Do you really know who you are getting your horse’s feeding advice from? A new register of equine nutritionists and feed advisors has been launched to give owners confidence that the information they are seeking comes from a trusted source.
The British Equestrian Trade Association’s (BETA) Equine Nutritionist and Feed Adviser Register (ENFAR) aims to “promote the highest standards of evidence-based feeding advice for horse owners and the wider industry”.
The project has been led by Dr Katie Williams, of Dengie Horse Feeds, and developed by BETA’s feed committee.
ENFAR has two categories: feed advisers and equine nutritionists. Each person accepted onto the register has committed to engage in continuing professional development and to ENFAR’s code of best practice.
Both advisers and nutritionists must also complete a series of online assessments before they are accepted.
“The assessment process is designed to ensure that everyone is in the right category and be rigorous enough to ensure a minimum standard of competency and knowledge,” said Claire Williams, BETA’s executive director.
“The assessments include technical skills and knowledge, but are also looking at how effectively someone can communicate. Ultimately, we want to be sure that the candidate can advise effectively.”
A BETA spokesperson explained that currently the profession of equine nutritionist has no protected status, which means anyone can call themselves a nutritionist regardless of their qualifications or experience.
“Inevitably this means a lot of advice is of a very poor quality, which has the potential to be detrimental to equine welfare and damage the credibility of those operating professionally,” added the BETA spokesperson.
Dr Katie Williams said that the idea behind ENFAR is to “recognise those who are doing a good job and who horse owners can trust”.
“What I love about the register is that anyone who is giving advice on feeding and nutrition can apply, so ultimately it will help to raise standards across lots of different equestrian professions including veterinary personnel, bodyworkers and coaches,” she said.
The register is live on the BETA website at https://beta-uk.org/enfar-directory/ and professionals wishing to join can also apply online.
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