Equine Health Week 2024
After a successful running in 2022, Equine Health Week is back from 22–28 January! The campaign will focus on equine wellness and wellbeing and will feature a fascinating podcast series with leading equine sport science and medicine practitioners, plus educational content across our social media channels. The week is aimed at everyone who interacts with equines – whether you ride occasionally at a centre, have your own horse or run a bustling yard, everyone has a part to play in the health, wellbeing and welfare of our equine partners.
Here's what you can expect from the week...
| Day | Topic | Experts |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Equine wellbeing | Farrier Ben Benson and saddler Mark Fisher from the World Class Programme |
| Tuesday | Healthy weight | Nutritionist Ruth Bishop from the World Class Programme, Director of Research and Policy Jan Rogers from The Horse Trust and behavioural scientist Tamzin Furtado from The University of Liverpool. |
| Wednesday | Worms | Vet Nicola Housby Skeggs from The Horse Trust and Westgate Director Claire Shand |
| Thursday | Soundness matters | Vets Liz Brown (Liz Brown Equine) and Robert Oulton (Scott Dunn Equine Clinic) from the World Class Programme |
| Friday | Disease prevention and protection | Vets Celia Marr from Rossdales and Richard Newton from Cambridge University – part of the British Equestrian's Equine Infectious Diseases Advisory Group. |
| Saturday and Sunday | Welfare weekend | Vets Roly Owers and Janet Douglas from World Horse Welfare, and Jane Nixon from the British Horse Council |
Content from across the week will be added to this page as it goes live, so keep checking back here to make sure you don't miss out.
Monday – Equine wellness
Daily Podcast episode
For the first episode in our Equine Health Week 2024 podcast series, Rachel from the Communications Team is joined by farrier Ben Benson and saddler Mark Fisher from our World Class Programme to discuss equine wellness and the importance of a holistic approach. Plus, there's lots of key information and fun facts about your horse's feet and saddle fit.
Winter Hoofcare Tips
Useful links
World Horse Welfare's annual horse health plan
Tuesday – Healthy Weight
Daily podcast episode
Today's Equine Health Week 2024 topic is all about helping your horse achieve a healthy weight. In the first of two episodes covering this important subject, Rachel is joined by Ruth Bishop, the World Class Programme's equine nutritionist and Director of Equine at feed manufacturer HJ Lea Oakes. Together, they discuss the health implications of carrying too much weight, techniques for monitoring your horse's weight and condition, and how you can tailor your feed, forage and turnout for a weight loss diet.
In the second of today's Equine Health Week episodes, Rachel speaks to Jan Rogers from The Horse Trust and Tamzin Furtado from the University of Liverpool about how you can tailor your horse's management and exercise regime to help promote weight loss – and make it an enjoyable experience for you both, too.
Condition scoring poster
WEigh taping and Condition scoring guide
Regularly assessing your horse’s weight is an important part of keeping him healthy. Check out our online guide on how to use a weigh tape and condition scoring for more information.
Useful links
When the grass is greener: The weight management guide for every horse, every yard and every owner
Equine obesity and weight management guide from the University of Liverpool
WEdnesday – Worming
In today's episode of the Equine Health Week 2024 podcast series, Rachel is joined by Westgate Director and SQP Claire Shand, and Veterinary Director at The Horse Trust, Nicola Housby Skeggs, to talk about worming and parasite prevention. From how to reduce the risk to your horse to testing programmes and the potential environmental impact of using wormers, this is a fascinating insight into the invisible threat posed by parasites.
Example targeted worming programme
Useful Links
WestgateLabs: TARGETED PARASITE CONTROL to take care of Dung Beetles
Thursday – Soundness matters
Daily podcast episode
Today's episode of our Equine Health Week 2024 series lifts the lid on soundness. Rachel speaks to World Class Programme team vets Liz Brown and Rob Oulton about what we mean when we talk about soundness, some of the common causes of soundness problems, and how to tailor our management and training regimes to promote and preserve soundness.
Friday – Disease prevention and protection
Daily podcast episode
For today's episode of our Equine Health Week 2024 series, we're looking at disease prevention and protection. Rachel is joined by vet Celia Marr from Rossdales Equine Hospital and Richard Newton from Equine Infectious Disease Surveillance, both of whom sit on British Equestrian's Equine Infectious Disease Advisory Group, to find out more. The discussion covers important topics such as common infectious diseases, signs and symptoms to look out for, the importance of vaccination and the threat of exotic diseases for our UK horse population.
Biosecurity for new arrivals on the yard
Attending equine events
Useful links
Advice Notes for Member Bodies and Organisers of Equine Gatherings
Reducing Disease Risk Together: Advice notes for venues
Equine Infectious Disease Surveillance
International Collating Centre of EIDS
Saturday – better beginnings
Daily podcast
This weekend, our Equine Health Week 2024 podcast series turns its attention to the big – and very important – topic of equine welfare. First up, Jane Nixon and Kezia Allen from the British Horse Foundation join Rachel to discuss the importance of the first few years of a horse's life and how actions taken during this crucial time can set him up for the future.
Useful links
British Horse Foundation – Better Beginnings
Sunday – Equine welfare
Daily podcast
For our final podcast episode for Equine Health Week 2024 series – and the second part of our Welfare Weekend – Rachel is joined by Roly Owers and Janet Douglas from World Horse Welfare for an insightful and thought-provoking conversation about how we can make the lives of our horses as happy and fulfilling as possible. Plus, we lift the lid on social licence and why it's a topic that all equestrians need to take to heart.
Useful links
World Horse Welfare – The 3 Fs