News & Research
Out and about with The Horse Hub – Equine News
Chris Keate reveals where we’ve been and, what’s been going on in the equine world
It has been a busy week for The Horse Hub – on Thursday 2nd March, I attended the National Equine Forum with one of our authors BHS Performance Coach, Liz Eaton. This great event has long been a key fixture in my ‘out and about’ calendar, it brings together influential members of the equine industry, experts and government, to discuss and debate current issues, legislation, research and innovation.
The National Equine Forum
This year the programme was as always varied and, highly relevant to everyone in the equine world. The day kicked off under the banner ‘The Equine Industry in a Changing World’. With presentations from The Rt Hon Lord Benyon, Minister of State (Minister for Biosecurity, Marine and Rural Affairs), David Mountford, Chair of the British Horse Council and, Roly Owers, Chief Executive, World Horse Welfare, this session looked at health, traceability and welfare, with a key focus on public perception of horses in sport. A ‘social licence to operate’ may be a term you have heard over recent months, yet, for public perception to favour the use of horses in sport, happy hacking, breeding – or in any horse human interaction, their welfare and well-being MUST be seen to be first and foremost in every involvement.
‘Equine Health’ was tackled by Prof Celia Marr and Dr Claire Stratford, respectively looking at reducing the spread of equine infectious diseases and, introducing ‘CANTER’, a new collective approach to anthelmintic resistance (resistance to worming products). Anthelmintic resistance has been an increasingly grave concern for several years – the way in which many people worm their horses is leading to an ever-growing level of resistance and put simply HORSES ARE DYING from a lack of effective drugs – there are no new drugs on the horizon. We will be looking into this further on The Horse Hub, so I won’t go into more detail here, however the message is; understand how, why and what you are using to worm your horse, to ensure it will not be in danger of resistance.
The final session – that caused the biggest reaction ever, in the 31 years of the National Equine Forum – was the conversation between Alec Lochore and Charlie Thorneycroft. They talked about her experiences in Ukraine, coordinating the British Equestrians for Ukraine Fund. Charlie initially went to Poland on a three day visit at the beginning of the conflict, to see how efforts to help Ukrainian horses and their families could be put in place – she stayed for 7 months!
Her story to say the least was hard to listen to at times, having discussed earlier in the day the welfare of horses being transported long distances, controlling the temperature in the vehicle in which they are travelling and, the length of time they are allowed to travel before a break – we were now listening to horses being evacuated travelling non-stop for 72 hours – described as a successful, good run because bullets had been avoided. Single handedly unloading 40-tonne trucks delivering aid supplies – with no forklift in sight became a regular activity. The many challenges faced by Charlie and all those involved in the effort to help, included overcoming language barriers, having to secure kind and humane ways to euthanise horses that were catastrophically compromised – all bullets were reserved for the defending soldiers and, helping to establish a temporary hub where families and their horses could stay while safe passage was arranged for them across Europe, America and even Dubai.
No one was surprised when Charlie received the first ever NEF standing ovation. The work is on-going and funds are still desperately needed To make a donation visit https://www.worldhorsewelfare.org/support-us/appeals/british-equestrians-for-ukraine-fund
Charlie was the most deserving recipient of the Sir Colin Spedding Award, presented annually to an exceptional unsung hero or heroine of the equestrian world. After the event she said: “I am truly humbled by the response in the auditorium and the comments I have received. It was a huge team effort and one where I was lucky to be a small cog who saw the highs and lows firsthand. A truly life changing year. Thank you all for your support of both the Ukrainian Fund and of me. There is still a great need for support given that the situation in Ukraine remains so desperate for so many.”
The NEF replay will be available from 8th March for three weeks, free to all those who were registered for either the face-to-face event or the live streaming, and available for £20 for those who want to watch for the first time. Visit The National Equine Forum to find out more.
The National Equine Show
Following on from NEF, on Saturday 4th March Suzannah and I were both at the inaugural National Equine Show at the NEC Birmingham. What a great addition to the equine calendar this has turned out to be! The stands were well organised with plenty of room to mooch around and, so many options on which to spend our horsey cash – from rugs, grooming equipment, tack, riding and safety wear, to transportation and health and welfare advice. The food choices were varied and good and the central bar a great hit (both of vital importance to us horsey folk) – the topical speakers, meet and greets, and hospitality all added to a well organised and great experience. Among the many ‘stars’ in attendance we caught up with Sir Lee Pearson, so keep an eye out for Suzannah’s conversation with him, soon to be live on The Horse Hub.
