will already record measurements as part of your treatment, and the changes are likely to be related, for example the number or type of treatments and the speed of change. This could make a very useful regression, showing how many treatments it takes to bring about a notable change. You may find that one or a few simple measurements are more indicative of change than others, which could speed up your appraisals and provide owners with an objective measurement on which to base their own assessment of progress.

You may be a coach and feel that one approach to training is more effective than another. Do you do A or B first? Which combinations of exercises or activities do you find most effective? Information like this can help other coaches develop effective techniques and also provide evidence to support your own methods.

If you are a nutritionist, you are likely to have a large quantity of numerical data that could be analysed to show current status and help develop feeding and management trends to improve health and performance.

If you're a student, or you have completed a research project as part of a degree but have not yet taken your results into the public domain, then producing a poster for the Horses Inside Out Conference is an excellent way of sharing your findings. You will have heard your lecturers talk about the value of research, but it's only truly valuable if people get the chance to hear about it. BSc projects are generally small because of time constraints, but a well-structured study can still provide a strong preliminary study, and scientific posters are an ideal way to present this type of work. Studying for an equine-related degree is the beginning of your journey, and presenting a poster could lead to valuable links and collaborations that help you develop your career.

Scientific Poster Competition and Presentation at the 2027 Conference

A good scientific poster should grab the reader's attention and be easily read in around two minutes

The Horses Inside Out Conference will be held from 20–21 February 2027. There will be 16 scientific posters on display, all relating to the theme of Wellness and Welfare.

During the breaks, the authors of the posters will be available to discuss their ideas and research. Also, six of the authors will have the opportunity to give an oral presentation of their poster.

This unique and inspiring scientific poster exhibition is designed to bring cutting edge, up to date information to anyone who is passionate about learning and the science behind improving equine welfare and performance.

You can learn more about our Poster Competition, Poster Presentations and Best Scientific Poster Award by clicking the button below. Submissions close on 31st July 2026

Poster Submission form

There will also be a competition for the best poster, judged by our 'Poster Committee'.

1st Prize

• Certificate

• £1,000 worth of on-demand training with Horses Inside Out

• Articles and publicity*

Runner Up

• Certificate

• £500 worth of on-demand training with Horses Inside Out

• Articles and publicity tbc*

*Abstracts and articles will be published in Equine Science and Rehabilitation, International Journal of Equine Science, and Equine Science Update.

Ready to get involved?

If you're an equine professional or student with data worth sharing, we'd love to hear from you. The horses you work with and the wider equine community stand to benefit from what you know.