Latest from Horse & Hound in Beva

‘A welfare document first’: new equine euthanasia guidance for vets will help owners of insured horses

Eleanor Jones — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 13:21:30 +0000

The publication of revised British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) guidance for euthanasia of insured horses has been welcomed as an “important and much-needed step forward”.

The guidance was initially written in 1996, and updated in 2009, to set out the circumstances in which putting horses down would meet the requirements of all-risk mortality cover policies. Ian Beamish, who led the BEVA group working on the revision, said the aim was to clarify and ensure consistency, but also to take into account changes to attitudes on equine welfare and suffering in the last 17 years.

“The veterinary surgeon’s primary responsibility is undoubtedly to ensure the welfare of the horse, regardless of whether the horse is insured,” Mr Beamish said, echoing the statement in the introduction to the document. “This is a modernised version of the outdated 2009 guidelines, with a carefully revised list of conditions and their prognoses, updated language, and revised protocols on grounds for euthanasia.

“It is important to note that although vets may advise euthanasia, we may not advise on the insurance policy conditions; this is a matter for the insured and insurer to discuss.”

The guidelines cover protocols for definite, suspected or absent grounds for emergency euthanasia and also for chronic disease or pain in which there is negligible prospect of recovery.

BEVA euthanasia guidance: three scenarios

“Realistically, there are only three scenarios you can have,” Mr Beamish said.

“There’s the horse that justifies emergency euthanasia there and then to minimise its suffering. There are horses that do not require euthanasia; the owner is probably saying they want to euthanise the horse on financial grounds, normally. Then there are horses where you may think it justifies emergency euthanasia, but you’re not sure, or you may want to seek more evidence – a second opinion, or further investigation.

“We’ve really tried to make it, not quite black and white, because there is a section of grey, but at least a fairly uniform grey section that people can work through. So they can come to their conclusion and in hindsight, be able to look at how their decision-making pathway came about. And that’d be very clear for anyone that wants to scrutinise the decisions made.”

Mr Beamish covered the difficulty of chronic cases such as laminitis, adding that the nature of these conditions at least gives time to seek a second opinion or more information, and for conversations with insurers.

“What we all want to try to avoid is making an irreversible decision and then in hindsight, having that muddied water of, ‘Did my vet make the right decision? Should my horse not have been euthanised?’” he said. “And was or is there a payout from the insurers? Based on that, we’re all trying to make it as simple a process as possible, and to be able to be reassured that we’ve made the right decision.”

Making decisions under pressure

The guidance had input from equine insurers, and Mr Beamish stressed that it is a “welfare document, first and foremost”.

“It’s there to enable [BEVA] members to make decisions under pressure in what are invariably stressful times,” he said.

“Insurance considerations shouldn’t influence our decision-making. You’re trying to assess an animal based on the clinical evidence in front of you, based on that horse’s welfare and what should happen next. The fact that’s an insured or not insured animal shouldn’t affect how you go about making that decision.”

The guidance has been written as a resource for vets but BEVA expects it will be a “valuable reference document” for owners, insurers, trainers and event organisers “seeking to better understand potentially complex scenarios”.

SEIB Insurance Brokers equine claims adjuster Leanne Palmer told H&H: “The recently revised BEVA guidelines are an important and much-needed step forward.

“SEIB supports progress that promotes the welfare of the horse and the new guidelines provide a clear framework for the insurer, the veterinary surgeon and the owner to work together to make timely and well-informed decisions in high-stress situations.”

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Your ‘once-in-a-generation chance’ to have your say on changes to ‘outdated’ vet regulations

Becky Murray — Sat, 31 Jan 2026 13:31:23 +0000

A consultation on reforms to the “outdated” Veterinary Surgeons Act (VSA) has been described as a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” – as vets and the public are urged to respond.

Defra has announced an eight-week consultation on proposed changes to the 1966 Act. These include regulation of veterinary and animal healthcare businesses and allied professionals, protection of the title ’veterinary nurse’, and modernised registration and fitness to practise processes.

The proposals follow the Government’s competition and markets authority (CMA) provisional decision on its investigation into the veterinary services market (news, 30 October) – and last month’s publication of the Government’s animal welfare strategy, which stated work was under way to assess how the CMA’s recommendations, alongside planned reforms to the Act, “can help modernise and strengthen the provision of veterinary care”.

Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons president Tim Parkin said the VSA consultation is a “historic moment for UK animal health and welfare and the veterinary sector”.

“We are so glad that the Government has recognised the need to replace the current outdated legislation with something flexible, forward-facing and future-proofed,” said Professor Parkin.

“It is very important that members of the professions and the public respond to this consultation, because it’s no exaggeration to say that the next few decades of the professions will be influenced by the decisions made over the coming years with regards to the new legislation.

“This really is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to help shape the future of veterinary professions and animal healthcare services, and to introduce a modern framework that’s fit for purpose in the 21st century. At nearly 60 years old, the Act is in urgent need of reform – it’s time for change.”

British Equine Veterinary Association veterinary projects officer Lucy Grieve told H&H reform of the Act is “long overdue”.

“The CMA investigation has resulted in further recommendations, but it is important to note that it was not the sole reason for the proposed reform,” she said.

“Modernising the framework and legalities under which vets operate should bring benefits to all key stakeholders, fundamentally to the animals they are designed to care for and protect.

“The rise in vet fees over inflation may be attributed to a complexity of reasons, but one factor which may need to be considered is that vets were possibly undercharging for services and professional fees for a very long time.”

Take part in the consultation

The CMA, which is due to publish its final decision in March on recommendations including requiring vet businesses to publish price lists and disclose if they are part of larger groups, has “welcomed” the VSA consultation.

“Our vets investigation is ongoing, but we have already set out our strong concern that the current rules are not fit for purpose and need reforming to keep pace with commercial practice and further build pet owner trust in veterinary businesses,” said Martin Coleman, chair of the CMA inquiry group.

A spokesperson for CVS Group, one corporate group that owns small and equine practices, told H&H the organisation “believes reform will help strengthen consumer confidence in the profession” and ensure “enhanced regulation”.

IVC Evidensia spokesperson, another corporate that horses small and large practices, told H&H the group is “pleased to see the Government taking action” – but added it is important that the consultation “reflects the significant progress in clinical standards and consumer expectations for advanced care”.

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‘Major reforms’ planned for small animal vets raise questions and concerns for equine sector

Becky Murray — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 17:03:05 +0000

“Major reforms” proposed for small animal veterinary practice have raised questions for the equine sector.

On 15 October the Government’s competition and markets authority (CMA) released its provisional decision from an investigation into the UK’s veterinary services market. This was the result of a review into “how veterinary services are bought and sold amid concerns that pet owners may not be getting a good deal or receiving the information they need to make good choices”.

Among its findings, the CMA reported that pet owners are often unaware of the prices of common services and whether practices are part of a large national chain, have no effective way of comparing prices and may be paying twice as much for commonly prescribed medicines from practices than they could pay online.

“These factors are market wide and mean consumers do not benefit from strong competition between vet businesses. Average prices across the market rose by 63% between 2016 and 2023 – well above inflation,” read the report, adding that on average owners pay 16.6% more at large vet groups than at independent practices.

“For at least three of those large groups, average prices increased faster at practices they bought than at practices that remained independent. For a substantial part of the market as a whole, profits are much higher than they should be if competition was working well.”

The CMA said the “current regulatory system is not fit for purpose” and only regulates individual professionals, not businesses.

CMA inquiry group chair Martin Coleman said pet owners are “often left in the dark” about pricing and whether a practice is corporate-owned.

“We are proposing major reforms aimed at bringing about a transformation in the experience of pet owners and empowering them to make the best choices for their circumstances,” he said.

The CMA’s independent expert inquiry group has provisionally decided on 21 measures. These include requiring vet businesses to publish price lists, make it clear if they are part of a large group, tell owners if they can save money buying medication online and provide written prescriptions and breakdowns for pet care plans. The CMA also recommended that the Government “urgently prioritises” a new Veterinary Surgeons Act and updates regulation to include vet businesses as well as individuals.

A consultation on the provisional decision is open until 12 November, and the final decision is due in March 2026.

Although the report refers to small animal practice only, it has generated much discussion in the equestrian community, as some of the corporate groups own large-animal vet practices. Although many vets have “welcomed” the CMA report and a review of the act has been called for across the industry for some time, concerns about some of the CMA proposals have been raised by corporate groups and independent vets.

Alan Hough, owner of independent Celtic Equine Vets, told H&H the report raises questions around buying medications online – and could push vets’ fees up.

“We’ve always accepted that if you source medicines online you’ll get them cheaper – we don’t have the bulk-buying power online pharmacies do. But I think the CMA is missing the point that if you drive all drug sales from practices to online, we recoup quite a significant portion of our operating costs from those sales, we still need the same amount of money to run the practice. It means our professional fees will have to rise and people need to be aware of that,” he said, adding that many online vet pharmacies are owned by the six corporate vet groups.

“The CMA is trying to make out that all the money vets make is profit, and it maybe is to the larger groups, but to most independent practices we’re operating at a level to make enough turnover to reinvest in staff and update some technology, but none of us have second homes in Barbados.”

Independently owned Hambleton Equine Clinic “welcomed” the CMA’s call for greater transparency in pricing – but warned “equine care cannot be simplified into standard price lists”.

“The equipment we use, such as advanced imaging, diagnostics and surgical facilities, requires significant investment and expertise. Quality care can’t be reduced to a simple price comparison. Our responsibility is to provide the right care, not just the cheapest option,” said Hambleton director Phil Cramp.

A spokesperson for corporate vet business IVC Evidensia, which owns small and large animal practices, said the rise in vet bills over the past decade “reflects major advances in capabilities, diagnostics and treatments, and a response to customer demands for advanced care”.

“Over the past five years, IVC Evidensia has invested over £200m in our clinics, equipment and training, and invested significantly in increased salaries and benefits,” he said.

“We have long advocated for a complete overhaul of the outdated Veterinary Surgeons Act, and are pleased the CMA is recommending this as a priority. While we already comply with a number of the CMA’s proposals, the full package will inevitably increase the administrative burden for the sector.”

British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) CEO David Mountford told H&H the CMA proposals “raise questions for the whole sector”.

“We welcome efforts to improve transparency and client communication, which are central to good veterinary care. However, we’re also conscious of the risk that new regulatory or business requirements designed for companion animal practice could be applied uncritically to equine work,” he said.

“BEVA will be engaging closely to ensure any future changes are proportionate, workable and reflect the needs and realities of equine veterinary care.”

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Owners urged to take action after ‘significant’ increase in strangles cases

Eleanor Jones — Sat, 18 Oct 2025 12:20:39 +0000

Owners have been reminded of the need to be vigilant and take action after a “significant” increase in strangles cases.

The Surveillance of Equine Strangles (SES) network, which collects reports of diagnoses from laboratories and vet practices, confirmed that more than 370 cases have been diagnosed in 2025, compared to the annual UK average of about 300. This has sparked new calls for equestrians to increase biosecurity and consider vaccination to minimise spread.

Equine Infectious Disease Surveillance (EIDS) monitors diagnoses reported to SES; a spokesperson for the group said the data shows the number of cases this year is “significantly higher” than in 2023 and 2024, “indicating a genuine increase rather than normal year-to-year variation”.

Dr Richard Newton of EIDS said, “These findings are a clear reminder that strangles remains an ever-present risk to the UK horse population. The increase in diagnoses underlines the importance of continued vigilance, prompt reporting and proactive prevention measures.”

Recent EIDS and Royal Veterinary College (RVC) research showed that acutely infected or recently recovered short-term carrier horses play a more important role in transmission than long-term carriers (news, 14 August).

EIDS’ Abigail McGlennon, who led the research, said: “Our data show how easily this disease can move across regions through potential links such as shared horse transport, events/competitions, and buying and selling horses. Post-outbreak screening, sufficient quarantine and screening of new arrivals and routine biosecurity measures are essential to preventing wider transmission.”

EIDS and SES are urging people to take action including isolating new arrivals, disinfecting shared equipment and screening after outbreaks to make a “substantial difference in controlling this highly infectious disease”. The strangles vaccine can help reduce infection risk and spread.

Dr McGlennon said, “We now have more tools than ever to protect horses, but knowledge must be matched by action. Prevention, early detection, and vaccination together can help to reduce the impact of strangles.”

The British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) is also urging owners to be vigilant.

BEVA veterinary projects officer Lucy Grieve noted that horses typically develop a fever two to three days before they become infectious.

“So taking your horse’s resting temperature daily if any new horses have recently arrived, or you’re away from home with your horse, is a basic biosecurity measure that could minimise the size and cost of an outbreak,” she told H&H.

“Prevention of spread is key and relies on strict biosecurity and quarantine protocols. You can never be too cautious; quarantining new arrivals for at least three weeks, avoiding sharing equipment, whether buckets, grooming equipment or tack, with other horses and preventing your horse from coming into close contact with any unfamiliar horses are all imperative.”

Visit the EIDS website and and the BEVA website for more information.

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Showing the public – and ourselves – that horses can enjoy their sport

Eleanor Jones — Tue, 23 Sep 2025 16:03:48 +0000

Sport horses may need to be ridden and competed to enjoy their best lives – but how do we show the public and ourselves that our horses enjoy what they’re doing?

These were some issues raised during a “moral maze” session at the 2025 British Equine Veterinary Association Congress (11–13 September).

Panellists considered whether involving horses in sport is to their benefit or detriment. The main themes were welfare and longevity and whether horses are able not just to perform but “to live well throughout their whole athletic lives and beyond”. The others were public acceptance and scrutiny, the influence of money and economics on horse sport and welfare, and governance, “whether equestrian sport is structured to generally protect horses”.

Professor of veterinary ethics Madeleine Campbell said public focus on involvement of animals in sport has become “quite incoherent”. And the view seems to be that there is an ethical difference between that and any other human-animal interaction, “because it’s trivial”.

“I don’t accept that,” she said. “My view is that every human use of non-human animals, apart from in medical science, is essentially trivial. We don’t need to eat meat or keep them as companions… there’s nothing ethically distinct about using animals in sport.”

Prof Campbell said she thinks animals’ involvement in sport has been classed with their use in entertainment, such as circuses, which she does not accept, as knowledge about horses and dogs is now so advanced, we can meet their welfare needs, unlike circus animals’.

“The fact that we know what their welfare needs are makes their use in sport ethically acceptable, ethically justifiable, providing we do indeed meet their welfare needs,” she said.

“I think we have to speak calmly and sensibly in the public space and to try to explain all this.”

Ethics and acceptance

She added that ethics and welfare and public acceptance are separate.

“Ethics is whether we ought to do something, and part of our decision-making process relies on welfare science; what we know about the welfare impacts on the horse,” she said.

“They’re part of this conversation around social licence to use animals in sport. But there’s a risk when we talk about social licence a lot that it sounds as if we’re concerned about simply maintaining it, whereas I genuinely believe what we as professionals are concerned about is welfare and health of horses. Essentially, providing we get that right, social licence will be maintained.”

Speakers agreed that if horse sport waits for the public to act, it will be too late. A huge amount of work is being done, but we must make that clear to combat the vocal nature of those opposed to equestrianism.

Performance horse consultant and top vet Peter “Spike” Milligan said if people are happy for horses to be domesticated and ridden, involving them for sport is the next step.

“I think we’d all be aware there are horses suffering from potentially limited welfare within a pleasure horse setting, dependent on the knowledge and training abilities of the rider,” he said.

“But due to the domestication of horses, and largely because of how amenable they are to human interaction, we have a population of horses that, due to their breeding and genetics, really require sport and training to be fulfilled, happy and enriched – and that’s something I feel very strongly about.”

Welfare linchpins

Mr Milligan says he sees vets as the “linchpin” of maintaining good welfare.

“I think we have a huge level of responsibility for that,” he said. “Yes, the structures from the FEI and other jurisdictions can take an oversight role, but our own inherent morals and values – we need to make sure that we are ultimately the bastions for welfare, for our sports horses.”

Mr Milligan said ridden horses benefit from being engaged and enriched by training, that everyday training is the “baseline” of each horse’s welfare, and that he has concerns about unregulated unaffiliated competition. But, he added, we should be aware of concerns about elite sport.

“It only takes the odd snippet of video to end up on social media. To be judged on some of your worst moments is tough, but these high-level professionals do need to be accountable,” he said. “And I believe the accountability needs to be more public. To be seen to care, the response should not be ‘I got caught,’ but ‘I need to reflect on this.’”

A good life

The final speaker, World Horse Welfare CEO Roly Owers, said a real challenge is ensuring horses have a good life, from their perspective rather than ours, and then demonstrating to the public – and ourselves – that horses enjoy sport.

“This is now a global issue. I think if the sector can work together better globally and ensure they do invest in research, it’s that evidence that will help us make sure we’re doing the right things with our horses. And that’s obviously a very good and clear justification to the public about why it can be ethically acceptable to involve horses in sport,” he said.

“But we’re not here to make ourselves look good. That is a secondary issue. It’s about doing what is right for our horses, and that should be at the centre of our thinking, always.”

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Equine conflict behaviours shown more in snaffle bridles than doubles, research finds

Eleanor Jones — Fri, 19 Sep 2025 13:31:55 +0000

Double bridles’ effect on equine behaviour and noseband tightness were among the topics discussed at a session on biomechanics at the 2025 British Equine Veterinary Association 2025 congress.

Researchers presented abstracts of studies yet to be published in full, on hot topics in the industry.

Russell MacKechnie-Guire covered a study on the effect of double bridles. H&H reported on some of the findings of this work, which found that doubles exert similar or less nasal pressure and rein tension than snaffles in elite horses; this abstract considered behaviour.

“Welfare concerns have been raised over the use of the double bridle, and the double bride in itself is often associated, or suggested to be the cause of, conflict behaviour, such as mouth separation, tongue retraction, tongue bulging or discoloration, lateral displacement,” he said. “But there is no quantitative data to explicitly say it’s the bridle that’s causing it.

“Oral lesions have been associated with bars of the mandibles with a straight bit and in a snaffle in the [folds] of the lips. The double bridle is as topical as noseband tightness, and there are groups and stakeholders calling for a ban of the double bridle on welfare grounds.”

But the study found no differences in most measured conflict behaviours between bridle types, in the high-level horses studied. When differences were observed, conflict behaviours were more frequent in the snaffle than the double.

Conflict behaviours

“Using a ridden horse ethogram, we found two conflict behaviours increased in the snaffle bridle,” Dr MacKechnie-Guire said. “Is this due to the rein aid being less clear when the horses were ridden in the snaffle bridle? Elite riders may have a more refined application of the rein aid, aiding improved communication with the double bridle, and maybe it’s more subtle for the rider to communicate with the horse due to the action of the two bits.

“Rein tension is similar for the double and snaffle bridle, the combined rein tension, but for the double, the force is distributed over two bits. Is it possible that the focal force from the snaffle bridle may have led to those conflict behaviours? We don’t know. Food for thought.”

Dr MacKechnie-Guire stressed that this was high-level horses and riders, and that more work is needed.

“Bridle-horse interaction is complex, and it’s likely other factors cause the presence of the conflict behaviors, not just bridle type.” he said. “And we really need more work to take this forward, and of course, in less skilled riders.”

Dr MacKechnie-Guire’s other abstract presented did consider lower-level combinations, and noseband tightness. The researchers had already found that pressure on top horses’ faces in trot was not significantly increased when nosebands were tightened from two fingers’ space to 1.5. This study had the same findings with novice horses and riders.

“We’ve had a significant step forward with the FEI introducing the noseband measuring tool in May; data used for that was partly from our studies in elite horses, but now we’ve got non-elite horses, so this data supports its use there too,” Dr MacKechnie-Guire said. “And the values at one finger tightness, as it’s always good to keep things in perspective, were less than 15 kPa, a value thought to cause pain and discomfort on the head.”

Controversial topic

One guest, vet and behaviour expert Gemma Pearson, said: “Thank you for continuing your lovely work on this controversial topic. I think it’s probably worth saying; I’m certainly aware of one yard where the girls weren’t allowed to tighten nosebands because they couldn’t get them physically tight enough. So the fact we’re arguing between 1.5 and two fingers feels like we’ve come a long way, and I think we all need to remember that.”

Julia Lanfear, a vet student in her final year, presented work on whether pulling loads can build equine topline more than ridden work. She assessed the back shape of 42 load-pulling and 26 ridden-only military horses, and found that the former work “resulted in increased convexity of the equine back compared to ridden exercise only”.

“It’s possible that load pulling could lead to hypertrophy of epaxial muscle [topline] in horses, because the musculature functions to stabilise the equine back by counteracting the forces produced by the hindlimb and forelimb muscles,” she said. “Load pulling could increase this requirement for stabilisation by increasing the propulsive force that the limbs need to generate to move the load. Load pulling could result in increased activation of the epaxial muscles and their hypertrophy.”

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Culture change needed as vet injuries played down and ‘discussed like pub stories and banter’

Becky Murray — Sun, 01 Jun 2025 12:03:12 +0000

Injuries sustained by equine vets get “discussed like pub stories”, as new research highlights concerning attitudes towards kicks and bites, and the need for a culture change.

H&H reported that CVS Equine vets and nurses will wear safety helmets when handling horses. This was a result of research published by the University of Liverpool on 25 April, which found that more than 90% of vets had been injured while working (news, 29 May).

The study also found that one in four recent injuries required hospital attendance and 16% resulted in a fracture. The most common injuries were kicks to the leg and head, and although 58% of injured vets took more than a week to physically recover from an injury, only 6.7% took more than a week off work.

Lead researcher John Tulloch, who published a paper in January on a lack of injury reporting in the industry, told H&H the work considered events leading up to an injury – and the behaviour of those injured afterwards.

“The aim was to identify areas where we can try and minimise the number of injuries occurring in future but also minimise the severity,” said Dr Tulloch.

“The second most common injury was a kick to the head and that in itself is quite terrifying. If there’s any way we can help stop those things happening, or reduce the severity, that’s going to be a really good thing.”

One vet quoted in the study fractured a foot and instead of taking time off, cut a hole in their shoe and carried on doing the job.

“There are lots of instances like that where they should have stopped working or done desk work until they were better. Some of that was to do with the guilt of burdening colleagues, which is understandable, but also a sense of inevitability that injuries are always going to happen when you’re working with horses,” said Dr Tulloch.

“That shows a culture that needs tweaking, because if you’re injured, you’re much more likely to get injured again and you’re increasing the risk to others around you.”

Dr Tulloch said creating a culture change is “challenging” when there is an acceptance of injury.

“I know, from working in the vet world, injuries are sometimes discussed like pub stories – and because you’ve come out the other end and you’re ok, it’s talked about in that bantering kind of way, but without necessarily the reflection side of ‘What can I do differently, how can we improve this so others in future don’t get injured?’,” he said.

“That’s where CVS’s hat policy is really good, but the main drive will need to be that change in culture, and adopting personal protective equipment is part of the bigger picture to get that attitude and behavioural change.

“There has been lots of focus around rider safety, cross-country and road safety, and keeping the general equestrian injury-free – and I think the same effort now probably needs to be put on vets and others working with horses.”

Lucy Grieve, the British Equine Veterinary Association’s projects officer, told H&H the study “serves as another reminder of the dangers faced by vets working with large animals”.

“While we know there are risks which cannot be completely avoided, there are measures we can take to minimise the overall chance of injury as well as the severity if it were to happen,” she said.

“As Tulloch et al highlight, there is still a ‘c’est la vie’ attitude to injury in the farming and equestrian industries, which isn’t helping us learn from mistakes. If we want people to be safer and horses to be calmer, we have to view incidents, including near-misses, with the respect they deserve. Why did they happen and how can they be prevented in future?”.

Miss Grieve said this change will only happen if “we start recording, discussing and examining those situations properly”.

“Then we can start to learn, employ appropriate techniques and put measures in place. This may include better training for staff and clients, which many have already undertaken, whether it’s adding to the 120,000 views of BEVA’s ‘Don’t break your vet’ YouTube videos, demonstrating training techniques to help horses and their handlers to undertake routine procedures from clipping and loading to worming and injecting – or vets and nurses completing BEVA’s online modular ‘Hold Your Horses’, created by vet and specialist in equine veterinary behaviour Gemma Pearson to provide a course to learn about equine behavioural science and apply techniques in practice to help their patients’ welfare and improve the safety of veterinary teams in their day-to-day work.

“There is no doubt that carrying out veterinary work in a suitable environment with appropriate facilities and necessary equipment, which may include hats and steel toecap boots, will help prevent people sustaining injuries that could range from minor wounds to life-changing, or even fatal.”

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‘Very low’ risk as West Nile virus found in UK mosquitoes – what horse owners need to know right now

Lucy Elder — Thu, 22 May 2025 14:13:54 +0000

West Nile virus has been detected in UK mosquitoes for the first time, a finding the British Equestrian Veterinary Association (BEVA) said is “notable” but the current risk to horses and humans “remains very low”.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) announced yesterday (21 May) that fragments of West Nile virus genetic material had been identified in mosquitoes collected in Britain for the first time.

The virus is mosquito-borne and can affect birds, humans and horses. No equine or avian cases of West Nile virus reported in the UK have been associated with local transmission. All confirmed equine cases to date have been linked to recent travel abroad.

The majority of infected horses do not show signs. For those that do, signs of West Nile virus typically include muscle tremors, weakness, stiffness, ataxia – wobbly gait – and potentially recumbency. Its effects can range from being relatively mild to fatal.

The British Horse Society (BHS) has further information on the virus on its website and states that once a horse or human has been infected, they cannot pass the virus directly to another. It adds that many horses recover and return to full health, although a small minority of cases report long-term effects such as gait abnormalities. The BHS website also states that the mortality rate for horses which show clinical signs is reported to be between 35%-45%.

The UKHSA said “there is no evidence to suggest ongoing circulation of the virus in birds or mosquitoes in the UK and the risk to the general public is very low”.

How was the virus detected in UK mosquitoes?

The discovery came about through a UKHSA and Animal and Plant Health Agency research programme. Fragments were detected in two samples of Aedes vexans mosquitoes (commonly known as inland floodwater mosquito) from wetlands on the River Idle near Gamston (Retford) in Nottinghamshire, in July 2023.

The mosquitoes were pooled into 200 groups of 10 for testing, and fragments of West Nile virus genetic material were identified in two of the pools. The other 198 were negative.

BEVA board member Prof James Wood, infectious disease epidemiologist and co-director of Cambridge Infectious Diseases at the University of Cambridge, said: “It is very interesting that UKHSA and APHA have published evidence of West Nile virus infection in mosquitoes in England, although it is not especially surprising as it has been known for some time that previously infected migratory bird species have been travelling to and in some cases then spending summers in the UK.

“West Nile virus has become more prominent across Europe over the last 10-20 years. Risk mapping has identified parts of England, in particular in the south, as sites where West Nile virus transmission might be expected. It is not clear whether this finding is simply a new observation of something that has been occurring for years, or a new occurrence.

“APHA has monitored dead birds for West Nile virus for some time, but not detected it and while this surveillance is to be applauded, surveillance in healthy wild birds has never been undertaken.”

Professor Wood added that flaviruses, such as West Nile virus, more generally do not cause disease in their avian hosts.

He said that the natural cycle for transmission for many of these does not involve mammalian hosts. But that spillover into horses and humans, with clinical disease consequences, is a concern for West Nile virus when it does happen.

“Encephalitis is seen occasionally in both humans and horses,” said Professor Wood. “Veterinary and public health authorities have known for some time about the risks of West Nile virus transmitting to humans and horses and this new finding does emphasise the importance of medical and veterinary surveillance in cases of unexplained encephalitis.

“When West Nile virus is known to be circulating locally, enhanced mosquito avoidance approaches (stabling of horses, especially at dawn and dusk in high-risk areas) may be warranted.”

West Nile virus: ‘Currently no cause for alarm’

A BEVA statement said that the presence of the virus in mosquito vectors highlights the importance of continued surveillance, particularly as climate conditions shift.

It added that veterinary practitioners should include West Nile virus in their differential diagnosis for acute neurological presentations, especially in horses with tremors or ataxia, even when travel history is unclear.

“Horse owners travelling to endemic regions with their horses should be advised to consider West Nile virus vaccination, especially during mosquito season,” said the BEVA statement.

“Seasonality may no longer be a reliable predictor of mosquito activity. Climate change has increased the complexity and unpredictability of vector-borne disease patterns.

“While this is the first known detection of West Nile virus in UK mosquitoes, there is currently no cause for alarm.”

BEVA also supports “proactive awareness and preparedness in equine practice”; further details on this are on its website.

“We will continue to monitor any further developments and share relevant updates with our members and the wider equine community,” added the statement.

Meera Chand, UKHSA deputy director for travel health, zoonoses, emerging infections, respiratory and tuberculosis, said: “While this is the first detection of West Nile virus in mosquitoes in the UK so far, it is not unexpected as the virus is already widespread in Europe.

“The risk to the general public is currently assessed as very low. Vector research of this kind is designed to give us early warning of potential threats so that we can enhance our disease surveillance and control activities and ensure patients receive appropriate testing.”

West Nile virus is a notifiable disease, so must by law be reported to Defra in England and Wales, and in Scotland and Northern Ireland to the equivalent government authority.

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Equine vets view kicks as ‘everyday norm’ – concerns injuries are not reported

Becky Murray — Thu, 02 Jan 2025 17:30:29 +0000

Equine vets view getting kicked as an “everyday norm”, as new research suggests the number of injuries occurring in veterinary practice could be higher than reported.

The University of Liverpool and CVS have conducted the “largest ever” study on veterinary workplace injuries, with the aim of improving safety. In the first stage of the project 740 respondents, including large and small animal vets, nurses, and veterinary office staff, took part in a survey on how individuals define injuries, and when these should be reported.

The findings, published in scientific journal Occupational Medicine, revealed that of the vets who took part, the highest injury prevalence occurred in equine practice. When asked to describe a work-related injury that did not need reporting, a large proportion of the study’s respondents said that they would report all injuries – but this was lowest among equine vets. Injuries that were not reported included horse kicks, and one example was “being knocked into a wall by [a] horse causing pain initially but no visible bruises”.

The researchers discussed that many veterinary professionals will “only report a severe injury, and therefore, reporting statistics will underestimate the true prevalence”.

“Equine and production animal vets have a high threshold before acknowledging an incident is a work-related injury,” said the researchers, adding that this needs to be accounted for when interpreting injury reporting figures.

John Tulloch, lecturer and European specialist in veterinary public health at the University of Liverpool, led the research and told H&H that many equine vets said they would not define something as being an injury unless they could not work as a result.

“If you asked a member of the public if being kicked by a horse was an injury, they would immediately say ‘yes’. But for many working with horses, there’s an element of ‘a kick is an expected thing to occur’. It’s then what do you do about it if you have been kicked, and these are some of things we want to understand from a behavioural side, and how they approach these situations in the future,” said Dr Tulloch, adding that the next part of the project, due to be published early this year, will be equine vet-specific.

“The results also imply that people are getting straight back to work and carrying on, when sometimes there might be a need to get checked out, or take some time off.”

CVS director of clinical research Imogen Schofield said the results from this stage of the research have been “both startling and complex”.

“They highlight a profession in drastic need of cultural change and personal attitudes, with respect to injury prevention and mitigation,” she said.

In 2018 the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) launched the “Don’t Break Your Vet” campaign to help reduce the risk of injuries to vets– and in 2024 launched an online course “Hold Your Horses” for vets and nurses on applying equine learning theory in their everyday work.

BEVA veterinary projects officer Lucy Grieve told H&H the new research “represents some interesting information” – and suggests that equine vets have “a higher threshold” when it comes to injury reporting.

“This may be because injuries are somewhat ‘normalised’ by vets, and it even goes on to state that kicks and being crushed by horses is less likely to prompt concerns and further action. While this would imply that equine vets are understanding of the higher risk they face, it also indicates that those individuals are possibly putting themselves at risk unnecessarily,” she said.

“We have an enormously improved understanding of equine behaviour nowadays, which enables vets, owners and anyone working or involved with horses to approach horse training, management and interventions in ways which are appropriate to equine learning theory. By doing so the risk of injury to all is massively reduced, as is the mental distress or potential psychological harm, to the vet and the horse.”

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Likely cause of grass sickness found in major step to fighting devastating disease

Eleanor Jones — Thu, 05 Dec 2024 07:02:59 +0000

The identification of the probable cause of equine grass sickness (EGS) is a “game changer” in understanding of the disease – and an important step towards reducing deaths.

Experts believe they have found the neurotoxin responsible for causing EGS, which has been elusive for over 100 years. Research involving The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies’ Equine Hospital, published in the British Equine Veterinary Association’s (BEVA) Equine Veterinary Journal (EVJ), pinpoints a toxin with similar actions to snake venom toxins, produced by microorganisms in pasture.

The equine hospital’s Professor Bruce McGorum said: “Identifying a probable cause of equine grass sickness represents a significant breakthrough. We hope this discovery will lead to novel treatments and improved diagnostics for this devastating condition. We are very grateful for the generous support from horse owners, veterinary surgeons, scientists, charities and funding bodies.

“Further work is under way to determine the source of this neurotoxin; it is likely to be produced by a microbe such as a bacterium or fungus that grows on grass during cold and dry weather, which typically occurs before cases of the disease are identified.”

Grass sickness is a frequently fatal condition that causes degenerative changes to the central and autonomic (involuntary) nervous systems.

For this study, the researchers considered damage to muscle tissue in affected horses and found “major abnormalities” in their neuromuscular junctions; sites of communication between nerves and muscles crucial for muscle function.

These abnormalities are believed to represent damage caused by a type of neurotoxic enzyme, phospholipase A2. The toxin is in some snakes’ venom; it is possible drugs in development for treating people paralysed by snakebite could help horses with EGS.

The equine hospital’s Prof Scott Pirie said: “This work has clearly demonstrated the value of considering disease pathology, even subtle structural changes only visible at extremely high magnification, in the quest to identify the causes of disease, particularly those attributable to the action of toxins.

“The discovery of this distinct signature of toxin activity is a major game-changer in our understanding of this devastating disease.”

The study was carried out with Newcastle University, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, and the University of Padova. It was funded by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons’ charitable trust and the Moredun Foundation Equine Grass Sickness Fund.

Incredibly proud

“EVJ is incredibly proud to play a small part in getting this information to vets and horse owners,” said EVJ editor Professor Celia Marr. “As an equine clinician, I know this is a really important step towards addressing high losses associated with EGS.”

BEVA’s veterinary projects officer Lucy Grieve said dealing with grass sickness can be “horribly distressing” for vets.

“And it is hugely traumatic for the owner to know the likely outcome of this devastating disease,” she told H&H.

“Whilst we are some way off having means of prevention and treatment to save horses from this condition, this exciting work is an enormous leap in the right direction.

“To think that one day grass sickness could be a thing of the past is very exciting. As, of course, is the wider benefits of the work, the potential impact of which may be far-reaching across veterinary and human medicine.”

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Calls for riders to talk to – not about – each other on World Mental Health Day

Becky Murray — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 14:44:04 +0000

Mental health in the workplace has come into the spotlight again, as equestrians are encouraged to seek support and talk to each other.

Workplace mental health is the theme of the World Federation for Mental Health’s annual World Mental Health Day today (10 October). The charity said that 15% of UK workers are estimated to have a mental health condition, 875,000 suffered from work-related stress, depression and anxiety in 2022/23 and the fifth most common reason for sickness absence from work is mental health.

“There are many things that contribute to a mentally healthy workplace, from providing staff training on mental health to tackling discrimination and bullying. Importantly, a mentally healthy workplace supports open conversations about mental health,” said a spokesperson for the charity.

Equestrian Employers Association president Tullis Matson told H&H that ensuring workplaces meet good employment requirements not only provides compliance with legal obligations, but can help in managing mental health issues at work.

“By following good employment practice, such as providing employees with contracts and adhering to national minimum wage amounts, stress and anxiety at work can be reduced for both employees and employers,” he said.

“As an employer, you also have a responsibility to operate with an open door and listening management approach. I ensure that my team understand who their line manager is, as well as how seriously we take mental wellbeing, and within our staff handbook our processes are clear in relation to this.

“Both these actions significantly benefit the atmosphere at our establishment and assist with creating a calmer and happier environment.”

Mental health is a key talking point in the veterinary industry, and the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) has updated its mental health online resources, which include podcasts, continuing professional development resources and advice on preventing injuries at work and eating healthily.

BEVA council member Sophie Eaden told H&H vets can experience “big extremes, emotionally and mentally” during their working day.

“You can go from putting down an elderly pony to a vetting. Ultimately, you’re in the car on your own, so you really have to have quite a lot of resilience to navigate those emotionally and mentally challenging situations and then be able to compose yourself and be prepared for the next call,” she said.

“I think we dismiss that quite a lot as a profession because it’s just what we’ve always done and what we always do, and sometimes we don’t necessarily recognise the toll it’s taking. We hope that by sharing these resources, BEVA members have got things they can turn to when things are feeling a bit challenging and piling up.”

Mental health charity Riders Minds is encouraging the equestrian community to “share a cup of tea and talk” on World Mental Health Day, in a campaign to “inspire to ask, care and talk to those around them”.

Riders Minds chair and founder Victoria Wright said: “There is so much time in the horse world spent talking about one another rather than to each other. It’s time to change that and unite. Let’s have conversations on the yard that discuss ideas and are positive.

“Take the time to ask how others are doing today and be the reason they smile and you smile too. Life is too short to waste time with negativity, it’s down to us personally to create positivity.”

The charity also encourages people to “ask twice”, if they suspect someone might be struggling with their mental health.

“The simple act of asking again, with interest, can help someone to open up for the first time,” added a Riders Minds spokesperson.

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Half of owners cannot identify equine lameness, research finds

Eleanor Jones — Fri, 04 Oct 2024 11:51:25 +0000

Only about half of owners can recognise equine forelimb lameness, and a third hindlimb issues – and confidence in spotting issues does not necessarily match ability.

These were the findings of a study presented at the British Equine Veterinary Association Congress (11-14 September), by final-year vet student Jade England.

Ms England explained that lameness is one of the most often reported conditions in horses, and that previous research has suggested a high prevalence of undiagnosed lameness. This project, to investigate owners’ ability and confidence in identifying lameness, involved an online questionnaire completed by 509 people.

Each was shown videos of a sound horse, those with fore- and hindlimb lameness and one with bilateral shifting forelimb lameness.

Of these, 50.6% identified the sound horse, 50.3% the forelimb lameness, 32.3% the hindlimb issue and 8.9% the bilateral lameness.

“Investigating owner confidence, we found that most owners rated their confidence four out of five for identifying forelimb lameness, three out of five for hindlimb lameness, and two out of five for bilateral lameness,” Ms England said. “There is a group of people who are quite confident, but actually have the lower lameness identification scores, and a group who are lacking in confidence, but it doesn’t really correlate with their score.”

When asked about clinical signs of lameness, most selected head nods or hip hikes but far fewer cited pain expressions or behaviour changes.

“It’s probably no surprise that horse owners struggle to identify lameness, particularly hindlimb and bilateral lamenesses,” Ms England said. “Signs such as behavioural changes and pain expressions could really help with this, but we’re finding that owners are rarely using these.

“The results from this study can really help us understand the knowledge gaps and barriers owners may face when identifying lameness in their horses. We can use this to develop evidence-based resources focused on helping owners to improve recognition and understanding of lameness, leading to earlier identification, earlier diagnosis and faster access to treatment.”

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The change that vets being run by corporates has brought to the horse world

Eleanor Jones — Wed, 02 Oct 2024 16:02:33 +0000

Corporisation has changed the equine veterinary and wider industries – but the question remains as to whether this is for the better or not.

This is the opinion of one vet who has worked for both corporately owned and independent practices, who was on a panel discussing the issue at the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) Congress (11–14 September).

At the start of the debate, vets in the audience were asked whether they thought corporatisation had been had been good for equine vets and the industry as a whole; opinions were equal on the first question but on the second, fewer than 20% thought it had been a good thing for the horse world.

The panel featured vets in both types of practice. Tom Hughes is a former partner at Liphook Equine Hospital, which was sold to Vet Partners in 2018. He said that conditions, for example for vets who are parents, have improved, for example by using on-call services for emergencies.

“I think all those things have improved during the period corporates have owned more practices,” he said. “I suspect some of those improvements would have come without corporatisation, but I think corporate practice has helped enable some of those changes, and has maybe accelerated that process, although I suspect independent vets would have got there in the end.

“In terms of the equestrian industry, I’m not sure it makes that much difference. I think having vets come at night who haven’t had to work all day and all the next day is probably a good thing. I think on the whole, the most important thing to those horses is the vets that come and see them. And I think those vets haven’t changed, by and large, as a result of corporatisation.”

But Alison Walters, founding director of the “fiercely independent” Hambleton Equine in North Yorkshire, does not believe corporatisation has been beneficial.

“I think the arrival of corporates did make us all pull our socks up a bit; it made us look at our businesses and things like working conditions,” she said. “But I think there are more negatives. There’s definitely been more reputational damage to the profession, largely driven by things like price increases that have definitely been pushed by the corporates. We’re definitely seen as kind of money-grabbing.”

Ms Walters said she thinks corporates are more profit-driven, and some vets who work for them do not feel comfortable with “the upselling they sometimes have to do”, and that there can be lack of choice, in equipment and drugs, but also the direction of a career or the practice. She said this could result in lack of engagement from vets who see less opportunity for career progression.

“This is me speaking to colleagues in corporate practice and comparing it to how we do things in my independent practice,” she said. “I’m sure there are lots of differences between individual practices; really good independent practice and really good corporate practice. But I think the main thing is increased prices, increased cost to the client.

“I think some clients like having different out-of-hours providers, but lots of independent practices use out-of-hours providers as well. So I don’t think you can use that as an arguing point.”

Lesley Barwise-Munro, of CVS-owned Alnorthumbria Vets said she found the transition to a corporate practice hard at first, but thanks to a change of mindset, is “as excited about my job now as I ever was, and as motivated”.

She feels corporation is beneficial, as it has “given the profession a shake-up”; she said it was “antiquated”, and practices were in a “race to the bottom” with prices, which were too low. She said conditions are better, such as for parents who can work full-time, and with HR support.

“There are pros and cons of both, and I think we can acknowledge those,” she said. “And I do think there’s a good future. I think there’s going to be a bit of turmoil in the meantime but hopefully we’ll all go forward in an amicable way.”

Gemma Dransfield, who has worked for independents and corporates, said she can see the pros and cons of both. She said CVS was the first to offer increased maternity leave and the others followed suit, which has been positive, but that independent practice is now in line on such issues. She said CVS’s out-of-hours initiative Equicall has been positive for many practices.

“But I do feel that the middle bracket of vets are the ones that have lost out,” she said, adding that new graduates have benefited from better salaries and training. Vets who were partners may have benefited from sales but “the middle bracket of vets who were very experienced, didn’t benefit from a buyout, are expected to stay and work in the same way,” she said. “It’s very, very hard.

“I think the old model of coming up and buying into a partnership and working for 20, 30 years has changed, and it may well have changed for good, because people look at alternatives now; is that worse? I don’t know.

“In terms of clients. I think it all depends on the vets working in a practice, and as long as their vet turns up and they’ve got the trust, that’s the most important thing.

“So I think in some ways it’s benefited the profession, in some ways it hasn’t; it would be wrong to say whether it was all good or all bad. One thing it has done is change the profession, and it did need to change. So I guess the jury’s still out on whether it’s changed it for the better.”

The initial questions were asked again at the end of the debate; slightly less than half then thought corporatisation has benefited equine vets, and just under 20% thought it has benefited the equestrian industry.

The issue had been discussed at the 2017 BEVA Congress, when panellists debated the motion “Corporatisation of equine practices is inevitable and will benefit vets and their clients” (news, 21 September 2017). Before the debate on that occasion, some 44% agreed, and 56% disagreed. After both sides had had their say, this changed to 28% in agreement and 72% against.

What is your experience of equine vets owned by large corporations? Has it been positive or not? Let us know at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and county for the chance to be published in the letters page of Horse & Hound magazine

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Buyers ‘largely in the dark’ over equine dental checks in pre-purchase vettings

Becky Murray — Tue, 01 Oct 2024 16:33:36 +0000

Calls have been made to update pre-purchase examination (PPE) guidelines to include more on dental checks – as many owners are “largely in the dark” about the current “minimal” procedure.

The topic was addressed by Rob Pascoe of Equine Dentistry Referrals in a session titled “Is there a role for dental pre-purchase examination?” at the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) Congress (11–14 September).

Current PPE guidelines, set out by BEVA and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, include an examination of the horse’s incisors – but not a full inspection using a gag.

The guidance adds that an examination using a gag “may be included as an additional procedure; however, some dental abnormalities may only be detected by a more detailed exam using sedation and a dental mirror or orascope”.

Mr Pascoe believes the PPE process “has tended to overlook the field of dentistry” – and said there are conditions of the oral cavity that can prejudice a horse’s suitability for intended use.

“Owners can find themselves purchasing animals with significant dental problems, ongoing treatment costs, and they’re not aware,” he said.

“The guidelines state that the preliminary [PPE] examination includes an examination of the incisor teeth; it doesn’t mention what the purpose of that examination is. Some vets interpret that as ‘to look at the age of the horse’.”

Mr Pascoe said buyers are “largely in the dark about the minimal dental examination in the standard PPE” – and that he has seen cases of owners discovering dental issues after buying a horse.

“Our understanding of equine dental disease has changed dramatically in the past 25 years, we’ve got a greater range of diagnostic tools and treatment options, yet the PPE hasn’t really changed in decades,” he said.

“I think we need to be far more open with purchasers about the limitations of all PPEs, including the five-stage process. So many clients say, ‘I’m having a five-star vetting’ and it’s not – it’s a five-stage, and those stages are clearly defined.

“There’s a general failing of us as a profession, and I think that is damaging the reputation of the profession and the PPE process. Vets need to be clear with buyers that oral examination is not included, explain the ramifications and give owners the opportunity to request additional assessment.”

Mr Pascoe believes PPE guidelines should be updated and include an “approved format for additional examinations” – but he highlighted potential challenges.

These could include the risk of a horse injuring itself while wearing a gag, whether sedation is required – and the dilemma if a sale did not go ahead and a different buyer wanted to blood-test the horse in a PPE soon after. He said any changes to guidelines would need to be discussed by all the relevant parties, including vets carrying out PPEs.

BEVA veterinary projects officer Lucy Grieve told H&H that in buying horses there is much focus on common concerns such as lameness and sarcoids.

“However, the mouth can be a site for some serious conditions that may render a horse unrideable,” she said.

“It is expected [in a standard UK PPE] that the incisor teeth are checked, to ensure the age of the horse is approximately correct; vets will simultaneously assess for any lesions or abnormalities in this area.

“A thorough examination of the horse’s mouth requires sedation in most cases, as well as specialist equipment and knowledge. This is clearly not practical or affordable for the standard PPE. However, it is always an option to perform ‘additional procedures’, which may be advised where the vet identifies an issue in the horse’s history or clinical examination that warrants more in-depth examination.”

Ms Grieve said some vets will extend the oral exam with a head torch and gag, out of goodwill and if the horse does not need sedation.

“It’s important purchasers know and understand the mouth is not routinely examined as part of a standard PPE, but it is possible to request additional procedures, which invariably requires sedation and specific equipment and comes with associated costs,” she said.

“Purchasers need to fully discuss the options available to them with the vet, and base their decision on weighing up the risks and financial costs, which will be an individual choice.”

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Double bridles create less pressure than snaffles in elite dressage horses, research finds

Eleanor Jones — Thu, 26 Sep 2024 11:51:48 +0000

Double bridles exert less nasal and rein pressure than snaffles, a study involving top competition horses has found.

Studies comparing the noseband pressure and rein forces exerted by the two types of bridle were among those presented in a session on biomechanics at the British Equine Veterinary Association Congress (12–14 September).

Researcher and biomechanics expert Russell MacKechnie-Guire presented first a summary of a study on noseband pressure.

“You will be aware that the noseband and bridle-horse interaction has received quite widespread attention from both ethical and welfare perspectives,” Dr MacKechnie-Guire said. “Bridle-horse interaction is complex, and that’s really one of the things I want to get across, but unfortunately, they’re often overlooked in training and management of horses.

“There have been concerns raised over the use of double bridles but there’s very little quantitative comparison of the double bridle with the snaffle and we wanted to have a look at the facial pressures and movement symmetries.”

The team recruited 13 horses and riders competing at inter II or grand prix level, accustomed to being ridden in snaffles and doubles, and with their usual riders. All were assessed by a vet, including dentally, to ensure there was no discomfort, and bridle fit was checked.

Pressure was then measured, synchronised with video of the horses moving.

“In this group of horses, we found the mean nasal pressures were lower for the double bridle,” Dr MacKechnie-Guire said. “Maximum nasal pressure was lower for the double bridle versus the snaffle. So in this high-level group of horses, the double bridle did not increase nasal or mandible pressures compared to the snaffle.”

The team did find increased pressure over the horses’ heads in the double, which Dr MacKechnie-Guire said reinforced the complexity of bridle-horse interaction; much attention is given to nosebands but, he said, padding headpieces appropriately would allow distribution of the force.

Dr MacKechnie-Guire also presented a study on rein pressure, on fellow researcher David Marlin’s behalf, conducted at the same time.

This found that in trot, there was less rein force in the double than in the snaffle, and it was similar in walk and canter. The force on the curb bit was less than on the bradoon, in all gaits, and the force on the bradoon was less than on the snaffle.

“What we could potentially suggest is that with the presence of two bits, the total force is being distributed over a greater area,” Dr MacKechnie-Guire said. “It suggests potential for greater focal forces being applied to the oral structures by the snaffle bit.”

Dr MacKechnie-Guire stressed that he was not suggesting all horses should have two bits; he reiterated that these were high-level horses and riders, and future work is needed at lower levels. And on the biological effects of the findings.

Saddle effect

In a separate presentation in the same session, leading biomechanics vet and researcher Rachel Murray looked at changing saddle design and its effect on jumping horses.

The team in this study recruited 14 high-level showjumpers, who were assessed by vets and physios. Ridden by their usual riders, the horses each jumped in a standard monoflap saddle, and one with a lower cantle and different thigh block.

“The only thing that changed was the top, the interface of the rider with the saddle,” Dr Murray said.

Pressures were measured as the horses jumped a 1.20m fence, and it was found that on the approach and landing, there was significantly more pressure in the standard saddle; there was no difference on take-off or the jumping phase.

“So saddle design has the potential to support or restrict rider movement,” Dr Murray said. “Particularly on landing, the rider comes back, hits the back of the saddle and slides down it, whereas, where we don’t have that big cantle, there’s a much smoother interface between the rider and the saddle, and the rider’s pelvis is able to move back further without hitting the saddle.

“We don’t know all the mechanics, but we’ve definitely got a difference in what’s happening with the rider on the two saddles. And what is interesting is that it’s having a difference on the impact of the force between the saddle and the horse.”

Dr Murray again said that this involved high-level horses and riders; taking away support from a less balanced rider may have a negative effect, but it was concluded that “alteration in rider-saddle interaction affects the forces on the horse”.

“Is this a potential protection of the horse’s back?” she said.

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The challenges of identifying – and managing – pain in horses

Becky Murray — Thu, 26 Sep 2024 10:23:26 +0000

Pain is not always considered first when a horse presents changes in behaviour or performance, as a new study shines the light on managing pain in horses.

Researchers from the University of Liverpool have investigated owners’ and vets’ decision-making around chronic pain management. The study, which was presented at the British Equine Veterinary Association Congress (12–14 September), involved interviews with vets and owners, and observations of veterinary consultations.

Lead author Becky Smith told H&H the aim of the study was to understand what led owners to seek veterinary advice for their horses and times when pain may be a consideration.

“We wanted to understand the decision-making that led to veterinary involvement, and how the interactions between vets and owners during consultations not only shaped the vet’s approach, but impacted on the decisions made,” Dr Smith said.

“The really strong theme was that owners had developed strong knowledge of their horses over time, and through that would make interpretations of their behaviour. Commonly during the study, pain was not generally the primary concern that owners would report to the vet, it might be changes in behaviour or performance.”

Among the findings, the results showed that “owners generally viewed pain as indicative of something requiring a vet visit” but that other management strategies or forms of advice “often preceded” veterinary involvement. Some owners opted to try avenues, such as box rest, having a saddle checked or asking others on the yard before seeking veterinary advice.

“We know that with a pain-related issue, seeking veterinary advice as early as possible is really important, and from previous research we know that every interaction between the owner and vet shapes when a vet is brought in in the future, so I think building those vet-owner relationships so the vet is an earlier source of advice is going to be beneficial,” said Dr Smith.

The study found that vets’ approaches to management and the discussions with owners were shaped by factors including horse age, lifestyle, and perceptions of owners’ goals. The uptake of veterinary recommendations was “influenced by the practicalities” for owner and horses.

“It’s important for vets to support owners and provide opportunities for them to express their concerns, or discuss practical or ethical considerations about management approaches, said Dr Smith, adding that owners’ approaches to pain management were “very individual”.

“When it came to things like the use of alternative therapies like magnetic bands for example, it was perceived that if they were something they had used on themselves or family members, they would be something they would be more open to using on their animals,” she said.

The Horse Trust, which funded the research, is home to many retired horses – some of which receive chronic pain management. The Horse Trust vet Nicky Housby-Skeggs told H&H that as horses are prey animals, they do not want to show they are in pain, so sometimes it can be difficult to recognise.

“I think that’s the first challenge,” she said. “There might be times when people notice a horse is lame, but they won’t associate that with the fact that the horse is in pain – or they might be dropping food, but they might not associate that with dental pain for example.

“People often recognise signs, but don’t necessarily link it to pain. We see it a lot with behaviour cases too, where perhaps people might say the horse is being ‘naughty’, but actually the horse is in pain.

“Once we recognise something is related to pain, we can then think about how to manage that and make that horse’s quality of life better. That doesn’t necessarily mean a horse is going to be filled with drugs, but it might mean incorporating medication, additional supplements, physiotherapy, or a change in shoeing. We try to think about multimodal pain relief, where a combination of things together can all make a difference.”

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Vets face ‘concerning’ ethical challenges when treating competition horses

Becky Murray — Thu, 22 Aug 2024 16:24:11 +0000

A new study shines a light on “concerning” ethical challenges being faced by vets treating competition horses.

Researchers from the University of Bristol aimed to understand some of the ethical issues UK equine sports medicine vets are facing. A survey was taken by 97 vets, with questions on topics including conflicts of interest, pressure from owners, duties and obligations for vets set out by sport governing bodies and treatments and procedures used in sport medicine.

The most common challenge raised by the respondents was conflict of interest – notably “balancing the horse’s health and welfare with client wishes, particularly for the horse to compete”. An example given was owners requesting ongoing treatment and management of injuries to allow the horse to continue competing at a high level, where “it might be more appropriate to drop to a lower level/retire the horse”, and pressure put on vets to provide a “quick fix” for a horse for it to compete or be sold.

Other challenges highlighted were owner/trainer disregard of lameness, being asked to administer drugs and not put them on the clinical record as they appear on prohibited substance lists, and owners medicating horses without veterinary advice.

The limitations of the study were noted: vets who had concerns about ethical issues in sports medicine may have been more motivated to respond, and there was potential for response bias – but the researchers said this study provides “a foundation” for future work in this area.

The researchers said some of the findings “will be concerning for governing bodies” – and that the responses revealed areas that “could pose reputational risk to equestrian sport and/or the veterinary profession”.

Lead author Kate Allen told H&H vets face ethical challenges in all areas of practice, not just in sports medicine, but the team wanted to explore “the unique aspects” of being a sports medicine vet.

“It’s that added component of having the pressure for the horse to continue to train and compete, while thinking about horse welfare, rider safety, upholding clean sport – and trying to plan for the short- and long-term health of the horse,” said Dr Allen.

“The biggest challenge to come out is the competing interests of owners and trainers, and the pressure put on vets. There are times when the competing interests, whether that’s the client, or the sport’s regulations, or financial limitations, make it more challenging for you as a vet to meet that primary responsibility to the welfare of the horse.

“It’s also important to acknowledge that sports medicine has developed over recent decades, and there have been some great advances – but as care advances and we can do more and more, we need to think, ‘We can do this, but should we?’”

Dr Allen added that it would be positive for the profession and governing bodies to work closely together on these ethical challenges, and for clearer guidance from governing bodies to be developed on what procedures and treatments are both optimal and permitted, so that vets could use these to help guide discussions with clients.

British Equine Veterinary Association chief executive David Mountford told H&H the paper provides “thought-provoking evidence to substantiate the ethical challenges vets sometimes face in practice”.

“The authors have highlighted the potential limitations of the study, but it is very clear that there are a range of situations experienced by vets which could pose a reputational risk to equestrianism and/or the veterinary profession,” he said.

“Animal welfare is, and should always be, at the forefront of the industry’s collective minds, and this research highlights a need to develop systems that reduce the risk of ethical dilemmas occurring when treating horses.”

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Study finds ‘almost no evidence’ to support equine neck X-rays in pre-purchase vettings

Becky Murray — Sun, 07 Apr 2024 19:33:42 +0000

Research has highlighted a lack of evidence to support the usefulness of taking neck X-rays in pre-purchase examinations (PPEs).

A new paper by Royal Veterinary College (RVC) researchers has reviewed findings from previous studies on cervical X-rays, to answer whether they should be included in PPEs. The researchers said neck X-rays are more frequently being requested in vettings – but concluded that current evidence suggests “most findings present on cervical radiographs acquired at PPEs are of unknown or low significance in a clinically normal horse” – and there is “little evidence to support these as part of a PPE”.

It was also found that there is “minimal evidence of the progression of subclinical abnormalities found in cervical X-rays and their future impact on performance”.

Rupert Freddie Dash, lead author and RVC staff clinician in equine diagnostic imaging, told H&H as radiologists his team is often asked to look at PPE X-rays and that the neck “can often be an area that is quite tricky for us”.

“We find that sometimes, due to no fault of the vet taking the X-rays, they can be of lesser diagnostic quality than, for example, limb X-rays. If they are of reasonable quality, even then the findings can be quite difficult to interpret, so we thought it would be a good idea to review all of the evidence and see whether these are worthwhile X-rays to be taking,” said Dr Dash, adding that although the neck is a well-researched area, there is limited research around PPEs in general and on this issue.

“There’s almost no evidence that will tell us if we find something [on a cervical X-ray] in the PPE, how likely that is going to inhibit or reduce the horse’s performance.”

The paper also addressed the difficulties of cervical X-rays being taken in an ambulatory setting such as at someone’s yard, as portable machines are not as powerful as those used in a hospital. This means the images are “often underexposed”, which can “reduce image quality and hinder thorough evaluation”.

Dr Dash said a portable X-ray machine is more suited to limbs, so “perfectly diagnostic” images can be obtained.

“In my opinion there is still a place for X-rays of the limbs in PPEs,” he said. “There is still relatively limited research about how findings will go on to affect performance, however there is more research than on the neck, and vets may have more depth of experience to draw from with issues relative to the limbs.”

Dr Dash said that when it comes to PPEs “there is more evidence currently that a physical exam of the neck is more valuable in terms of predicting if there’s an issue”.

“Vets should palpate and manipulate the neck, including doing tests that may involve getting some feed and making sure that the horse can reach its flanks. I would say that would be more useful than radiographs,” he said.

Lucy Grieve, the British Equine Veterinary Association’s projects officer, told H&H that X-rays are very common now in PPEs, but buyers “should beware of their limitations”.

“At one end of the spectrum, there is clear evidence that deviations from the normal in neck and back X-rays are of no predictive value for future soundness or athletic potential, where the PPE and history have not raised suspicions,” she said.

“At the other end, some abnormalities seen on limb X-rays will have a significant predictive value – but buyers should remember that there are still many deviations seen in limb X-rays that are not indicators of future problems.”

Ms Grieve added that misjudging the significance of abnormalities seen on X-rays alone “can and does result in many sales falling through unnecessarily” – and advises owners to discuss any findings with their vet.

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Illegal and a risk to horses: owners warned against importing unauthorised veterinary medication

Becky Murray — Sun, 24 Mar 2024 20:56:50 +0000

Owners have been reminded that importing unauthorised veterinary medications is illegal – and not only poses a risk to horses, but could result in prosecution.

The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) has reported four recent cases of equine products being seized by authorities. A respiratory supplement intended for an address in Norfolk and wormers intended for a residential address in Reading, which had been shipped from the USA, were seized at East Midlands airport. A skin balm shipped from Serbia and a joint supplement from the USA, both intended for residential addresses in Northern Ireland, were detained at a courier company in Belfast.

All four products were not authorised for use in Great Britain or Northern Ireland and were not accompanied by any relevant certification to permit import.

Importing unauthorised veterinary medication into the UK is illegal, and those that do so are liable for enforcement action from the VMD, which may include prosecution. The regulations give inspectors the power to seize “veterinary medicines, anything purporting to be a veterinary medicine, additives, premixtures or feeding stuffs”.

“It is important to reiterate to horse owners that it’s a risky business to import any form of equine medication, not only because it is illegal, but also because it may put their horse at risk if they are using medications that are unauthorised in the UK,” Dave Rendle, former British Equine Veterinary Association president, told H&H.

“Companies that are knowingly breaking the law can’t be trusted to be selling what they say they are selling,” he said. “Some medications may appear to be the same as those you can purchase in the UK, but there can be subtle differences in how they are prepared, which might render them less effective, or even ineffective, and therefore a waste of money.”

Mr Rendle added that it is also “important not to buy medicines that have not been prescribed by a vet following a veterinary diagnosis”.“You could be giving your horse a well-intentioned ‘treatment’ which may be inappropriate for your horse and may cause serious harm,” he said.

A VMD spokesman told H&H that imported unauthorised veterinary medicines are “more likely to be counterfeit or even linked to organised crime”.

“That is why our inspectors actively carry out seizures across the country. Anyone caught importing an unauthorised veterinary medicine faces prosecution, for which there is no maximum fine on summary conviction,” he said.

What does the rise in corporate-owned vet practices mean for horse owners?

Becky Murray — Sat, 09 Mar 2024 21:02:58 +0000

The continuing increase of the number of corporate-owned equine vet practices has led to discussions across the industry.

As more practices become owned by corporate companies, H&H has spoken to people involved in the profession to find out what this means for owners and vets and to discuss the biggest challenges facing the industry. This includes the ongoing vet shortage and the high number of vets who leave equine practice often around five years after graduating.

A recent talking point was the closure of Chiltern Equine on 9 February. IVC bought the practice in November 2021 with seven others, but following an investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority (a non-ministerial government department that looks at whether mergers have the potential to lead to a substantial lessening of competition), Chiltern Equine became independent again when it was sold to Nick Park in June 2023.

Chiltern Equine’s founder Sarah Randall remained with the practice until she was made redundant last month.

Dr Randall has set up Elite Equine Clinic and told H&H it is “really difficult” for practice owners to find independent buyers.

“In theory, corporates should bring a lot of value in terms of smart hospitals and new equipment, but it’s making sure vets are making the decisions.”

The rise of corporate-owned practices sometimes raises concerns among owners about rising bills, not seeing the same vet and the decline in choice when many practices are owned by the same company. When asked whether the increase in corporate practices could be an issue, Dr Randall said she believes the main problem is for the younger generation of vets.

“I think a lot of them feel they don’t have a future, whereas with the old system where you establish yourself in a practice and become a partner, there was a bit more career progression, I would imagine,” she said.

Equine vet and IVC south-east regional equine head Graham Hunter, a former partner of an independent practice that sold to a corporate, agreed that many practice sales come down to succession challenges. But he added that “what was a well-run practice prior to being sold is probably still a well-run practice, with minimal turnover of staff.”

Dr Hunter said the biggest pressure on the industry is the ongoing vet shortage, which is driving costs up.

“Because there is a shortage, there are higher demands for wages, so everything racks up. And that unfortunately means the horse owner is generally faced with higher bills than they have been,” he said.

Ricky Farr, joint owner of Farr & Pursey Equine in Hertfordshire, told H&H that being an independent practice means they have been able to build up good relationships with clients.

“I think you can still do that in corporate practice, but from our point of view with corporate practice, you lose that autonomy, both clinically and financially, to make decisions kind of on the fly,” he said.

“People are worried about money, and I think you need that degree of flexibility from the veterinary side to tweak things a little on the financial – or the pharmaceutical – side to work with clients, and within your own business as well. We can say, ‘This is how much it costs, this is what we can do and this is what we’d like to do. Let’s find what works for you and what works for us.’

“We’ve had clients come to us from corporates and it seems to be the same story where they don’t see the same vets. Or it might be they are asked to bring their horse into the practice and then come out with rather large bills. I’m not saying things are done unnecessarily, but there seems to be a lack of communication.”

Dr Farr added that it is “a big challenge” being surrounded by corporate practices.

“We’re having to change little things on a weekly basis to make sure we keep up,” he said.

“They have the latest equipment, which is what patients need, but sometimes it’s quite difficult as an independent to suddenly find £150,000 to buy a new X-ray machine.

“It takes time to build up that financial reserve to invest, and we do regularly do this, but when you suddenly have a corporate round the corner saying, ‘We’re going to offer this package,’ it means they can bring clients in incredibly quickly.”

In response to concerns that corporate vets are more restricted in clinical decisions than independents, Dr Hunter said vets in corporate practices have “absolute clinical freedom to do the right thing for the right case”.

“Corporates aren’t coming in and saying you must do X, Y and Z, but they have management people to make processes more efficient and look at things such as debt. Equine practice carries a huge level of debt which no other industry would allow,” he said, adding that corporates invest heavily into practices and equipment, continuous professional development and upskilling.

“Practices also have freedom to a degree on what they bill for and pricing structure. We have guidelines on pricing structures, but it’s up to the practices whether they sit in the bottom or top quartile of that pricing. There is an encouragement to price fairly and that doesn’t mean aggressively,” he said.

He added that one other major challenge is that generally the amount of vet fees covered by insurance has not increased over the years.

“When you insured your horse 20 years ago, the maximum paid in vet fees was £5,000; today, it’s still usually around £5,000. That puts even more pressure on us to try and keep the charges low, which gets difficult when all the costs are going up.”

Lucy Grieve, the British Equine Veterinary Association’s veterinary projects officer, said the industry has undergone changes, including “feminisation”, with an increase in females coming into the profession and rising student debt putting people off doing long degrees like vet medicine.

“Also, society has been placing more and more importance on work-life balance, which has highlighted the difficulties associated with managing life outside of work alongside vocational careers,” she said.

“In relation to much of this, we have seen sobering statistics on high rates of suicide and divorce within the veterinary profession, which is a pretty clear indication that we have not been getting things right. As such, it is perhaps therefore not surprising that large numbers of people have been leaving clinical practice within eight years of qualifying.”

Ms Grieve said “the industry had to change, and has done, with corporatisation being the first big change – but it is unlikely to be the last”.

“As corporatisation peaked, we started seeing so-called ‘phoenix practices’ [vets setting up alone] and more recently, employee ownership trusts. It would be easy to imagine that with a wider variety of business models, there will be more opportunities for individuals with individual preferences to thrive in veterinary practice, therefore a happier workforce and a better service to our clients.”

Vet Adele Ronchetti set up ambulatory practice AR Equine 18 months ago, when her former employer was reaching retirement.“Because we’re a small team, it’s more like a family practice and we like to really get to know our clients and their horses,” she said.

“We make ends meet as a business, but we’re certainly not doing it to make a massive profit. We treat the horses first, and then business almost comes second, which is maybe the wrong way to do it, but it works for us.”

Lingfield Equine Vets recently transferred into an employee ownership trust (EOT). This means the three original shareholders and founders – George Christopherson, Rachel Atherton and Kate Granshaw – sold their shares into a beneficial trust and the beneficiaries of this trust are the employees of Lingfield. Although this model has been seen in small animal practices, Lingfield is believed to be the first equine practice to become an EOT.

“When an EOT is created, generally the founders take no money, or very little, out of the business. On the balance sheet, there is an agreement of how much money is owed to the shareholders, and the business continues to trade as usual. Then in the future, the business’s profit repays the shareholders for their shares. After this, the future profit is distributed among employees,” Lingfield director Mr Christopherson told H&H.

It’s because of this model that Mr Christopherson believes that Lingfield Equine Vets “should be able to offer some of the best salaries in the industry”. He added that he and the other founders “never felt comfortable with the idea of selling to a corporate giant, so becoming an EOT felt like the perfect solution”.

But Mr Christopherson believes the biggest concern to the industry is not the rise in corporate-owned vet practices, but the vet shortage – which he said is driving wage bills up and in turn veterinary fees. But he adds that vets were underpaid previously compared to dentists and GPs.

“Vet fees are also partly driven by the client, in terms of they want better and better service, which drives us to deliver it – but it comes with higher and higher costs,” he said.

Clarification on equine wormers under new veterinary prescribing rules

Becky Murray — Sun, 07 Jan 2024 20:21:01 +0000

Tighter regulations around prescribing veterinary antibiotics and antiparasitics have been welcomed – as clarification is provided on equine wormers.

In September, the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons introduced new “under care guidance”, which affects how vets prescribe prescription-only medications (POM-Vs). When prescribing POM-Vs, a vet must carry out a “clinical assessment”, and under these new rules it is up to the vet whether this assessment includes a physical examination. But in the case of controlled drugs, antibiotics, antifungals, antiparasitics or antivirals, vets must now always perform a physical examination.

The antiparasitic aspect was delayed to 12 January, and there was some confusion last year as to whether it applied to equine wormers. But the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) told H&H horse wormers are not affected, as their legal classification is outside the remit of the rules.

Past BEVA president Mark Bowen said the main aim is to regulate remote prescribing.

In equine practice, most telemedicine is provided to existing clients, but Dr Bowen said “a new model of telemedicine-only vets is emerging”, and the rules are designed to ensure in-person care must be available should a condition not improve, or in the event of a complication of treatment, and that the drugs are not prescribed remotely without physical examination.

“Vets welcome the concept of tighter regulation of these medicines, which essentially prevents remote prescription. These medicines are critically important to human and animal health and their overuse results in resistance,” he said.

“Their use needs tighter regulation since many antiparasitic agents have the potential to cause significant environmental harm.”

‘Irresponsible and potentially dangerous’: equine vets’ warning to owners who ‘hoard’ drugs

Eleanor Jones — Sun, 19 Nov 2023 20:21:15 +0000

Using leftover or old antibiotics is “irresponsible and potentially dangerous” – for your own horse as well as many others, vets have warned.

The British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) is urging owners not to hoard previously prescribed antibiotics for future use ahead of the worldwide 2023 antimicrobial awareness week (18-24 November).

H&H has reported on the need to use antibiotics responsibly to help minimise resistance to the drugs and keep them available and effective for animals and people.

“Giving random, leftover or old antibiotics to your horse for a suspected infection is irresponsible and potentially dangerous,” said immediate past BEVA president David Rendle, a European specialist in equine internal medicine. “It could make things worse, as they might not be the right type of antibiotic for that specific infection and could easily contribute to the problem of resistance. People also forget that antibiotics are not without risk and their use can trigger serious – even fatal – intestinal disease.”

BEVA said bacteria that are resistant to multiple drugs are an increasing problem in equine veterinary practice. Horses who are affected take longer to recover, and their vets’ bills will be higher.

Mr Rendle has previously told H&H that for decades, there has been a tendency to use antibiotics “just in case”, but that not every infection needs them.

H&H has also reported on the stark consequences of increasing resistance; it would mean that routine procedures such as colic surgery are untenable, without effective infection control.

“If you give too little of an antibiotic because you aren’t sure what to give or don’t have enough for the course that is required, the infection is unlikely to be sufficiently treated and you will increase the risk of resistant bacteria,” said BEVA president Roger Smith.

BEVA is asking horse owners to give any leftover antibiotics back to the vet.

“It is crucial not to throw old medicines away in the rubbish or flush them down the loo, as they can eventually return to the environment, contaminating soil and watercourses and cause damage to wildlife,” said Mr Smith.

“The problems we are seeing with antimicrobial resistance are relevant to all vets and all horse owners, and we must all act to reduce the development of resistance.”

‘Pushing the boundaries’ in breeding horses – vets discuss how far is too far

Becky Murray — Tue, 24 Oct 2023 10:26:29 +0000

The ethics around different breeding techniques – and how far is too far – have come under discussion by industry experts.

At the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) Congress (13–16 September), in a debate chaired by former BEVA president Huw Griffiths, an expert panel discussed equine assisted reproductive techniques (ARTs), framed around the question “How far is too far?”. The aim was to explore which ARTs are “pushing the boundaries” in terms of animal welfare and social licence, and empower vets to have more evidence when advising a client if they do not believe it’s appropriate in certain cases to go ahead with a procedure.

World Horse Welfare chief executive Roly Owers opened the debate and said when thinking about how far is too far, vets need to consider ethics and welfare and that it is important to make sure everyone is “on the same page”. He referred to the BEVA panel discussion on what good welfare means, reported in H&H last week (news, 19 October).

Mr Owers highlighted the need to reflect on how efficient current breeding is for the horse sport market and discussed research published this year showing that within any given year, only around one-fifth of horses bred for sport will have a long-term career in equestrian sport; with the others withdrawing owing to reasons including lack of ability or injury.

“Maybe we should be thinking about how we can improve this system, before we breed more,” he said. “People often think it’s the large breeders that create all the problems, but that is not true – far more horses come from the individual breeder, breeding one animal at a time.”

Mr Owers concluded that some areas the industry needs to focus on are lack of research around ARTs, what plans have been made for a foal’s future, particularly if it does not fulfil its breeder’s expectations, whether pain involved with ARTs is assessed well enough and whether fertility clinics should be licenced.

Madeleine Campbell, who was an equine reproduction specialist prior to focusing on equine ethics and welfare, discussed the term “the yuck factor”, where consideration had to be given to society’s views on nature and ethics and whether using ARTs is “interfering more than humans ought to be”. She also mentioned looking at breeding holistically and giving consideration to the impact at breed, species, societal, and environmental levels.

“Breeding is ethically different from any other veterinary intervention, other than blood collection. The reason is that we do this thing to the horse, whatever it may be, without the expectation that we are going to improve the horse’s health by doing it,” she said.

“Every other veterinary intervention we do, we are trying to improve the health of an animal. And it’s not any one animal we’re talking about – we’ve got a mare and a stallion, we’ve often got recipient mares involved. And it’s not only one generation – we’re talking about future animals.

“As we start to move towards the possibility of genetic editing of embryos in a commercial setting, then we open up the option that we will permanently alter something for all future animals from that one onwards, so ethically that is a big thing to be thinking about.”

Veterinary reproduction specialists Camilla Scott, Tom Stout and Emma Lorenzen presented different cases involving the use of ARTs, such as ovum pick-up (OPU – where oocytes are aspirated from the mare’s ovary) and intra-cytoplasm sperm injections (ICSI – where a single sperm is injected through the outer surface of a mature oocyte) and talked about the success rates and benefits. In one example, a top showjumping mare had died, and using ICSI, oocytes were recovered and a foal was bred who went on to become a successful licensed stallion.

The complications associated with the procedures in different horses – including pain – were also discussed, and when ARTs are appropriate or not. It was agreed across the board that pain control during ART procedures needs to be a major focus.

One attendee said he believed there were two sides to the use of ARTs.

The overpopulation of horses was also discussed, in terms of horses who do not stay sound and end up unwanted. And one attendee highlighted the benefits of ARTs where horses can be bred who are healthier and more specifically targeted for a purpose.

Professor Campbell said it is not just the responsibility of vets to consider breeding decisions and the use of ARTs, but also breeders.

“Breeders need to not be aiming to produce horses that look amazing when they are four, but are then crippled when they are eight,” she said, adding that there is a need to have more data and to track horses bred via ARTs to record if they develop any health problems later in life.

In conclusion, it was agreed that group discussions on ARTs and breeding are “vital” and should be ongoing to maintain trust across the industry and with the public.

“It’s good to build up the evidence base. We need to start building our own guidelines and regulating ourselves, if we don’t then it’s our own fault when other people step in and try to regulate us,” Professor Stout.

Is it right to give horses ‘one last summer’? Vets discuss what good welfare really means

Becky Murray — Sun, 15 Oct 2023 18:33:56 +0000

“Dilemmas” around turnout, euthanasia and restrictive grazing have come under discussion by experts as they navigate what “good welfare” really means.

At the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) Congress (13–16 September), animal welfare specialist Madeleine Campbell chaired a panel discussion comprising vets Imogen Burrows, Becky Smith and Isabella Wild, and animal welfare researcher Jo Hockenhull, to tackle the theme: “Good health or good welfare? Why can’t we agree what good welfare means?”

Professor Campbell opened the discussion by highlighting that in vets’ everyday working lives, they come up against “welfare dilemmas”, and one current issue is that there are numerous definitions of welfare, and debate on whether there is a difference between welfare and wellbeing.

The aim of the session was to discuss how a lack of agreement on what good welfare means can affect vets’ ability to serve the best interests of horses under their care – and vets and nurses in their daily practice.

The panellists presented case studies during which they considered the difference between health and welfare, and the moral decisions involved in each.

One was a horse with a history of laminitis, who was kept on restricted grazing with no animal companionship. From a health perspective, the horse was deemed to be doing well as he had had no recent laminitic episodes, but the question arose whether keeping him alone was good for his welfare.

“Welfare is not just that physical state,” said Dr Hockenhull, researcher at the Bristol Veterinary School. “I’d be thinking what effect is the restriction on that pony’s diet having on its mental wellbeing, and desire to perform behaviours such as foraging.

Another case study opened the floor for debate on palliative care for horses, and whether it is reasonable for vets to give this when it is known that the end point is euthanasia. An example was provided of giving an owner a couple of days to come to terms with a euthanasia decision.

“Do we have responsibility towards owners as well, to enable them to have some time to come round to what’s going on, or should we be euthanising the animal there and then?,” asked Professor Campbell.

The topic of giving horses “one last summer” was raised and the ethics surrounding this.

“We see it all the time when owners say, ‘Can we have one last summer?’ So we’re providing palliative care to the arthritic horse by putting them on bute until the mud kicks in,” one attendee said. “But is that right? The horse is lame, sore, and just in the same way we’d pop a paracetamol, we’re saying it’s fine, carry on – and when the mud kicks in, we’ll put them to sleep.”

Imogen Burrows, who chairs the BEVA ethics and welfare committee, said she had dealt with a case where the owner of an ataxic horse felt pressure from others on their yard to delay euthanasia.

“Why do we have this thing of one last summer? If this issue happened in October, would we wait until the following September?,” said Dr Burrows.

“We have a job to go in and assess that horse, and we have to remember we are assessing the welfare of that horse as to whether that summer is worth it.”

A hypothetical case study looked at a high-level competition stallion given one hour of turnout per day, and the welfare concerns attached to this.

Many attendees had dealt with similar cases where owners raised concerns about the risk of competition horses’ injuring themselves in field accidents, and it was agreed that giving these owners positive examples of studs and riders that regularly turn out horses, such as Carl Hester and William Whitaker, can be beneficial.

“There’s some amazing stuff going on, but it never gets shouted about and people aren’t hearing that it can be done, and done well. These horses are still performing at a high level, but their basic needs are being met,” said Dr Hockenhull.

“It’s having that evidence and these people telling their stories, whether they are an influencer or a big name in the sport, and the more we can drip-feed from different levels and have that evidence to tell people about, the better it’s going to be.”

A recurring message was the usefulness of objective frameworks and measurement systems, such as the five domains system, and quality of life assessment tools, to help vets have difficult discussions with owners and clients.

“Having these frameworks, whether it’s the domain models, pain score models, or whatever it is, helps with engaging that conversation and not making people feel judged and they know we’re trying to optimise everything and work together,” said Dr Burrows. “To align health and welfare is a really hard juggle, but by opening the doors to the conversation it’s the best we can do.”

‘Hearts and minds’: how changing owner behaviour can help our horses

Becky Murray — Tue, 03 Oct 2023 16:36:15 +0000

Vets can play a key role in changing owners’ behaviour around equine welfare decisions.

Human behaviour change was one of the key topics at the British Equine Veterinary Association’s Congress (13-16 September), during which Sarah Freeman of the University of Nottingham gave a plenary lecture on “Changing hearts and minds”.

Professor Freeman highlighted key equine welfare concerns – namely, lack of biosecurity, delayed euthanasia, lack of owner knowledge and welfare needs, fear and stress from use, obesity – and how these can be addressed with a three-step approach: by using evidence-based medicine to determine the best clinical approach; understanding the factors that may influence owner decisions; and looking at how vets share information and improve awareness of welfare issues.

“The most striking thing about these five areas is that as vets we have the knowledge and skills to be able to address these issues, and yet they remain a major problem,” she said.

“The challenge for us as a profession is communicating the importance of these issues and how they should be tackled, to owners and to the wider equine community.”

Professor Freeman told H&H conversations need to take place between vets and owners about where each owner is on their “journey to change” – understanding what the problems and barriers are, such as owners’ finances or past experiences, and then tailoring the conversation for that individual.

“For example, if a vet wants an owner to implement an obesity management system, but the owner doesn’t know how to body condition score, doesn’t recognise that their horse is obese, or doesn’t understand the diseases associated with that, then having a conversation in which they say ‘You need to do this, this and this’, isn’t going to go anywhere,” she said.

“It’s about understanding where people are in terms of readiness to change, what they understand, and making sure the conversations are at the right level.”

Professor Freeman added that there is sometimes a need for owners to be able to discuss the advice they have received from their vet with others.

“Our work in the past looking at where owners get their information found that most of the information comes from their coach, or livery yard owner, and there’s a lot of word-of-mouth information. Sometimes this is great, but sometimes it’s not up to date. But what we can’t do is dismiss it, we have to say ‘What do you know, or what have you heard?’ and talk about it,” she said.

“It’s a cycle of giving information, talking about it, and giving them time to think about it. Maybe the owner needs to go away and talk about it with other people, and look things up. And then you can come back and recycle that conversation.”

During her lecture Professor Freeman said “the art of veterinary science is to deliver the information and evidence of the science without judging an individual’s circumstances or decisions”.

“We need to give them space to question and consider and reach a shared final decision which holds the horse’s health and welfare as the central focus,” she said.

World Horse Welfare chief executive Roly Owers told H&H “just having a clear and powerful case for improving equine health and welfare is not necessarily enough” when it comes to changing owners’ behaviour.

“In so many cases it also requires owners to change their behaviour in how they care, manage and train their horses. This is especially true for challenging issues such as equine weight management, biosecurity and delayed euthanasia,” he said.

“There is a rapidly growing research base behind human behaviour change science that as a sector we need to engage with far more effectively. Change is often not easy but if it improves the health and welfare of our horses then it is certainly worth it.”

Researchers identify potential reason overweight horses make ‘train-like sound’ when exercised

Becky Murray — Sat, 30 Sep 2023 19:21:45 +0000

Links have been identified between horses’ body condition score and restriction of their airways in a new study that could provide new clues towards equine obesity.

In a study, presented at the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) Congress (13-16 September), authors from the University of Liverpool investigated the effect of horses’ body condition score on their tongue size, soft palate angle, and hyoid [the bones between the tongue and larynx] depth, as they aimed to understand why some overweight horses make a “train-like sound” during exercise.

The work, carried out by third-year student Hannah Shanks-Boon, involved taking various measurements from the CT scans of 44 horses’ heads and comparing these with their body condition scores. It was found that fat can be seen in the tongue and around the pharynx and larynx areas of horses. Although the size of the tongue did not directly correlate with body condition score, the angle of the soft palate and the depth of hyoid bone could be correlated to body condition score.

Lead author and supervisor Alison Talbot told H&H the study arose following a discussion with a showing society around obesity. The question asked was why obese horses make a noise during exercise. Ms Talbot said there have been studies looking at the impact of body weight on human sleep apnoea, snoring, and obstructive airway syndrome in dogs, but similar research has not been carried out on equines.

“It’s really interesting that the work made a correlation between those upper airway structures and body score,” she said. “It’s an exciting first step; it doesn’t prove anything from a disease point of view, but it shows that when looking at obesity, body condition score seems to affect the angle and position of several of the important structures of the upper airway. Potentially horses who have too much fat – or too little – could be experiencing a change in the angles of the upper airways which is more significant than we realised, so it opens all these questions.

“In humans the size of the tongue and the position of the basihyoid bone can be affected by body condition score. I think in horses it’s an area that needs considerable further investigation. The next questions are, does weight loss make a difference to those upper angles of the airway and does fat percentage in the tongue, larynx and pharynx influence clinically relevant upper airway obstructive diseases?”

BEVA president elect Bruce Bladon told H&H it was a “fascinating” study.

“In essence, horses seem to lay down fat in the base of their tongue, thus more overweight or obese horses have a steeper angle of their soft palate, as it rests on the enlarged base of the tongue,” he said.

“This study has potential welfare significance as this may result in restriction of the airway. Similar findings have been reported in humans, thus the link with snoring and sleep apnoea with obesity.”

We must all unite to fight the battle against equine obesity

Eleanor Jones — Mon, 14 Aug 2023 17:02:46 +0000

Showing – and the industry as a whole – must work together to continue the progress made to combat equine obesity, from grassroots to the top levels.

At the equine weight forum, at the Royal International Horse Show (RIHS), where the Weigh to Win body condition awards were handed out for the fourth year, representatives of showing societies joined vets, riders and the outgoing and incoming chairs of the Showing Council to discuss the issue. It was agreed that it is “crucial” for everyone to work with and via the Showing Council to improve consistency and help support judges and stewards.

“Taking it forward as a collective is the way forward,” said Hickstead director of showing David Ingle. “It’s about a united voice; if we have 40 different voices, nothing will land, it will be a lot slower and we might not do it. If we do it together, we will do it.”

The Horse Trust introduced the awards in 2019 to celebrate horses and ponies of a healthy weight; they are assessed by vets and rosettes are handed out separately to the class placings. Among the major shows to feature the scheme are the RIHS, the Hickstead Derby meeting, Royal Windsor and the Great Yorkshire.

Imogen Burrows, chair of the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) ethics and welfare committee, said she and past BEVA president Lucy Grieve are among those “passionate about championing this”.

“We’re working on how to communicate it to clients and owners,” she said. “And this isn’t just showing; it’s a global equine industry issue, and we’re aware of that. I was really excited to be asked to help with the awards, and it really gave me a perspective on the pressure when you’re standing in the ring– I take my hat off to all the judges.”

Rebecca Hamilton-Fletcher, an experienced equine vet, lifelong cross-discipline competitor and coach, who was involved in affiliated showing for years, said there is also a lot of work going on to combat equine obesity outside the show ring.

“We’re doing a lot of work with riding establishments,” she said. “The new regulations that came in five years ago have more emphasis on weight and welfare. We’re working with them to body condition-score animals, and encourage them to seek professional nutritional advice if there’s a consistent problem.”

Ms Hamilton-Fletcher spoke of watching a go-round of small ponies, and “all their bottoms were square”.

“But looking at the little 128cm showjumping ponies, there were no square bottoms,” she said.

“This is where we need to let judges and showing people see what they’re looking for, compared to what’s become normal in the showing world.”

The normalisation of excess equine weight was a key issue to be tackled, it was agreed; as people are so used to seeing it, it has become the norm.

“Reframing ‘normal’ is an important thing to do,” a spokesman for the awards said. “It is non-confrontational and would help people to retrain their eyes as to what is a healthy weight.”

Education was a key theme; there have been discussions about getting more information on obesity into the British Horse Society qualifications, the conference heard, to “get the information in right from the beginning”, so the message can be spread in every yard.

“On behalf of BEVA, we’ve been working on obesity for a number of years,” Ms Grieve said. “We’ve done lots of work with Tamzin Furtado [who is behind the awards with the Horse Trust’s Jan Rogers] trying to educate vets and make sure they’re on board, and trying to get farriers, physios and saddlers on board so everyone’s singing from the same hymn sheet.”

From a competitor’s point of view, showing producer Chris Hunnable said he and his wife Katie Jerram-Hunnable are “totally in support of all the hard work” involved in the awards and associated campaigning, and suggested it would be beneficial to have more feedback from assessors, on which to reflect. The possibility of feedback forms was discussed, with the view that exhibitors could read them or not as they choose.

Incoming Showing Council chair Liz Inman said that in her time as Burghley event director, feedback forms were introduced for the young event horse classes, which she said were challenging for judges but “in a positive way as it made them really think about their reasons for judging”.

The issue of show animals’ being fit for purpose was brought up; Katie referenced Shires.

“They’re the most unfit bunch of horses I’ve ever seen coming round the ring,” she said.

“I had an argument with an owner, who didn’t want the horse fit – but then it shouldn’t be in the ring. I wouldn’t ride it; I thought it was a disgrace it couldn’t walk, trot and canter round the ring.”

The need for veterinary research to continue, to improve knowledge on obesity, was discussed, as well as recent work looking at fat deposition in equine upper airways. Developing guidance and policy for showing societies is key, to be delivered in training for judges, stewards and exhibitors and by using “engaging positive language for vets, judges and stewards to use when tackling the challenging subject without causing people offence, which tends to have the opposite effect”.

The conference heard that welfare stewards are being present at shows to consider issues including body condition, and suitable rider weight, and it was agreed that “helping to support competitors through this in a positive way must be the way forward”.

“RIHS once again provided a warm welcome and an ideal base to bring together the equine weight forum,” Dr Furtado said. “Many changes and updates were discussed across the societies, including examples of new activities, training, and research projects which had all arisen from better collaboration between groups. It was really inspiring to once again see the showing organisations working together to be proactive about making change, and we have high hopes for the year ahead.”

Drug trial indicates significant benefits for horses with arthritis

Becky Murray — Sun, 23 Jul 2023 19:33:06 +0000

The findings of a clinical trial could bring hope for owners of horses with osteoarthritis – with new treatment options on the horizon, possibly for humans as well as horses.

In a study published last month in a medical journal, Osteoarthritis and Cartilage Open Journal, researchers from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences and the University of Gothenburg tested the use of a new drug combination to treat horses with osteoarthritis-associated lameness, and the use of joint biomarkers that reflect the articular cartilage and bone remodelling to evaluate treatment efficacy.

The research involved 20 horses with osteoarthritis-associated lameness in the carpal joint. Ten horses were injected with the new drug combination – sildenafil (Viagra), anaesthetic mepivacaine and glucose – and the other 10 with a corticosteroid. In tests two weeks later, horses who had had the new combination became sounder faster, and samples of all the horses’ synovial fluid showed a “clear reduction” in biomarkers. In a follow-up interview 60 days later, the trainers said the horses were still sound.

Lead researcher and veterinary professor Eva Skiöldebrand told H&H the biomarkers were “significantly” reduced with the new treatment, indicating a slowing down of the disease. Although the control group, who were treated with corticosteroid, showed an improvement in their lameness after two treatments, six of the 10 showed an increase in biomarkers which may indicate a side effect by inducing cartilage degradation.

“Although the horses that received the corticosteroid were showing as pain free, there was a heavy degradation of the joint ongoing. This is something that can’t be seen by a vet examination, this is only possible to obtain if you have the biomarkers,” said Dr Skiöldebrand, adding that the use of steroids in general remains under debate in the veterinary world.

“Today, there are no disease-modifying drugs on the market, they only inhibit the clinical sign, the joint pain, they don’t slow down the disease. But in the horses that received the new drug, because of the reduction in biomarkers, we can say that this is a disease-modifying drug. The biomarkers are one tool in the toolbox, and then the drug combination a second. We can identify and diagnose at an early stage, treat and by looking at the biomarkers after treatment, we can say, ‘This has slowed down the disease progress.’”

The researchers are in discussions with a pharmaceutical company to produce a compounded version of the drug, which will be available via application to vets in Sweden, with hopes to then launch it in the UK and Australia. Dr Skiöldebrand added that owing to the genetic similarities between horses and humans, the team believe that the same drug compound could be effective for osteoarthritis in humans – and there are plans to conduct a clinical trial in the future.

Roger Smith, professor of equine orthopaedics at the Royal Veterinary College and president elect of British Equine Veterinary Association, told H&H the study is “interesting on a number of levels”. It followed a “rigorous blinded methodology to minimise bias” and used a drug combination not associated with the treatment of osteoarthritis – which included sildenafil, more commonly known as Viagra.

“Biomarkers have not yet gained widespread clinical use and yet potentially could hold the key to unlocking the biology of disease-modifying osteoarthritic drugs, in comparison to symptom-modifying drugs which are the most commonly used,” he said.

“To be convinced that such an unusual drug combination will work will differ depending on whether the reader is more interested in seeing a biological response and those only interested in knowing whether it makes horses sound.

“Nevertheless, in the treatment of mild osteoarthritis, the ability to show a novel drug combination having an equivalent symptomatic effect as corticosteroids is not a disappointing result, with the added bonus of a biological effect within the joint from an unexpected direction – it may well put the spring back in the step of the lame horse.”

Urgent laminitis warning as vet practices report surge in cases

Becky Murray — Tue, 13 Jun 2023 16:03:50 +0000

Vets have urged owners to be on guard following a spike in laminitis cases around the country. Practices have reported a higher than usual number of cases this year, which “needs to be taken seriously”.

H&H vet Karen Coumbe said Bell Equine in Kent has seen a “huge number” of cases recently, and more this year than last.

“It’s not just the fat ponies, we’re seeing it across the board,” she said. “The grass is a huge contributory factor, but it’s multifactorial; hormones, horses that are overweight and insufficient exercise.

“Laminitis is an awful disease, sadly with poor outcomes in many cases, despite everyone’s best efforts, and prevention has to be better than cure. The key message is watching your horse’s weight and being aware of what you’re feeding. It is always best to look at the bigger picture.”

British Equine Veterinary Association council member Imogen Burrows told H&H that grazing quality and quantity tend to alter rapidly throughout the seasons, and “perhaps we are not adapting our grazing management strategies as promptly and effectively as we could”.

“With the recent variable weather, grazing muzzles and electric fencing may have been kept in summer storage and not quite made it out yet, when in fact these grazing intake reduction tactics should ideally be in place as soon as pastures start to green up,” she said.

“We cannot solely blame the rapid arrival of lush grazing on the perceived increase in laminitis – but it adds another risk factor to the mix, and without mitigation, more risk results in more laminitis.”

Ms Burrows added that as many spring competitions were cancelled owing to the wet weather, “perhaps decreased competition demands have led to reduced exercise, a key factor in the management of equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) and insulin sensitivity”.

“It is well recognised that up to 80% of laminitis cases are caused by endocrine disorders, pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction [Cushing’s disease] and EMS. However, with our dedication to providing the ‘best care’ for our horses year-round, winter has ceased to have the slimming effect it used to,” she said.

“Regardless of our perceptions of the frequency of laminitis occurring currently, we must consider laminitis the year-round threat that it is, identifying underlying causes and target risk factors year-round too. Risk can be reliably assessed to help prevent disease before it starts, using factors including fat scores, endocrine status and basal insulin levels. Laminitis remains responsible for a significant proportion of equine deaths in the UK. This demands we must do anything we can to prevent this devastating disease.”

“Traditionally, the highest incidence of laminitis occurs typically in May or June, so it’s not unusual, but this year has been particularly marked. Some cases can be quite mild and sometimes people can be a bit blasé about it, but there are enough nasty cases out there that it needs to be taken seriously,” he said, adding that exercise plays an important role in managing horses and ponies at risk.

“There are some studies showing that even small amounts of exercise is enough to make a difference. You don’t have to be galloping up hills for hours. Our message is that, assuming the horse doesn’t have active laminitis at the time, any exercise is better than nothing,” he said.

Owners warned against unvalidated PSSM2 tests after ‘seemingly normal’ horses put down

Eleanor Jones — Thu, 04 May 2023 19:21:36 +0000

Expert vets are “strongly advising” horse owners against using independent and unvalidated genetic tests for certain conditions – stating that “seemingly normal animals” have been put down as a result of their use.

The British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) cited tests for myopathies including diseases known as type two polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM2), myofibrillar myopathy (MFM) or muscle integrity myopathy (MIM).

“Despite the lack of evidence to support the tests, the practice has become widespread within some breed groups and drastic results have included euthanasia of seemingly normal animals,” a BEVA spokesman said.

Richard Piercy, of the Royal Veterinary College’s neuromuscular diseases laboratory, said there are no scientifically validated genetic tests for PSSM2, MFM or MIM.

“Scientists still do not know whether these are diseases at all, or whether they reflect histopathological features of non-specific muscle damage that might have various genetic but also environmental causes,” he said.

“It can of course be very tempting for a horse owner, when their horse has signs that might suggest a muscle problem, to seek any answer they can find, particularly when the problem is proving challenging to diagnose and manage. It might be even more tempting for an owner to believe an unsubstantiated genetic result when it ‘fits’ with what they have suspected. But given the high prevalence of the genetic variants in the horse population that are tested for, many horses will test positive just by chance – whether or not they have any disease at all.”

Type one PSSM can be diagnosed by DNA testing of a mutation that has been “robustly evaluated”. But the best way to identify other equine myopathies is usually clinical examination, biochemical tests and sometimes muscle biopsy, the BEVA spokesman said.

“Further, because it is not yet known what causes PSSM2, MFM or MIM or whether they are specific diseases at all, making recommendations for treatments, management or prognosis are speculative at best,” the spokesman added. “Many of these cases thus remain idiopathic.”

“The results offered have not, to our knowledge, been scientifically validated in any peer reviewed literature or shared in any form with the scientific community,” said Professor Piercy. “In short, there is no evidence that the offered tests identify mutations that actually cause muscle disease or indeed, are associated with disease in any way at all.”

Papers published in the US found no association between PSSM2 or any other muscle disease and the genetic variants offered.

References:

1: McCue ME, Valberg SJ, Miller MB, Wade C, DiMauro S, Akman HO, Mickelson JR. Glycogen synthase (GYS1) mutation causes a novel skeletal muscle glycogenosis. Genomics. 2008 May;91(5):458-66. doi: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2008.01.011. Epub 2008 Mar 20. PMID: 18358695; PMCID: PMC2430182.

2: Maile CA, Hingst JR, Mahalingan KK, O’Reilly AO, Cleasby ME, Mickelson JR, McCue ME, Anderson SM, Hurley TD, Wojtaszewski JFP, Piercy RJ. A highly prevalent equine glycogen storage disease is explained by constitutive activation of a mutant glycogen synthase. Biochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj. 2017 Jan;1861(1 Pt A):3388-3398. doi: 10.1016/j.bbagen.2016.08.021. Epub 2016 Aug 31. PMID: 27592162; PMCID: PMC5148651.

3: Valberg SJ, Finno CJ, Henry ML, Schott M, Velez-Irizarry D, Peng S, McKenzie EC, Petersen JL. Commercial genetic testing for type 2 polysaccharide storage myopathy and myofibrillar myopathy does not correspond to a histopathological diagnosis. Equine Vet J. 2021 Jul;53(4):690-700. doi: 10.1111/evj.13345. Epub 2020 Oct 29. PMID: 32896939; PMCID: PMC7937766.

4: Valberg SJ, Henry ML, Herrick KL, Velez-Irizarry D, Finno CJ, Petersen JL. Absence of myofibrillar myopathy in Quarter Horses with a histopathological diagnosis of type 2 polysaccharide storage myopathy and lack of association with commercial genetic tests. Equine Vet J. 2023 Mar;55(2):230-238. doi: 10.1111/evj.13574. Epub 2022 Apr 1. PMID: 35288976; PMCID: PMC10084132.

‘A pandora’s box’ or good news for future equine breeding?: New gene editing law passed

Lucy Elder — Sun, 09 Apr 2023 19:33:33 +0000

A new law that allows plants to be genetically edited has recently been passed and will serve as a stepping stone towards the technology being used in animals.

The Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2003 passed into law on 23 March, with its main intent being reinforcing food security. In other words, allowing farmers to grow drought- and disease-resistant crops.

Although the green light is on for plants only at the moment, the law includes provision to explore how gene editing could be used in future to help breed animals that are protected from catching diseases. That means establishing a proportionate regulatory system for precision-bred animals, to ensure welfare is safeguarded.

Lucy Morgan, of Stallion AI Services and Gemini Genetics, told H&H there are many different areas to consider with this new technology.

“Looking at its application in plants and food production, that does relate to the animal sector as well, when you are thinking about food for animals. We are seeing with our changing climate hay yields, for example, vary dramatically year on year,” she said, adding that with the warming climate, there could also be uses for the technology in protecting against certain diseases that may come to our shores in future.

“For rare breeds and breeding horses for sport, it does have relevance potentially to enable us to be more accurate in breeding.

“A lot of the animal side is still in discussion and it’s not something that can be hurried through. There’s going to be a lot of discussion needed from different parties so we can get a full assessment of it.”

She added that discussion is also needed to understand both the benefits and the potential for unintended consequences before going further.

British Equine Veterinary Association council member James Crabtree told H&H the new act has “lots of benefits for precision breeding using modern gene-editing biotechnology in cultivated plants and farmed animals”.

“Gene editing in horses and other equines could be utilised for the eradication of genetic diseases, but is restricted by many breed societies and regulatory bodies due to the potential for the technology to be used to gain a competitive advantage or compromise welfare,” he said.

“We are not aware that gene editing is commercially available in horses.

“In the United Kingdom, breeding from a gene-edited animal is restricted under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, and can only be performed under licence for research purposes, so we feel this is not going to result in the opening of the floodgates to widespread gene editing in equine breeding.

“Nevertheless, there is now a pathway should it offer significant advantages in the future.”

The NFU has long campaigned for this, with vice-president David Exwood adding that he is “delighted it has passed its final hurdle”. The RSPCA, on the other hand, has described it as “opening a Pandora’s box”.

“Gene editing could be a huge step backward for animals,” said RSPCA head of campaigns and public affairs David Bowles.

“We don’t believe this act should include animals, whether they’re farm, pet or wildlife. Invasive procedures are needed to create each line of gene-edited mammals, there is no history of use for this powerful technology, and it can cause unintended changes to the genome, with unpredictable effects.

“The RSPCA has serious animal welfare and ethical concerns about this.”

‘It won’t work if it stays on the shelf’: vets report ‘limited uptake’ of new strangles vaccine

Becky Murray — Sun, 19 Mar 2023 21:03:23 +0000

Owners are being encouraged to take advantage of the new strangles vaccine as part of a multi-factor approach to combating the disease.

The long-awaited vaccine launched in the UK last autumn, having been in development for more than 25 years. It reduces the clinical signs of the infection, including high temperature and coughing, and can reduce the number of lymph node abscesses. Trials demonstrated it can protect “more than 94% of horses”, but despite the benefits, vets have reported a limited uptake of the vaccine.

Edd Knowles of Bell Equine Veterinary Clinic told H&H the vaccine is an “exciting addition” to the strategies to combat strangles.

“There is no single ‘magic bullet’ to prevent strangles and currently we often see an over-reliance on blood testing to prevent the condition,” said Dr Knowles. “When combined with other biosecurity measures, vaccination should reduce the impact of strangles on our horses.”

Bell Equine vet Karen Coumbe added that she is “looking forward” to when the vaccine is in regular use. “Especially in stable yards, where young horses move in and out frequently, so are at a higher risk of disease. As of yet, there has been limited vaccine uptake, considering how much of a worry strangles can be for many owners and the economic damage it causes, as well as actual harm it can cause to horses,” she said.

Mark Bowen, member of the British Equine Veterinary Association’s (BEVA) health and medicines committee, told H&H BEVA “understands the reticence” of owners in considering another vaccine for their horses.

“We have seen strangles vaccines brought to market previously that were difficult to administer, and were beset by supply chain issues that made ongoing protection impossible. What sets this vaccine apart from others globally is the science that has gone into its creation using techniques similar to the Covid vaccines, to produce immunity to targeted proteins in the strangles bacteria,” he said.

“This should prevent production issues, and enables it to be given by intramuscular injection, rather than into the lip. This gives a very high level of protection while being much safer and easy to use than other vaccines and does not interfere with the current blood tests.”

Mr Bowen added that although strangles is “rarely fatal”, it is highly contagious and spreads throughout yards quickly.

“Although most horses recover completely, the costs associated with confirming freedom from disease following an outbreak are very high,” he said. “There are many challenges with relying on single blood tests to screen for carriers for new arrivals on a yard, and a program of vaccination would be a more effective way to protect a population of horses that are mixing at home and at competitions. We would encourage owners and yard managers to discuss such programs with their veterinary surgeon.”

Redwings, one of the co-organisers of Strangles Awareness Week (3–9 May), also supports the use of the vaccine.

“Although it is still new on the market, we have confidence that it has been carefully researched and tested and was shown to be very effective,” said Nic de Brauwere, Redwings head of welfare.

“More time is needed to get an accurate picture of how well the vaccine performs in the many different situations horses face, but for the vaccine to give any protection it needs to be used. It certainly won’t work if it stays on the shelf.”

Mr de Brauwere added the vaccine is an “essential part of a biosecurity toolkit” alongside temperature checking, hygiene and testing protocols.

“It is a great new tool to fight this disease, and minimise its devastating impact on horses, owners and premises,” he said.

EHV prompts temporary British competition ban for horses returning from affected shows

Eleanor Jones — Fri, 24 Feb 2023 11:05:03 +0000

All horses returning from shows in Lier, Belgium, and Oliva Nova, Spain will be temporarily banned from competing in this country as a result of confirmed cases of equine herpes virus (EHV-1) in Europe.

H&H reported yesterday that four horses at the Mediterranean Equestrian Tour and one at Lier had tested positive for the virus.

The British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) and British Showjumping (BS) have now announced measures to protect horses in this country.

“All horses returning to the UK from these shows from 00.01hrs on Saturday, 18 February will be required to isolate and will not be allowed to attend any national competitions until a period of isolation of 21 days is completed or they have undertaken laboratory tests which confirm negative results,” a BEVA statement said.

“Testing with negative results based on samples collected at least 10 days apart in accordance with [these] details will be accepted as evidence of clearance with restrictions on competition attendance then lifted by the FEI. This date of commencement of enhanced risk aversion may change as more information becomes available from the FEI.”

BEVA added that it would be “prudent, although it is not mandatory”, for yards to isolate and test horses who returned from either venue before 18 February. Detailed quarantine procedures are available on the BEVA website.

A BS spokesman said: “We would like to remind all members about the need to have biosecurity measures in place when introducing new horses to yards and the importance of monitoring horse’s temperatures and health especially if you are stabling away from home amongst other horses.”

Rossdales Veterinary Surgeons said it can help with diagnostic testing of horses.

Information about biosecurity is available on the British Equestrian website.

Forage is key when tackling undesirable behaviour in horses

Becky Murray — Sun, 12 Feb 2023 20:33:51 +0000

Undesirable equine behaviour associated with a lack of forage has been discussed – as concerns are raised about owners misinterpreting learned helplessness for “coping”.

“Promoting positive equine wellbeing and behaviour through diet” was the topic of a World Horse Welfare webinar last month, during which experts discussed horses’ basic needs – friends, forage and freedom, and the importance of horses’ having enough access to enough forage.

Rosa Verwijs, senior lecturer in equine behaviour at Writtle University College, highlighted that horses usually spend around 16 to 20 hours per day grazing, if they have the choice to do so, and emphasised the satisfaction horses gain from foraging. She also discussed the challenges around equine obesity and restricting diets, but encouraged owners to look for different ways to provide horses with enrichment – for example, feeding hay in a variety of different slow feeders, instead of one very small-holed haynet, to help prevent frustration.

Rosa talked about different unwanted behaviours that can be caused by a lack of forage, such as stress, anxiety, aggression and resource-guarding – and how these might be displayed, such as abnormal oral behaviours, door-kicking, difficulty in handling and poor performance under saddle.

“Horses will do whatever they can to help them cope with the frustration and stress they’re feeling, and these coping behaviours can manifest in so many different ways,” she said, adding that depression can be seen in horses, and research in this area shows that as horses’ frustration increases, it can lead to learned helplessness.

“I think that’s where a lot of people mistake their horse as ‘coping’. People might say, ‘My horse was ridiculous for three weeks and then after that he was fine.’ That misinterpretation of shut-down horses is probably one of the most concerning for me as a behaviourist. These horses are not suddenly coping and saying ‘I’m fine,’ it’s them saying, ‘I’m just going to wait it out and hope life gets better.’

Justine Harrison, a certified horse behaviour consultant, said lack of forage is the cause or a contributing factor in “most” of the behavioural cases she has dealt with.

“It’s a huge problem. I’ve seen a massive range of behavioural problems in horses and ponies of all disciplines, from grand prix sport horses to a children’s pony,” she said.

British Equine Veterinary Association veterinary projects officer Lucy Grieve, who hosted the webinar, said owners need to keep evolving their management systems.

“Forget the idea of meals and the human way of feeding ourselves, horses are completely different. As humans we enjoy making feeds and buying different foods, but your horse’s needs are very different to what satisfies us as humans,” she said.

Lucy added that this is difficult when it comes to livery yards, where owners might not have as much of a say about forage and feeding routines.

“Education is key to try to get that message to those responsible for managing yards, and we can do that as a team and work together. If we keep singing from the same hymn sheet, we can only make our horses’ lives better in terms of diet, nutrition and day-to-day behaviour.”

‘But he’s still eating’: experts warn against judging horses’ welfare based on food intake

Eleanor Jones — Sat, 04 Feb 2023 20:21:30 +0000

THE fact horses are “still eating” should never be used as the determiner in quality-of-life assessments, experts agree, although many still use this as a main marker.

Sarah Voss, assistant teaching professor in equine internal medicine at Cambridge University, raised the issue as she said it is something she often sees.

“If they’re not eating, that’s bad and I’m worried, but if they are, it doesn’t mean it’s good; it doesn’t exclude pain or poor welfare,” she told H&H.

“I think it can be very easy to look for the positives as an owner as you’re keen for evidence the horse might be able to recover or that something can be done but the most common one I hear is ‘He’s still eating and drinking’. Then we have to discuss the other evidence.”

Dr Voss pointed out that, as prey animals, horses are “hard-wired” to appear in good health even if they are not, as predators will pick off weaker animals.

“They have so many compensating behaviours,” she said. “There’s something called sham eating, all part of the determination not to appear weak. Donkeys especially do it but horses too; they’ll have their heads down, in grass or hay or a bucket, but if you watch them, they’re just pushing it around.”

Dr Voss said pain-scoring systems exist, and much progress has been made in methods of determining welfare and quality of life. She advises seeking expert advice on a horse’s wellbeing from experts. Lucy Grieve, chair of the British Equine Veterinary Association ethics and welfare committee, agrees.

“The ability to quantify quality of life is a known problem,” Ms Grieve told H&H. “It’s important to get an impartial person, who’s not emotionally attached, who’s got the experience to know whether or not that horse has had enough. It could be your farrier, your vet, other experienced horse owners; people who will be honest.”

Ms Grieve said that when she was in practice, the “but he’s still eating” was something she frequently heard.

“There’s huge variation in how people see their animals’ quality of life,” she said. “Some will say if the horse can’t jump or compete and won’t be happy in the field, they’ll put him to sleep, which is fine, and better than neglect, but there’s the other extreme, which is this. I think owners can misinterpret signs as the horse being fine when its quality of life is questionable. It’s hard; we shouldn’t criticise people as it’s not ignorance or naivety; it’s hard to quantify when a horse has had enough.”

Ms Grieve agreed that horses are “programmed to look normal”, so will keep eating when dogs or cats might not.

“There was a pony with a prosthetic, and they were saying ‘He’s happy; he’s eating’, when the pony had the most obvious grimace, and was rocking back on its other feet,” she said. “The fact it’s eating doesn’t mean it’s OK. We have to be more careful how we judge; ‘He’s still coming for his food’, a lot of people say, but that’s not an indicator, it’s much more complex than that.

“Get impartial advice, from trusted sources, and be conscious that euthanisa is a welfare-friendly, ethical process that will always be better than the potential alternatives. It will always be difficult, but their ability to keep going is not a good reason to delay the decision only you can make. Better a week early than a day late.”

Sam Chubbock, Head of UK support at World Horse Welfare, told H&H there are many factors that need to be taken into consideration when assessing any horse’s quality of life.

“Ongoing assessment of the possibility of illness and/or pain is an essential part of horse care, and the individual horse’s quality of life is a key factor in these assessments,” she said.

“Many people understandably feel uncomfortable considering euthanasia as an option, and we know there are often feelings of guilt as well. However, euthanasia is often a very responsible decision and is not the worst outcome possible, so should not be thought of only as a last resort. While it is true that quality of life will vary from horse to horse, delaying euthanasia can lead to owners wishing they had been brave enough to make the decision earlier. There is lots of advice out there, and anyone concerned about this aspect of horse care can contact our advice line and talk to one of our compassionate, knowledgeable team.”

Horses’ lives at risk as owners can’t see the excess weight

Becky Murray — Tue, 29 Nov 2022 17:11:25 +0000

Tackling equine obesity is about more than just increasing owners’ knowledge – and everyone has a role to play, researchers have found.

A study published in Frontiers in Veterinary Science looked at human behaviour factors surrounding equine obesity. Researchers collected data from interviews with owners and industry professionals, and discussion forums, and analysed this using the COM-B model of behaviour change – which refers to capability, opportunity, motivation and behaviour.

Among the findings, the study showed that most owners had an understanding that excess body fat was a health risk to their horses, but because owners found it hard to identity how much fat was on their animals, most had not made changes to their horses’ management to reduce weight until an acute health issue such as laminitis occurred. Owners in the study understood that a range of management strategies were available, but they found it hard to identify what would work within the environment in which they kept their horse.

Ms Furtado added that there have been “good indications” that awareness of obesity is increasing, but said the number of obese horses is not necessarily decreasing.

“The fact that we have increased awareness is a good first step, but there’s lots of other things we can be doing such as supporting yard managers to create environments where horses can be turned out without too much grass, but with an interesting environment,” she said.

World Horse Welfare head of UK support Sam Chubbock told H&H that managing the weight of good doers is a “perpetual challenge” and one faced by a significant number of owners.

“Traditional ways of approaching equine weight management can have limited success, but this study offers a multifaceted and novel route into an issue that it is important to recognise as being as much of a health issue as horses that are underweight,” she said.

“Changing perceptions and actions around weight can in itself be challenging, but this study provides options and a different approach to try, which is an important addition to help owners with this ongoing and often very difficult management issue.”

British Equine Veterinary Association president David Rendle said behavioural studies are important in understanding health-related behaviours and identifying potential barriers to change.

“Failure to utilise behavioural science not only compromises the potential benefits of interventions but can result in overtly negative impacts on health,” he said.

Concerned vets speak up on critical drug use in horses

Eleanor Jones — Sun, 20 Nov 2022 19:21:06 +0000

THE frequency with which “critically important” antibiotics are being given to horses, often without appropriate testing, is a concern, as research reveals details of the drugs’ use in UK equine veterinary practices.

To mark World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (18–24 November), the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has released its findings from a study of prescription data.

“The research, the first of its kind, reveals the extent to which antimicrobials are prescribed to equines and uncovers the lack of routine culture and sensitivity testing, particularly prior to the prescription of the ‘last resort’ category B antimicrobials, whose efficacy needs to be preserved for the treatment of serious illnesses in human medicine,” an RVC spokesman said.

“Antimicrobial resistance poses a significant and increasing threat to human and animal health. Concerns have been raised regarding the potential inappropriate and overuse of antimicrobials in veterinary species, which is known to contribute to the development of resistant bacterial populations.

“Once antimicrobial resistance develops, it can result in treatment failure in veterinary patients and, due to the proximity in which animals and their owners often live, the potential transfer of resistant bacteria to people.”

Little work had been carried out to monitor use of antibiotics in horses in this country before this study, of prescription data and clinical notes from 64,322 equids in 2018, supplied by 39 vet practices.

It was found that about 20% of the animals were prescribed antibiotics, and nearly 9% of these were given a category B drug, one that is “of highest priority critical importance for human medicine and should be used cautiously in animals to mitigate the risk to public health”.

Bacteriological culture and sensitivity testing was rarely used, despite its importance in protecting against antimicrobial resistance by determining the most appropriate drug to use, and there was limited compliance with antimicrobial stewardship guidelines on testing.

It is hoped the study will “encourage others to consider and benchmark their own usage, and promote more responsible antimicrobial prescription, especially of those deemed of the highest priority critical importance for human health”.

Sarah Allen, of the RVC’s VetCompass programme, said: “The surveillance of equine antimicrobial usage helps the veterinary profession demonstrate their commitment to the responsible prescribing of antibiotics in the horse. We hope that by reporting on how commonly antimicrobials are prescribed to horses, and demonstrating where stewardship may be improved, others will look to compare and better their own prescribing of these vital medicines.

“The importance of culture and sensitivity testing is well known by veterinary practitioners, however, more still needs to be done to encourage its routine use, particularly prior to the prescription of category B antimicrobials. Not only will this help preserve their medicinal effectiveness and ensure the continued rights of veterinary practitioners to prescribe these critical classes, it will also crucially help minimise the detrimental effects of antimicrobial resistance on human and animal health.”

British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) president David Rendle told H&H he was pleased to see the data released.

“It highlights some very important issues that BEVA is working hard to address and provides much-needed evidence to inform our priorities,” he said.

“It is disappointing to see the frequency with which category B antimicrobials are being used and that culture and susceptibility testing are not being used more frequently prior to the use of these critically important medicines.

Unfortunately, there are real challenges around prescribing antimicrobials in horses and it is not always possible to avoid the use of these medicines or to obtain the appropriate samples prior to their use. But there is clearly a need for us to redouble our efforts to reduce, refine and replace the use of certain antimicrobial classes and antimicrobials generally.

“BEVA has been lobbying for new, lower-category antimicrobials to be produced for use in equines and will be presenting educational pieces on antimicrobial stewardship through the awareness week. We would urge horse owners to support their vets in reducing the use of antimicrobials and to respect their vets’ decisions if they suggest antimicrobials aren’t necessary or they advise alternatives to category B antimicrobials. Antimicrobial resistance is an issue that affects us all and we all need to work together to combat it.”

No need for alarm, say top vets, as West Nile virus confirmed in UK

Eleanor Jones — Thu, 10 Nov 2022 13:41:29 +0000

A confirmed case of West Nile virus in the UK “need not prompt alarm”, the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) says, but is a reminder of being vigilant for signs of disease.

The viral infection, which can be fatal and can also affect people, was confirmed in an unvaccinated warmblood mare, who had recently returned to the UK having been competing in southern Spain, by the Animal and Plant Health Agency, on 6 November. The mare started showing muscle twitches and gait abnormalities on her return journey, and her signs worsened after she reached home, including extensive twitching, abnormal posture, ataxia and hindleg weakness. Her signs improved and she was discharged from the Hertfordshire hospital on 8 November.

“The timeline was such that the infection was almost certainly contracted in Spain,” a BEVA spokesman said. “The horse was transported straight to a leading equine hospital and having now been discharged, is recovering well at home.”

BEVA stressed that there is no risk of the virus being transmitted. It is a notifiable disease as it is a threat to human health.

“However, this case need not prompt alarm as the infection does not spread from horses to other animals or people,” the spokesman said.

“Although horses can become very sick, and even die, when they become infected, they have very low levels of virus circulating in their bodies, insufficient for the infection to be transmitted.”

This is not the first time the virus has been confirmed in the UK – it was diagnosed in October 2013, in a horse who had arrived here from Europe. The disease is becoming increasingly common in southern and eastern Europe, where it is spread by mosquitos.

“With rising temperatures spread of West Nile virus to northern European countries, including the UK, is increasingly possible,” the BEVA spokesman said. “Cases in horses have been identified this year in multiple countries, including France and Germany. This case serves as a reminder of the value of vaccinating horses travelling to countries where the virus is common, such as southern and eastern Europe and the Americas.

“Vaccines are available in the UK. The risk is highest in summer and autumn when mosquitoes are more prevalent. It is also a reminder of the importance of remaining vigilant for signs of the disease in horses that are travelling. Signs typically include muscle tremors, weakness, stiffness, ataxia – wobbly gait – and potentially recumbency.”

‘An urgent need for change’: calls for new veterinary law continue

Becky Murray — Wed, 09 Nov 2022 17:03:07 +0000

Urgent changes are needed to the “outdated” Veterinary Surgeons Act say veterinary professionals – as calls for new legislation continue.

On 25 October the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) met MPs, peers and stakeholders at the House of Lords to discuss the need to replace the Act with new legislation. It is hoped any replacement would include paraprofessionals, such as physios and equine dental technicians, becoming regulated under the RCVS umbrella, and the RCVS held a publication consultation for feedback on the topic last year (news, 25 February 2021).

The meeting focused on the “importance of a vet-led team” and it was discussed how the profession had changed since the Act was brought into force in 1966.

Lord Trees, a vet and former RCVS president, said the Act is “no longer fit for purpose” and there is an “urgent need for change”.

“The regulation of the veterinary professions is of utmost importance to animal welfare and all members of the veterinary team must be able to be held accountable for their actions, both for the protection of the animals under their care, and in terms of the wider public interest,” he said.

“The UK is proud of its world-leading approach to public health and animal welfare and, if we are to continue to uphold and champion our animal health and welfare standards, it is essential that we work and evolve together to create a Veterinary Surgeons Act which is not only fit for purpose now but will continue to serve us effectively for years to come.”

British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) projects officer Lucy Grieve told H&H BEVA commends the work being done by the RCVS in continuing to lobby for a new Act.

“While it remains a slow process, new legislation could provide greater protection for owners when allied professionals carry out work on their horses. At present there is no regulation for musculoskeletal therapists, equine dental technicians, or others, which means it is difficult for anyone to know who to choose, how qualified they are and whether they are accountable should something go wrong,” she said.

“New legislation could help ensure that only appropriately trained and regulated individuals are allowed to provide healthcare services to horses. Without set standards and clarity, the welfare of horses is put at risk.”

The Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Animal Therapy (ACPAT) attended the RCVS meeting and a spokesman told H&H the organisation is advocating for “specific changes and considerations with welfare at the forefront”.

“It is essential that all parties work together to provide optimal care for our patients. ACPAT believes animals should be provided with the same level of care as is offered within human medicine; within human medicine physiotherapists are an integral part of the multidisciplinary team and a close working relationship usually exists between the medical team and healthcare allied professionals,” said the spokesman.

“This ensures a holistic approach to patient care that aims to optimise wellbeing and outcome. This multidisciplinary approach also offers great benefit to our veterinary patients with collaboration between professionals helping to provide a full care package.”

An RCVS spokesman told H&H the society will continue to work with Defra and other stakeholders, and has followed up with MPs and peers who attended the meeting to have “more in-depth conversations about the campaign”. But the spokesman added that the parliamentary process is “out of the RCVS’s hands”.

“For new legislation to be passed, it is very much dependent on current priorities within Defra, the Government’s overall agenda, when parliamentary time can be secured and current competing bills within the Defra and animal welfare sphere,” he said.

A Defra spokesman told H&H the department is “aware of the views of the veterinary profession and the many potential benefits associated with updating the Act”.

“The department is currently unable to provide a timescale as to when any reforms might take place. When reforms are taken forward, all of the proposals will be subject to a public consultation,” he said.

Equine flu vaccination shortage remedied – as multiple outbreaks occur

Eleanor Jones — Fri, 04 Nov 2022 14:53:19 +0000

The equine flu vaccination shortage in the UK is thought to have been remedied – as recent outbreaks show the need for disease control measures.

H&H reported this summer and autumn that there were fears of a shortage, owing to issues experienced by a supplier. But the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) told H&H it is expected that the vaccination that was temporarily unavailable will become available next week, and there should already be enough here as alternative vaccines have been imported from the US.

But in recent days, a number of cases of equine flu have been reported, some linked to a Shetland pony sale in Worcestershire (16-18 October) and others in horses recently imported from Ireland. The latter include “multiple cases” reported this morning (4 November).

BEVA president David Rendle told H&H the cases show the importance of vaccination, and of biosecurity measures applied to horses arriving on yards.

“There was no requirement for vaccination prior to entry to the Shetland sale and some of the unvaccinated ponies that attended the sale developed ‘flu after they returned home and have spread infection to stablemates,” Mr Rendle said.

“We are aware of six outbreaks spread across England, Scotland and Wales. The breed society has acted very responsibly and has cancelled further events limiting the potential for further spread. The Shetland Pony Stud Book Society has very responsibly and promptly alerted its membership and those who attended the sale. Credit must also go to the organisers of The North and Mid Wales Shetland Pony Show for their prompt action, which will be likely to have prevented onward transmission of equine influenza.”

Mr Rendle stressed that these outbreaks are a reminder of the importance of vaccinating horses who mix with others, and those at home who come into contact with them.

“It is the unvaccinated ponies that have spread the infection onward and the unvaccinated ponies that have become sick,” he said. “We are often complacent about flu and forget that prior to vaccination being compulsory for competition, outbreaks were far more common. It is a potentially fatal condition that we cannot afford to take for granted.

“The recent vaccine shortage was very unfortunate but as long as people get back to vaccinating at six- to 12-month intervals (six months for horses that are competing and mixing regularly, 12 for lower-risk horses) there will be no lasting harm. In increasingly challenging economic times, it might be tempting to consider saving the cost of vaccination but this cost is tiny compared to the cost of having to treat a horse with ‘flu, the cost to the industry of dealing with an influenza epidemic, and most importantly, the welfare cost to the horse of the disease itself.”

On 28 October, the Shetland Pony Stud Book Society said: “The society has been asked to notify members of confirmed cases of equine influenza in Shetland ponies purchased from the sale at Worcester on 18 October. If you purchased a pony please be vigilant and seek veterinary advice if you have any concerns.”

Horse owners warned as vets report rise in atypical myopathy and acorn poisoning

Becky Murray — Tue, 01 Nov 2022 13:04:21 +0000

Owners have been urged to be aware of the risk of atypical myopathy and acorn toxicity following a rise in cases.

Atypical myopathy – a condition that weakens a horses’ muscles – can occur when toxin hypoglycin A, found in sycamore seeds, is ingested. It is thought the hot summer has contributed to greater than normal production of the seeds, and acorns, which can also cause fatal poisoning.

Sonia Gonzales-Medina, assistant professor of equine internal medicine at the University of Nottingham Vet School told H&H that Oakham Veterinary Hospital has had three cases, with two fatalities, and there are reports of cases from other practices.

“In studies we found there is a biennial increase in the production of seeds with more hypoglycin A, and when you put it towards the number of cases reported this year, it ties in well,” she told H&H.

“We found a variation in the amount of toxin in seeds when evaluating the same tree over different years, so some years horses are going to be more at risk. We weren’t able to pinpoint what those years will be like weather-wise, but we noticed warmer summers tended to mean more seed production.”

Dr Gonzales-Medina, who has led studies on atypical myopathy and is involved in ongoing research on treatments, reminded owners that seeds can travel more than 500 yards in strong winds, and paddocks should be checked. If a horse is suspected of being unwell, urgent veterinary treatment should be sought.

Kate Dawson’s gelding Bertie died from atypical myopathy on 16 October. Bertie was taken to Leahurst Equine Hospital where tests confirmed the diagnosis. But despite vets’ best efforts, he could not be saved.

I’d owned him 14 years but that was all taken away in 24 hours,“ Katie told H&H.

“Now I need to save others in Bertie’s name. The seeds can drift for miles, but so many people have messaged me who didn’t know it was a thing. We’ve heard of 14 horses who have died from it this last week.

“Everyone cared for Bertie; everyone who met him, loved him, and I need to turn this into something positive and save other horses, as if not, he’s died in vain.”

The Royal Veterinary College (RVC) testing service allows owners to submit seed samples to find out if the toxin is present. Vets can also send blood samples for testing.

The British Equine Veterinary Association has reported a rise in cases of not only atypical myopathy but also acorn toxicity, a condition “less common and less well understood” than atypical myopathy – that needs urgent veterinary attention if suspected.

“Signs include moderate to severe colic or colitis, lethargy, dehydration and dark urine. Signs may develop extremely rapidly and death can occur within a further 12-24 hours.”

Owners warned of potential equine welfare ‘disaster’ if no action is taken

Eleanor Jones — Thu, 08 Sep 2022 14:46:02 +0000

A new campaign is an attempt to prevent a “disaster” for equine welfare, which could be the case if we do not act.

The British Horse Society (BHS) and British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) have joined forces on the Think Before you Worm project, launched at the 2022 BEVA congress (7-10 September).

The aim is to educate owners, keepers and yard managers on the vital importance of following an evidence-based, testing-led, worming programme developed with the vet.

“This comes as the risk of dewormer resistance continues to threaten the equine industry; a state that occurs when a proportion of the worms inside horses are no longer killed by the dewormer,” a BHS spokesman said.

“The outdated practice of giving dewormers at regular intervals without testing first has resulted in worms becoming resistant to many of the drugs that we use. The aim of ‘Think Before You Worm’ is to help slow resistance by urging more equestrians to reduce a horse’s unnecessary exposure to dewormers by using testing-led programmes.”

H&H has reported on the fact wormer resistance could lead to a “colic Armageddon”, as well as issues such as pastures on which horses can no longer be grazed, as is already the case in some areas for other grazing species.

BHS welfare campaigns officer Gabby Madders said: “If we continuously deworm our horses without testing first, the number of resistant worms present will increase. This means worms on a horse’s pasture will become resistant to dewormers and no longer respond to treatment.

“Only five types of chemical drugs are available to treat horses in the UK for worms and there is now evidence of resistance to all of these chemicals. Without action, we could reach a point in the future where all worms are resistant to the dewormers available, which will be disastrous for equine welfare.

“We’re delighted to be working with BEVA to minimise the threat of resistance and to support horse owners, carers and yard managers with the development of a tailored, testing-led deworming plan that prioritises the welfare of their horses and eliminates any unnecessary treatment.”

BEVA president elect David Rendle said the association is just as pleased to be working with the BHS on this issue.

“Horse owners are becoming increasingly aware of the urgency with which we need to tackle dewormer resistance and find sustainable testing-led strategies of control, which minimise potential harm both to horses and to the environment.

“The BHS and BEVA guidelines are an excellent reference, and we would urge every horse and yard owner to work with their local veterinary surgeon to develop testing-led programmes that work best for them. Vets want to help.”

Risks associated with wormer resistance include the fact this increases dependence on other drugs, meaning a “vicious circle”, with more dependence and fewer options. If parasites become resistant to all drugs – and there has been resistance recorded to all classes – horses are at risk of serious illness, such as colic, which could be fatal.

Equine flu vaccination deferrals advised as vaccine shortage affects UK first

Eleanor Jones — Wed, 07 Sep 2022 06:34:11 +0000

Changes to governing bodies’ vaccination requirements are among measures adopted as authorities attempt to mitigate the ongoing equine flu vaccine shortage.

H&H reported last month that there was the prospect of a shortage, owing to a “significant pan-European logistical problem” being experienced by manufacturer Boehringer Ingelheim.

The impact of this has hit the UK first, British Equestrian’s emergency response group (ERG) has confirmed, and some vet practices are already out of stock.

“Early indications from [Boehringer] are that the issues will continue until the end of October at the very earliest,” a BEF spokesman said.

“Working closely with [the British Equine Veterinary Association] BEVA, the BEF ERG can offer temporary guidelines to help minimise the impact of the shortage for a limited period while preserving the health of our national equine herd.”

BEVA’s advice is based on the risk bracket each horse falls into; fully vaccinated adults who mix rarely are at the lowest risk, those up to the age of four who mix frequently are most at risk.

It is recommended that owners of leisure horses in the lowest-risk categories whose annual boosters are due during the shortage should defer for up to three months, to a maximum of 15 months between doses. Any decision to defer should be in consultation with each horse’s vet.

“BEVA has established that there is evidence horses are still protected at 15 months, even if this situation is far from ideal, and the protection isn’t as great as it was at 12 months,” a BEF spokesman said. “Having had a good history of vaccination in the past is likely to help.”

Anyone who does defer vaccination should book a booster within nine months, so the horse has still had two jabs in two years. Passports of horses affected should be signed and dated by the vet to document the delay.

Owners who plan to affiliate to a governing body or travel to a venue with a 12-month vaccination requirement, compete in FEI events or run the horse under Rules are advised to keep to the 12-month requirement.

Further guidance from the FEI on international competition is expected this week, but a different approach has been agreed for competition horses. There is a higher level of immunity among such horses owing to vaccination rules, but they mix more frequently, and there is a need to align with the FEI and the racing industry’s rules.

The British Horse Society, British Riding Clubs, the Pony Club, the Riding for the Disabled Association, Association of British Riding Schools and the Showing Council will permit three-month deferrals followed by a booster within nine months.

Six-monthly vaccination was required by British Dressage, British Eventing, the British Horseball Association and British Carriagedriving, and strongly recommended by British Showjumping. These have been put on hold, and annual vaccination is still required.

British Equestrian Vaulting and Endurance GB (EGB) retain the 12-month requirement, but if shortages prevent vaccination, with prior approval, EGB will allow a three-month deferral.

Anyone who is not affiliated but whose horses frequently mix with others should consult their vet.

Celia Marr, chair of the BEF’s infectious diseases advisory group, said: “We find ourselves in a very difficult situation on how best to mitigate the risks posed by this vaccine shortage. However, the ERG is working collaboratively within BEF’s member bodies and with BEVA and [the British Horseracing Authority] BHA, and we hope we have established guidelines which allow vets to effectively manage supplies within their practices while preserving the established herd immunity amongst our vaccinated population.

“We know the devastating impact an equine flu epidemic can have and must continue to work together to prevent that. Moving the low and lowest risk and some medium-risk horses to a 15- and nine-month programme, while not perfect, is a good solution to ensure we have enough vaccine in the country to protect our most vulnerable horses, manage the equine influenza risk and prevent as many horses as possible from having to restart their vaccination course. We’re grateful to the member bodies for working with us to manage the situation.”

BEF CEO Jim Eyre added: “The ERG, our member bodies, BEVA and BHA have acted decisively in what is an ever-changing situation, which we’ll continue to monitor closely and manage. We want to reassure horse owners in the UK that deferring their booster for three months will give protection to healthy, adult horses with a good vaccination history and following with the next booster within nine months, so the horse effectively has ‘two in two’, is important.

“We’re grateful for everyone’s immediate support and actions in a bid to manage this crisis. The ERG will continue monitor the situation with member bodies and BEVA and, while the end of October has been indicated for supply issues to be resumed, we will make plans under the assumption that this could continue. We will continue to meet until normal vaccine supplies are resumed and six and/or 12-month boosters can be reinstated for all vaccinated horses.”

‘We’re trying to make sure everyone’s protected’: experts working on equine flu vaccination shortage

Eleanor Jones — Wed, 17 Aug 2022 17:30:24 +0000

Owners have been urged not to panic, nor change their practices, as experts monitor the potential impact of a shortage of equine flu vaccinations.

The British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA), British Equestrian (BEF) and the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) are working together on the issue. The organisations had been aware of “minor interruptions to the supply” of the vaccines this year, but a “significant, pan-European logistical problem being experienced by [manufacturer] Boehringer Ingelheim has raised the prospect of a further reduction in supplies in the coming months”.

David Rendle, chair of BEVA’s health and medicines committee, told H&H there are so many variables around supply, and what manufacturers can do – it takes about six months from starting the process to get vaccine to the vets – it is difficult to make solid predictions on when supplies will return to normal.

“But everyone is working on it,” he said. “There had been low-grade supply issues throughout this year but as a result of a recent issue, Boehringer Ingelheim hasn’t been able to supply any vaccines to the wholesalers since June or July. It was expected they’d come back in stock about now, which would have been fine, but now it’s clear they can’t rectify the issue and won’t be able to supply the market until the end of October.”

Mr Rendle said the key message is that owners should not panic, nor try to arrange vaccinations early.

“Please don’t think ‘I’d better get mine done now’,” he said. “Please be responsible and consider the bigger picture. Practices and wholesalers will still have stock but there will be less influenza vaccine available, and it’s about planning now and looking at maintaining protection for everyone.”

He added that older horses, who have good immunity built up from previous jabs, will be at less risk than young horses that have not had any vaccines, who need to be prioritised to ensure they get the primary courses.

“Vets will be risk-assessing,” Mr Rendle said.

“For example, although there is compelling scientific evidence for the increased protection that comes from six-monthly vaccination as required for some competition, it may be that if people aren’t mixing those horses and aren’t competing, they could postpone the six-monthly booster as their horses are at less risk than those who need to start their courses or have an annual booster”.

“This is clearly a very difficult situation as these vaccinations are so important in preventing disease outbreaks,but it’s about working together and being responsible to maximise the protection for everyone in difficult circumstances,” Mr Rendle said.

“I am sure horse owners will understand that vets are in a very difficult situation that is not of their making and will be supportive of the difficult decisions vets may have to make if there is further disruption of vaccine supply.”

Marc Laemmer, equine business head at Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health, said: “We are currently experiencing a European-wide supply issue relating to our equine influenza and influenza-tetanus vaccines. This has been caused by unexpected issues following the implementation of a technology upgrade and is not a product or quality issue. This means that some vet practices will have difficulty obtaining sufficient influenza vaccines and there may be a shortage in the UK market. We understand the importance of these vaccines to equine welfare, and we are continuing to work tirelessly to find a solution so that we can return to normal supply as soon as possible.”

BEF CEO Jim Eyre added: “A meeting of our equine infectious disease advisory group has been held and we will work with member bodies to monitor the situation carefully. If it becomes necessary, we will collectively work to devise practical solutions for dealing with any supply difficulties.”

Amanda Melvin, equine business manager at MSD Animal Health, said: “Based on prior demand, MSD’s equine vaccines Equilis Prequenza and Equilis Prequenza Te are in full supply. MSD has taken steps to protect as many horses as possible at this time. We will continue to supply existing customers with the available MSD stock on ‘allocation’ and, where possible, to allocate stock to additional customers. Allocations are being made to our veterinary customers based on their historical demand which we believe is the most efficient way to manage the available supplies.”

Rebecca Cabrejas, equine business unit manager at Zoetis, said: “Demand for our vaccines currently exceeds what we can supply. Whilst we have adequate stocks to fulfil current customers’ orders unfortunately, we are not in a position to be able to supply new customers at this time. We will continue to work with BEVA to limit the impact of the current shortages.”

James Given, director of equine health and welfare for the BHA, said the BHA is monitoring the situation and will issue updates “in due course”.

‘It’s a false economy’: owners urged not to scrimp on horse care as cost of living crisis continues

Becky Murray — Wed, 06 Jul 2022 12:03:07 +0000

OWNERS have been urged not to cut corners in essential horse care as the cost of living crisis “starts to bite”.

Concerns continue around rising costs, but industry experts have warned that with horses, prevention is “better than cure” and veterinary treatment, hoof care and saddle fittings should not be scrimped on to save money.

British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) ethics and welfare committee chair Lucy Grieve told H&H horse ownership comes with a “degree of cost” that can only be “minimised so far”.

“There is a basic level of need that must be met for horses, including the obvious things like food, water, exercise and shelter. However, the needs that are addressed more intermittently are more easily “bumped’’ or postponed when money is tight, which can lead to serious problems that can be detrimental to the horse’s health and end up costing more money in the long run,” she said.

“Not keeping up to date with vaccinations puts your horse at risk from the potentially fatal disease, tetanus, and puts your horse and others at risk of an equine influenza outbreak.

“Worm control can easily get out-of-control and this is only realised when it is too late. It’s too easy to let routine testing slip and before you know it, there can be a significant worm problem that can cause internal disease and life-threatening colic.”

Ms Grieve added that routine dental care is also important to maintain.

“Dental problems are much easier to treat and manage if they are caught early. Once they are more advanced, it can be costly and invasive to treat them, and the horse can have been in significant pain before other signs, such as quidding, become apparent,” she said.

BEVA president Huw Griffiths told H&H the organisation is “keeping a careful eye” on the cost of living situation. He said owners can save money by considering things such as shared vet visits and planning routine treatment in advance.

“In veterinary medicine, prevention is better than cure – it is also much cheaper. Discuss routine treatments with your vet and create the best infrastructure for best effect, with least expenditure,“ he said. “Avoiding preventative healthcare will unfortunately likely lead to increased expenditure and reduced welfare long term.

“Most practices are familiar with clients who are struggling to make ends meet. The key to a successful outcome is honesty and communication. If you know you are going to struggle to pay the bill immediately, discuss this with your vet before the visit. It is likely they will be able to help in some way and even if they can’t, they will help you find the best outcome within your abilities.”

The Farrier Registration Council (FRC) has spoken about the importance of not reducing routine hoof care to save money.

“Extending the period between shoeing or trimmings might at first glance seem like a quick way to reduce the annual costs of foot care,” the FRC spokesman told H&H. “The average horse is generally shod approximately eight or nine times a year when on a six-week interval; increasing this to seven or eight weeks will usually save you one visit over the course of the year. This saving might equate to just around £2 a week.

“Leaving the same shoes on for longer might also increase the likelihood of a shoe being lost. This will result in a call-out from your farrier; given the cost of fuel and time, this will most likely cost more than you would have saved by delaying.

“Other pathological issues can range from corns and damaged hoof capsules all the way to tendon damage and joint issues. Routine costs are usually much less than the emergency, unexpected fees.”

Society of Master Saddlers master saddle fitter Steph Bradley of Freedom Saddlery told H&H that regular saddle fittings are one of the things that can often be overlooked by owners, and this has been exacerbated with the cost of living crisis.

“People might think, ‘I’ll leave that six months or have it done next year.’ They tend to think nothing is wrong, but it’s creating a false economy because often the things that are wrong, you can’t physically see,” she said.

“You might think everything is OK, but actually maybe something is starting to wear or some flock has gone asymmetrical. These minor adjustments can make such a big difference to the comfort, welfare and performance of the horse.

Ms Bradley, who is also a British Horse Society accredited coach, has dropped her saddle-fitting prices from £65 to £50 for three months to try to help clients – and those that book their next six-monthly appointment will also be entitled to the discount.

“I’m trying to think differently to try to encourage people to carry on having saddle fittings done because it’s an easy thing to drop off the routine management. I’m also offering an option of a 20-minute coaching session included in the price, so it gives owners a little bit more for what they’re paying.”

World Horse Welfare deputy chief executive Tony Tyler told H&H the charity is beginning to receive more calls from people seeking advice on how to rehome their horses owing to financial concerns.

“It’s more of a trickle than a stream at the moment, but that could very well change come autumn and winter. There are things owners can do to save money and still provide good care, but they should be aware of false economies – scrimping on vet, dental or farrier care is not recommended,” he said.

“We encourage owners to look at the advice produced by the National Equine Welfare Council on how to cut costs without cutting care. If an owner or someone they know is concerned or struggling, we urge them to contact us or another charity for advice.”

Vets’ extreme disappointment at overweight show horses at Royal Windsor

Eleanor Jones — Wed, 08 Jun 2022 10:38:58 +0000

VETS and welfare experts say they were “extremely disappointed” to see overweight horses competing and being placed at Royal Windsor – but it is hoped the event is proving to be a catalyst for change.

The British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) contacted H&H with its concerns over some of the horses shown at the event (11–15 May). H&H has reported extensively on the epidemic of equine obesity, and the related significant welfare implications.

“BEVA was extremely disappointed to see overweight horses taking part in Royal Windsor Horse Show and being highly placed,” a spokesman said. “A huge amount of effort has been put into educating the equestrian world on the risk to health posed by obesity, and there has been great progress made at a number of shows and classes. However, despite this, some horses continue to be willingly and intentionally kept in obese condition and rosettes continue to be awarded for it. “

“We strongly urge owners, riders and judges to speak to their vet or qualified nutritionist and learn how to identify horses that are overweight,” the spokesman said. “This will enable weight management measures to be instigated to avoid this agonising, preventable and life-threatening condition, as well as other adverse effects of equine obesity.

“BEVA has been discussing the subject with members of the showing community, and recognises that work is being done alongside welfare organisations to clarify judging standards in relation to obesity. We will continue to support these efforts and applaud those members who are improving equine welfare in this regard.”

Showing Council chairman Jane Nixon, a highly experienced equine vet, told H&H she was also at Windsor, and agreed there were obese horses there.

“It was more prevalent in some classes than others, which I think others would agree with,” she said. “Across the board over the past few years, especially since the start of Covid, we do seem to have made some inroads, but there’s no question, obesity still exists.

“We need to look positively at the situation; a lot of hard work has been done, by welfare groups, vets and showing organisations. We need to take a positive view, but much still needs to be done.”

Dr Nixon added that Windsor highlighted the issue, which “could be considered a watershed moment”.

“I think the balance is now tipping towards horses in the appropriate condition,” she said. “BEVA is right; obesity needs to be challenged, in the right way. I think we need to be proactive, and say well done to those doing it right, but that it is still there, and a serious welfare issue.”

Tamzin Furtado, a researcher who has been working on a project to give awards to the horses in the best body condition in major showing classes, agreed with BEVA.

“It was disappointing to see overweight horses being rewarded in some showing classes at Windsor,” she told H&H. “We know there are groups within the showing community who are passionate about making changes in judging standards and have made progress in this regard, but unfortunately change has not been as quick to permeate all classes as we might hope.”

Dr Furtado added that Windsor has “been a catalyst for some extensive discussions about how we can encourage further change”.

“We are very hopeful that additional support for judges, show organisers and competitors to celebrate healthy body condition will soon be in place,” she said.

World Horse Welfare CEO Roly Owers told H&H: “There’s still a significant challenge in raising awareness of the critical health implications of equine obesity, and it’s got to be a collective effort, including showing and the judging within it. Weight management is not easy, but it’s vital for equine health.”

Equine obesity will be on the agenda at the Showing Council summer conference on 28 June. For tickets, visit: theshowingcouncil.co.uk

One in four horses’ bits don’t fit, research finds

Becky Murray — Sun, 05 Jun 2022 18:03:07 +0000

Many owners are using bits that do not fit, new research suggests, as the importance of giving more consideration to a horse’s breed, age and sex in mouthpiece choice is highlighted.

In the study, researchers from the University of Helsinki looked at the variation in oral dimensions between 554 horses and ponies – including types such as warmbloods, Connemaras and cobs, aged between five and 29.

Of the 554, 465 wore a bit and researchers compared the oral dimensions of these horses and ponies to the bits they wore. Of the bits used, a double-jointed snaffle was the most common mouthpiece and a loose-ring was the most common cheek type. But of the group, 25.8% of the horses and ponies were wearing a bit that did not fit, by being either too short or too long for the mouth. Oral dimensions were significantly smaller in mares than geldings, and they were found to have less tongue space.

The researchers concluded it was common for horses to wear bits that did not fit in relation to their oral dimensions.

“Breed and age appeared to affect the owners’ selection of bit length. However, owners may be unaware of the relationship between oral dimensions and sex when selecting bit size,” they said.

“Measuring oral dimensions as part of routine dental examination aids in choosing a bit mouthpiece size that fits in order to avoid discomfort. It is recommended to check bit fit regularly as the horse ages.”

British Equine Veterinary Association council member Neil Townsend told H&H correctly fitting tack is “paramount” to the welfare of the ridden horse.

“There are considerable differences in mouth width and space between breeds so owners should take advice on bit sizing, and swapping bits between horses of different breeds may not be appropriate,” he said.

“At first glance, the results of this study can be dramatic, but 70–75% of horses had a bit that fit correctly based on bit length and thickness. The measurements in this case were carried out by experienced researchers under sedation to an accuracy of 1mm, which may not be transferable at present to a clinical setting such as a routine dental exam.”

Gill Batt, bit-fitting specialist and founder of Horse Bit Advice, told H&H that of the horses she sees, around 50% might have an incorrect fitting bit – but she said owners are willing to learn.

“We’re very good at getting the saddle checked and all those sorts of things, but we’ve been a little bit behind about bits. But on the whole, who doesn’t want to do the best by their horse? And that’s whether we’re talking about Olympic standard or someone who has a horse they just want to go hacking with,” she said, adding that it is just as important to consider bit fit with an older horse as it is a younger horse, and she recommends horses are seen around every six months by a bit fitter.

Brexit ‘disaster’ and Covid make vet-shortage situation worse

Becky Murray — Tue, 10 May 2022 17:32:29 +0000

Vet shortages in the UK remain a concern as a “disastrous” Brexit and challenges from Covid add more pressure.

The topic was recently debated in the House of Lords, during which it was asked what discussions had taken place between the Government and members of the veterinary profession about the availability of qualified vet personnel following Brexit.

In June 2019, H&H reported that the migration advisory committee, a public body that advises the Home Office on immigration issues, had recommended vets be restored to the Government’s shortage occupation list, following a joint submission from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) and the British Veterinary Association (BVA) (news, 6 June 2019).

During the debate, Lord Wigley reported that since Brexit the number of EU-registered vets coming to work in the UK had fallen by 68%, from more than 1,132 in 2019 to 364 in 2021.

“Is this not yet another example of the total disaster that Brexit has been for the UK?” he asked.

Defra parliamentary under-secretary of state Lord Benyon said Government officials are in “regular contact” with the veterinary profession and Defra is working with stakeholders to understand reasons for the shortage and develop “potential solutions”.

Lord Trees said reasons for the current shortage are “complex” but involve the “three Rs” – recruitment, retention and encouraging returners back to work after career breaks. He asked Lord Benyon to press the Government to raise core funding for vet students in the UK, which would “displace the need to take overseas students” and “immediately increase very substantially” the number of UK students undergoing vet training.

An RCVS spokesman told H&H workforce shortages are a “key challenge” facing the profession, which have been “exacerbated significantly” by the pandemic, Brexit and an increase in demand for veterinary services.

The number of vets joining the RCVS register declined from 2,782 in 2019 to 2,061 in 2021 and there has been an increase in vets leaving the register’s UK-practising category since 2018, either by leaving the register or moving to another category. As a result, the net number of vets joining the UK-practising category – the total number joining minus the number who have left – has fallen from 1,180 in 2019 to 269 in 2021.

“There has been a decrease in new UK-practising registrants from overseas, particularly from the EU, over the past four years. In 2018, 53% of new registrants were EU-qualified, but in 2021 this was 19%. This reduction in new registrants from the EU explains much of the fall in overall numbers of new registrants,” said the RCVS spokesman.

“There is no silver bullet for solving the workforce crisis and the ongoing impacts of Covid and Brexit. There have been recent developments that will increase the number of UK veterinary graduates, with four new vet schools on the horizon.

“However, we agree with Lord Trees that there will need to be significant investment by the Government in UK veterinary education if we are to ensure domestic capacity and resilience.”

British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) president Huw Griffiths told H&H the organisation is aligned with the RCVS and the BVA in identifying potential shortfalls of veterinary provision, and is leading on the sector-specific challenges involving equine vets and “therefore equine welfare”.

“Manpower can be relocated in the short-term but globally a long-term strategy is required to ensure adequate provision of care for our equine patients,” he said, adding that BEVA acknowledges the “three Rs” as key areas for focus and strategic improvement.

BEVA will launch a recruitment and retention survey next month for its membership, to build on the work of Renate Weller, who has researched factors affecting this area. Mr Griffiths added that BEVA will also be working with Amy Grice, a “world leader” in the understanding of the generations of equine vets, who has undertaken studies on the topic and will attend the BEVA congress in September.

“We are wholeheartedly committed to supporting our membership, enabling them to continue to provide world-class care for equines. The future will inevitably be different, it is our role to be malleable, and provide support and resources that reflect the needs of the professionals of the future,” added Mr Griffiths.

H&H vet expert Karen Coumbe, who works for Bell Equine, told H&H that although the horse world may have been “a little protected” from vet shortages compared to small-animal vet practice, this is changing.

“There are alarming statistics showing vets are not staying in the profession as long as they used to. There are many reasons for that, plus there aren’t the same number of vets coming over from overseas. And there are now more female vets, so more vets take time out of the workplace with parental leave,” she said.

“I’ve been very lucky, but generally the view is the public have higher expectations than previously, so if there aren’t enough vets to go round, then those who are available become less effective and burnt out. This results in a perfect storm of job dissatisfaction from vets and their clients.”

Need for equine and humanitarian aid ‘grows more desperate’ in Ukraine

Becky Murray — Wed, 13 Apr 2022 15:50:20 +0000

The need for more humanitarian and equine aid “grows more desperate” as the war in Ukraine continues.

Four weeks on, the British Equestrians for Ukraine (BEU) group – set up by British Equestrian, the British Horse Society, the British Equestrian Trade Association (BETA) and World Horse Welfare with the support of member bodies across the industry – continues to raise funds and coordinate supplies to the country.

“The situation in Ukraine continues to be severe, with fighting intensifying in the south and east and the need for humanitarian and equine aid grows more desperate,” said a BEU spokesman.

“Working in collaboration both in the UK and with parties in Europe and Ukraine, BEU has so far helped nine lorries of goods get delivered and assisted with funding for holding facilities and personnel to help with logistics and coordination.”

A BEU spokesman said through collective efforts, donations to the BEU fund, hosted by World Horse Welfare, stand at £164,000 and food forage and bedding in the nine-truck convoy sent to Poland at the end of last month has now been distributed through Ukraine to key locations where its most needed.

“The Ukrainian equestrian federation (UEF) is prioritising relocating equines to holding camps in safe areas over trying to get them across the border into Poland and beyond,” said the spokesman.

“The wait times for paperwork to be checked, even for microchipped horses, is generally 20 to 40 hours on the border. The camps provide housing and support for any horse and any people who travel with them and BEU has been providing logistics and financial help to set up and run the camps.”

The spokesman added that the British Veterinary Professionals for Ukraine (BVPU) has now linked into the BEU fund for monetary assistance to support the need for veterinary supplies, alongside their own fundraising which has raised £44,000 for humanitarian aid. The British Equestrian Veterinary Association Trust has contributed, as has the American Association of Equine Practitioners.

BEVA president-elect and BVPU team member David Rendle will travel to the Polish/Ukrainian border this week to assess the situation and veterinary stands. He is currently coordinating a lorry of donated supplies to leave the UK, and will work with BETA chief executive Claire Williams to ensure the lorry is full of any additional equine, pet and humanitarian supplies.

BETA is also working on a supply source and transport provider for haylage and bedding to Europe so BEU can fund more economical ways to get supplies to Ukraine efficiently. The current requirement is for low-protein, small bale forage and shavings, UEF has reported good stocks of hard feed.

“The situation in Ukraine remains utterly dire but thanks to people’s generosity we are starting to have some impact in getting aid to where it is needed, through donations of supplies and funding. The initial response to the appeal has been amazing and to have legends like Lucinda Green and Carl Hester supporting our collective effort is incredible,” said Roly Owers, World Horse Welfare chief executive.

“However, the stark reality is that the desperate need to support Ukrainian horses and the wider sector will remain for months to come, whatever happens on the ground. So we would implore everyone to continue to donate and to fundraise in support of this much needed initiative.”

Hopes new drug can help laminitis cases – but good management remains key

Becky Murray — Tue, 29 Mar 2022 16:12:33 +0000

A drug being used to treat horses suffering with acute laminitis is proving to be successful – but owners have been warned this does not mean they can become complacent in management practices.

Ertugliflozin, an SGL2 inhibitor used to help lower blood glucose levels in humans, has been found to lower insulin levels in horses, and is being used more in the treatment of laminitis and equine metabolic syndrome (EMS). The drug does not have marketing authorisation for use in horses, but it can be prescribed by a vet in the UK.

David Rendle, chair of the British Equine Veterinary Association’s health and medicines committee, who has been involved in some of the research of the use of ertugliflozin, told H&H that although there is limited data available, the drug has been found to bring insulin levels down “remarkably quickly”.

“We have found in cases of laminitis the horse’s level of comfort increases very quickly. Everything is pointing toward SGL2s being an effective way of reducing the suffering associated with laminitis,” he said.

“This is exciting, but management still has to be the central theme. I wouldn’t want owners to think there’s now a magic bullet and they can be complacent about management, because that’s not the case.”

Pearl James’ gelding Murphy developed laminitis and EMS last autumn. Murphy had sustained an injury and could not be exercised, and despite strict management practices, he continued to put on weight. Having changed vet practices to Pinkham Equine, he was prescribed ertugliflozin by vet Rich Bristow.

Pearl told H&H within two weeks of Murphy being on the drug his insulin levels dropped from 150 to 11. Studies have indicated generally a horse’s insulin level should be below 20.

“We had been desperately trying to make him lose weight but no matter what he was getting fatter and fatter. You can reduce their food as much as you can, but you can’t starve them. Because we had the laminitis, coupled with the other lameness issue, I just felt up against it and desperate,” she said, adding that although the drug is expensive, she believes it has been worth it.

“Ertugliflozin has been like a wonder drug and Murphy looks amazing. If it wasn’t for this I don’t think we would have been able to keep laminitis away – and I don’t know if we would have been able to keep him going.”

Vet Rich Bristow told H&H there are other drugs that can be used for EMS and insulin resistance, but he believes ertugliflozin has been “the most effective”.

“If you can institute good management changes, in terms of feeding and weight loss and increasing exercise levels, then sometimes you can get horses’ glucose levels to come down – but the frustrating cases are when a horse is suffering from laminitis and can’t be exercised. There is no shortage of horses and ponies suffering from EMS so I’m sure there will be some who will benefit from this drug,” he said.