CIC3* added to Blair Castle International Horse Trials- 28 July 2009

British Eventing is pleased to announce that a new CIC3* class has been added to the long-standing Blair Castle International Horse Trials in Perthshire (27-30 August). 

 Blair Castle is kindly hosting this class to replace the lost fixture from Thirlestane Castle which ran its final event last year. The CIC3* will incorporate the Scottish Open Championships and any rider eligible to compete in a CIC3* will also have the opportunity to win the Scottish Open Championship title.

Event Organiser for Blair Castle International Horse Trials, Alec Lochore, is hoping to provide riders with a good competition opportunity: “I am hoping that at even such short notice, a good number of riders will use the CIC3* as their final opportunity to qualify for an autumn CCI, including Blenheim.”

 BETA conference to inspire equestrian enterprise - 28 July 2009

Economic, legal and commercial challenges facing the equestrian industry will be addressed by a series of expert speakers at the 2009 British Equestrian Trade Association (BETA) Conference at The Belfry on 12 October, 2009.

The annual event attracts an audience of leading equestrian manufacturers, distributors and retailers and incorporates the trade association’s AGM, chaired by BETA president Jane Holderness Roddam.

“Since horse ownership tends to be a lifestyle choice, the equestrian trade overall is holding up in what are testing economic times,” said Claire Williams, executive director of BETA.

 “The aim of our 2009 Conference is to encourage BETA member companies to flourish further so that they can continue to offer consumers a wide choice of products and good quality, reliable service. Eminent professionals from outside our own industry are ideally placed to provide fresh ideas and inspiration.”

For ticket applications, contact BETA on tel 01937 587062 or email info@beta-uk.org

 Updated NED online -8 July 2009

A new version of the NED website has been put online.  Some of the improvements include:

·         Brand new home page

·         Reporting facility for horses lost or stolen, developed in collaboration with HorseWatch

·         Photo gallery of horses uploaded on to NED

·         A new value for money 'points model' for chargeable services

The new points model replaces the introductory £1 offer and operates very much like a simple 'pay as you go' mobile phone package.  You can purchase points at any time you like, the points are credited to your account and they can then be spent on any NED services - passport checks, associating with equines you own or any of NED's wide selection of data reports.

As an existing member you do not need to make any changes to take advantage of the new NED features.  When your introductory membership finishes, your account will automatically switch onto the new points model leaving your existing Associations, Favourites and NEDLinks still in place. In addition, you will have 5 free NED points allocated to your account. You will see your points total in the Welcome box, top left of your screen.

Jemma kicks on for gold - 7 July 2009

It was an exciting final round in the Individual finals at the Young Rider European Championships, held in Hoofddorp, Netherlands on Sunday.   Twenty year old Jemma Kirk, from Bo’Ness, West Lothian and her father Robert’s 13 year old bay gelding  Wexford, had to wait patiently to find out if they had won a Silver medal only to find that French rider, Igor Kawaik, had knocked down one fence too many, which left a delighted and deserving Jemma with an individual Gold medal.

Individual results as follows:

YOUNG RIDERS INDIVIDUAL FINAL
GOLD            Jemma Kirk – Wexford (GBR) 8.44  penalties
SILVER           Igor Kawaik – Victory DA (FRA)  9.77
BRONZE         Manuel Anon Suarez – Loreal d’Utah (ESP)10.47
4^th                 Alexandra Paillot – It’s Texas de Revel  (FRA)  12.38
5^th                 Maikel Van der Vleuten – VDL Sapphire B (NED) 12.50
6^th                 Caroline Aresu – King de B’Neville (ESP) 12.71
9^th                Joe Clayton – Saveur (GBR) 15.77
11^th              William Whitaker – Clark 12 (GBR) 16.84

 For full results please go to: www.concourshoofddorp.nl

Is Soaked Hay Safe for Laminitis Prone Horses -7 July 2009

New research, conducted by the WALTHAM–initiated Laminitis Consortium, has raised questions over the assumption that soaking hay will make it safe to feed to laminitis-prone horses and ponies. Over-consumption of water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC) has been associated with the onset of laminitis. It has been recommended that hay with a non-structural carbohydrate (WSC and starch) content of less than 10% should be fed to obese animals as well as those at risk of laminitis and that hay should be soaked in water before being fed in order to reduce the WSC.  The study, which was completed earlier this year, examined the loss of water-soluble carbohydrates from nine different hays submerged in water for up to 16 hours.

 Previous studies have shown that the prolonged soaking of chopped hay in large volumes of water can result in the leaching of nutrients, including soluble carbohydrates. However, because common practice in the UK tends to involve long-stemmed hay, soaked in relatively small volumes of water over varying timescales, the Laminitis Consortium’s study aimed to replicate such a practice^.

 Clare Barfoot. “Very few samples reached below 10% WSC, despite prolonged soaking. The concern is that this strongly suggests that soaking may not be sufficient to render some hays safe to feed to horses and ponies prone to laminitis.”   

“Our current advice is that ideally you should analyse your hay before feeding it to an animal at high risk of laminitis and choose hay with the lowest WSC content you can find. Soaking hay provides an additional safeguard but should not be relied upon,” concludes Clare.    

The study also highlights that if hay is soaked for extended periods, it may not meet the nutritional requirements of the animal because substantial amounts of other nutrients, protein, vitamins and minerals will also be lost. In such cases it is even more important that the horse or pony should receive a balanced supplementary feed.

 The Laminitis Consortium is continuing its work in this area and hopes to be able to identify practices that will be of greater benefit to the horse owner faced with hay of unknown WSC content.

British Eventing Safety Forum at SNEC - 6 July 2009

British Eventing will be running a safety forum from 7 p.m.- 9 p.m. at SNEC, West Lothian on Monday 20th July.  BE Safety Committee Chairman Iain Graham, National Safety Officer Jonathan Clissold, and Safety Committee member and Course Designer and builder Adrian Ditcham, will give a talk about the latest safety research news and developments.  After the presentation is over an open forum will be held for any input or questions that you may have.

The forums are open to both members and non-members. To book your free place, please call Carolyn Simm at British Eventing on 02476 698821 or e-mail carolyn.simm@britisheventing.com

The Shires are back at HOYS! - 3 July 2009

Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) is delighted to announce the return of the Shire Horse of the Year Championship class at the 2009 event in October (7^th–11^th at Birmingham’s new NEC LG Arena). Bradford based Clayton Transport will be sponsoring the class for the first time and is thrilled to support one of Britain’s most popular and historic breeds. The Championship will take place during Sunday Evening’s Gala performance and promises to be a spectacular show case for Britain’s Shire horses.

BHIC gives thumbs down to Defra's proposed levy - 3 July, 2009

The British Horse Industry Confederation (BHIC) has given an emphatic ‘No’ to Defra’s proposed £10.50 levy on horse owners.

BHIC Chair Professor Tim Morris (Equine Science and Welfare Director at the British Horseracing Authority), Mark Weston (British Horse Society Director of Access, Safety and Welfare) and Jan Rogers (British Equestrian Federation Head of Equine Development) worked together to produce a united response from the horse section. The result was a definite ‘No’ to Defra’s proposal to impose a new structure to animal health control which would mean a £10.50 levy per horse on all horse owners.

BHIC Chair, Professor Tim Morris, said on behalf of all horse owners: “The proposals for responsibility and cost sharing are based on inaccurate data and flawed assumptions, and represent an increase in costs for the equine sector where a significant proportion already fund their leisure activities out of taxed income." 

Mark Weston, the British Horse Society Director of Access Safety and Welfare said: “The equine sector cannot be compared to the livestock sector; it is primarily a leisure activity. Two thirds of owners have just one horse, most do not keep horses to make money, and the horse sector does not receive the subsidy, which we estimate at £1 billion annual, that the livestock sector receives.”

Hickstead and Hougton Hall International Horse Trials on t.v.   - 3 July 2009

Coverage of both events will be shown this weekend on Horse & Country TV (H&C).  A 3 hour program of highlights of The Subaru Houghton International Horse Trials will be shown on Friday July 10.  On Saturday at 8 p.m. you can see all the action from the Bunn Leisure Speed Derby at Hickstead followed up at 9 p.m. with coverage of the DFS British Jumping Derby.

Keep Your Pets Cool in the Hot Weather - 2 July 2009

Defra’s Chief Veterinary Officer Nigel Gibbens is urging pet owners to remain vigilant this summer as temperatures soared throughout Britain this week.  Mr Gibbens said, ““There are simple, easy steps to take that will ensure your pet is happy and healthy throughout the warm weather. “

These include:

Do not leave pets in vehicles in the heat

·    Ensure that your pet has adequate water to drink

·    Ensure that your pet has adequate ventilation at all times

·    Avoid exercising pets in the heat of the day

·    Provide necessary protection from the sun in the hottest part of the day

The Horse Trust Criticies 'rescue' of foreign slaughter horses - 2 July 2009

 30 June 2009: The Horse Trust has criticised the growing trend of European horses destined for slaughter being purchased and imported to the UK.

The charity has recently been contacted by a number of people who have rescued horses from the meat trade in France. Some of these people have asked about rehoming their rescue horse as they are unable to cope with its medical or behavioural problems.  The Horse Trust is asking horse lovers to stop purchasing horse from the many websites that allow people to buy horses destined for slaughter and to consider rehoming a UK horse instead.

 "These websites are profit-making ventures and by buying these horses people are encouraging the horse-meat trade. You may be saving one horse, but your money will fund the breeding of many more horses for the horse-meat trade," said Paul Jepson, chief executive of The Horse Trust.

 "It's a very risky buying a horse unseen from a website as you have no idea what the horse is like - it could have behavioural issues and be too much to handle, or it could be permanently lame, so you could be taking on a horse that you will never be able to ride," said Paul. "With the credit crunch, there are thousands of horses in the UK that need a new home. If people feel they have the time, money and long-term commitment to look after a horse, we would advise them to contact their local equine rehoming centre."

 The Horse Trust is also concerned about the risk of an imported horse transmitting an infectious disease to local horses and advises anyone buying a horse unseen to ensure a thorough and independent vet check is carried out first.

 "Most of the slaughter horses that are rescued only have basic vet checks and may have minor issues such as lice or ticks, or more serious issues, such as an infectious disease. We are particularly worried about the risk of Equine Infectious Anaemia virus being brought into the UK, after the recent outbreak in France²," said Paul.

 The Horse Trust has information and advice on buying a horse at www.horsetrust.org.uk. Potential horse owners can also get individual advice by emailing The Horse Trust via the contact form on its website.

 Websites that allow people to buy horses destined for slaughter in France include:

·         Equine Section - http://www.equinesection.com

·         Equine Rescue and Rehoming - http://equinerescuerehoming.proboards.com

·         Reflex Rescue and Rehoming - http://www.reflexrescuerehoming.proboards.com/