Former Team GBR Olympic eventing vet Jenny Hall has been appointed the chief veterinary officer of the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) and is completing a review into the organisation’s veterinary operations.
Jenny was appointed interim chief veterinary officer in January with responsibility for overseeing the restructuring of BHA’s raceday veterinary resources.
“Jenny has done an excellent job implementing the measures needed to restructure the Equine Health and Welfare operation,” said the BHA’s Paul Bittar.
“A commitment to promoting horse welfare is at the heart of everything we do, not just in relation to BHA’s veterinary work but across all aspects of regulation.”
Jenny was team vet to Britain’s eventers at the Sydney, Athens and Beijing Olympics before working for London 2012 organisers LOCOG as veterinary services manager at Greenwich.
She has worked in equine veterinary practices in Lambourn for many years as well as acting as a racecourse vet at Epsom Downs, Sandown Park and Kempton Park.
“Overseeing the changes in the operation has been a challenging but also a rewarding experience,” said Jenny.
“The benefits of the revised structure have already been evident in a number of areas, not least when working closely with the disciplinary and investigating teams on high profile cases relating to the use of prohibited substances.
“Our key objectives are two-fold, firstly, to uphold and promote the high standards of horse welfare in British Racing and secondly, to assist in ensuring a level playing field with regard to regulating the use of prohibited substances.
“By adopting a more collaborative approach, we are working with trainers to help them protect the health of their horses. We acknowledge that one cannot remove risk altogether but it is our intention to reduce and manage risk as effectively as possible.”
