Dr Heather Cameron-Whytock

Heather’s research spans equestrian sport safety, biomechanics, and equine and human physiology; utilising ECG (HRV) data to explore stress and arousal in equine and human athletes. Her work has been widely featured in mainstream, equestrian and veterinary media outlets, including the BBC, Sky News, The Guardian, The Independent, Horse & Hound, HorseTalk NZ, Modern Equine Vet and The Horse.

Heather has undertaken extensive research into equestrian eventing safety, using large datasets to identify risk factors associated with horse and rider falls during the cross-country phase. She has worked closely with British Eventing and contributed to projects funded by the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI), with findings informing evidence-based risk management and welfare-led strategies across the sport.

Her research interests also include the use of heart rate and heart rate variability (HRV) to assess equine and rider arousal, stress and welfare in competitive environments, and during learning, alongside rider psychological profiling through emotional state and personality-based measures. Beyond risk research, Heather has contributed to studies in equine cognition and rider biomechanics, including a proof-of-concept investigation using Theia, a markerless motion-capture system, to quantify mounted rider kinematics.

Heather has presented her research internationally, with conference contributions in Malaysia, Pakistan, Budapest, Denmark, Ireland and the UK. She has delivered research findings at multiple FEI Eventing Risk Management Seminars (UK, Spain and Switzerland), and has been invited to deliver keynote presentations for organisations such as Equestrian Australia, the Alltech Equine Student Conference and the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) Congress.

Alongside her research, Heather provides consultancy for a range of organisations seeking evidence-based approaches to welfare, safety and performance in equestrian sport. Her consultancy work often centres on conducting data analysis to inform risk reduction, welfare monitoring and sport policy. She has supported national governing bodies, charities and industry partners through data-driven projects with organisations such as British Eventing, Team GB, Equestrian Australia and Redwings Horse Sanctuary (in collaboration with the National Equine Welfare Council).

In addition to her research outputs, Heather has written for The Conversation as an expert academic and serves as an expert reviewer for The Veterinary Record and Equine Veterinary Journal, for research within the field of equine sports medicine.