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World Horse Welfare hosts 'value of horses' Conference
working horses
Horses are valued as working horses, sport competitors and as much loved family pets.
Conference opened by HRH The Princes Royal

World Horse Welfare's 2014 Conference took place on Thursday, November 13 at the Royal Geographical Society. This year the charity considered the thought provoking question "what is the value of horses?"

The Conference was opened by HRH The Princess Royal who underlined the many different ways in which horses are valued in today's society - as sport competitors, as working horses, as much loved family pets, and even how they are valued in the slaughter trade.

A varied range of influential presenters joined World Horse Welfare for the event, including Roger Scruton, writer and philosopher on the purpose and value of horses, Soenke Lauterbach, secretary general of the German Equestrian Foundation, and professor Cathy McGowan from the School of Veterinary Science at the University of Liverpool. Each speaker on the day spoke about the many other interpretations of the value of horses - from the value of the horse in sport and leisure, to the functional value of the working horse to impoverished communities overseas.

The Conference was also joined by Royal Marine Veteran, Jason Hare, who stood to explain what a horse's value meant to him. Speaking to a packed audience of over 400, which included leading figures from sport, the media and veterinary medicine, Jason praised the work of Horseback UK - a charity which helped him back to recovery after suffering serious physical injuries whilst serving as a Royal Marine.

Jason said: "I found working with horses extremely beneficial. It's hard to be patient when you're a patient, but working with these animals relaxed me and taught me perseverance. You can't bully boy horses - they'll just kick you or run away but you can't be too passive either or they won't listen. You have to find a balance, like everything in life. In the Royal Marines we say: you have to improvise adapt and overcome - it's the same principle in the role; it might take weeks, months or even a year but this gave me my mobility back - and with dignity."

Roly Owers, chief executive of World Horse Welfare closed the conference, saying that he had been "truly amazed" by the many different ways horses are valued.

To watch each of the individual sections of the Conference visit www.worldhorsewelfare.org
.

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Vets to run marathon for World Animal Protection

News Story 1
 Two recently graduated veterinary surgeons will be running the London Marathon in April to raise money for the charity World Animal Protection.

Alex Bartlett and Maeve O'Neill plan to run the race together if they are given the same start times.

Dr O'Neill said: "You're always limited in what you can do to help animals, so it is nice to raise money for a charity that helps animals around the world."

Dr Bartlett added: "I have never run a marathon before and am excited to run my first one for such a good cause!"

Both Dr Bartlett and Dr O'Neill have fundraising pages online. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
BSAVA releases new Guide to Procedures

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) has published a new edition of its Guide to Procedures for Small Animal Practice.

It has added four new procedures; cystostomy tube placement, endotracheal intubation, point-of-care ultrasound and wet-to-dry dressings.

BSAVA says that it is an essential step-by-step guide to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed in practice. The textbook includes new images and illustrations, as well as high-definition videos for use prior to procedures.

Nick Bexfield and Julia Riggs, editors of the new edition, said: "We have built upon the success of the previous editions by responding to the feedback received from the BSAVA readership, and hope this new guide helps to further increase the confidence and accuracy with which these procedures are performed."

Print copies are available in the BSAVA store, with a digital version in the BSAVA library.