When Innovation Feels Uncomfortable: Skepticism in Equestrianism and the Horse Wings Case

HORSE WINGS
Nov 13, 2025
2 min read

Between Tradition and Innovation in the Horse World

In equestrianism, every new idea triggers two reactions: curiosity and skepticism.This is natural — especially in a field where tradition weighs as much as experience.Yet skepticism, when it becomes refusal, can slow down real progress in the horse’s wellbeing.

Think of the moment, centuries ago, when horses first began to be shod.“Would you put a nail into your fingernail?”That would have been the instinctive reaction from anyone seeing it for the first time.And yet today, shoeing is a normal — and often necessary — practice.

Why?Because humans tend to humanize the horse, projecting onto it their own feelings and logic…forgetting that the horse’s physiology is nothing like ours.

A Horse Is Not a Human: It’s an Athlete With Unique Physiology

A horse has a completely different body structure and thermoregulation system than humans.Many choices that are made “by instinct” or by habit — often out of the desire to protect the horse — end up interfering with its natural ability to regulate itself.

For example: using non-breathable materials under the saddle, or equipment that does not respect the physiology of the back.The result is often heat accumulation, muscular stiffness, inflammation, or pain that affects movement, behavior, and performance.

Horse Wings: On the Side of Physiology, Not Habit

Horse Wings was born from a desire to respect the horse’s nature, rather than adapting it to human ideas of comfort.

The Competition Cooling System is an active thermoregulation technology that adapts to the horse’s body, helping maintain stable temperature in the most sensitive area:the back under the saddle.

This is not a fad.It’s a scientific, field-tested approach, validated by veterinarians, osteopaths, and professional riders.When innovation aligns with physiology, the result is real — not imagined — wellbeing.