Joint study wins Eqvalan thesis of the year award
Understanding of one of the causes of joint and cartilage damage in horses has been increased thanks to a study by a Royal Veterinary College student.
Newly-qualified vet Holly Claridge’s analysis of the articular process joint in the neck of the horse won the Royal Agricultural Society of England’s Eqvalan Duo Equine Thesis of the Year Award on Friday 13 November.
Holly said the joint has received little research attention despite disorders such as osteoarthritis and osteochondrosis being linked to spinal cord compression.
She said “It is fantastic to have my research recognised and a great honour to have been selected from such strong competitors.”
Holly’s thesis was selected from research submitted by universities and colleges in the UK and Ireland.
Second prize winner was Ann Clausen of Writtle College for her dissertation: Analysis of the trait scoring data in Futurity Evaluations (2005-2008) for young sports horses.
Ann found that the evaluations represent a valuable tool for the future development of genetic evaluations of the UK sports horse population and are critical for a more strategic improvement of British-bred sports horses.
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A self-confessed newshound, farmer’s daughter and journalist of many years' experience, Charlotte worked on regional papers before joining H&H in 2007. A regular rider, she visited Ireland in 2010 to investigate the fate of Irish horses through the recession, to much acclaim, and reported from the FEI General Assembly in Rio de Janeiro in 2011. She left Horse & Hound in March 2013.