HOGENT University of Applied Sciences & Arts
Annelies Van den Eede is an equine veterinarian, PhD who started her academic career at the UGent Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (2005), where she developed a predilection for preventive medicine.
Being a passionate rider, trainer and riding instructor, she kept furthering her academic and ‘workfield aimed’ teaching skills. It was the love for teaching future horse professionals that took her to HOGENT University of Applied Sciences & Arts as a lecturer in Animal Health Management (2012). There, she founded a research group to help enhance the safety, performance and welfare of both horses and riders. Improving the production of saddle, tack and safety gear is a corner stone and also includes stakeholder specific educational projects. Annelies also became a Master Saddle Fitting Consultant (MSFC).
Since 2020, the equine research group is part of the established HOGENT research center FTILab+. This entails a combined multidisciplinary expertise aimed at: Comfort & Protection for both humans and animals through design/optimization of products for among others sports & health using (smart) textiles and/or innovative manufacturing techniques, Digitization & Clean Technologies in product development & manufacturing and Bio–based materials. Additionally, anthropometrics and horse body measurements are investigated, including digital and analog measuring techniques.