News & Events

Gerald Leigh Memorial Lectures 2020

24th June 2020

Minimising Risk from Equine Infectious Disease

This annual lecture series is supported by the Gerald Leigh Charitable Trust in honour of Mr Leigh’s passion for the Thoroughbred horse and its health and welfare.

The theme we have selected for 2020 is Minimising Risk from Equine Infectious Disease. Unfortunately, due to the coronavirus pandemic, we were unable to meet in person in Newmarket this summer. Instead, we have recorded four lectures from experts in equine infectious disease. Each is followed by  a short discussion section.

Fetlock Radiography Field Guide

One of the key actionable points arising from the Fetlock Risk Assessment for Thoroughbred meeting was to highlight the importance of better utilisation & interpretation of the flexed DP/PD radiographic projection. While standards have generally been rising in recent years, it is felt that wider grassroots application of the technique could offer one of the best opportunities to enhance the early diagnosis of condylar injury and thereby reduce catastrophic fracture rates.

BEVA are supporting this action point by making their field guide, written by Pete Ramzan of Rossdales LLP, Newmarket, more widely available. Currently this is accessible online and the FRAT group are approaching other national veterinary associations in an effort to distribute the guide via these groups.

https://portal.bevahosting.org.uk/Resources-For-Vets-Practices/Field-Guide

International veterinary workshop seeks to make horseracing safer

A meeting of veterinary experts from around the world has stepped closer to defining guidelines for identification of pre-fracture pathology in the racehorse fetlock. The two-day workshop was hosted by the Jockey Club Estates, Newmarket and sponsored by The Gerald Leigh Charitable Trust and the Beaufort Cottage Educational Trust, together with a number of other industry contributors.

Injuries to the racehorse fetlock are thankfully rare, indeed the fetlock injury is one of a number of racecourse musculoskeletal injuries which collectively are estimated to occur in around 8 of every 10,000 race starts in the UK. Serious musculoskeletal injuries are slightly more common in the US and Canada, yet despite recent concerns, research shows 99.8% of starts in those jurisdictions are free of serious musculoskeletal injury. Nevertheless, fetlock injury can be extremely impactful and can be career-ending in some injured horses.

On the first day of the collabortive workshop an expert panel discussed how diagnostic imaging prior to racing can contribute to risk reduction. At the current time, radiography is the most widely available tool used to identify tiny fractures which will heal effectively providing exercise is reduced. Excitingly, technological progress in advanced imaging such as standing MRI, standing CT and PET scanning have the potential to identify pathology even earlier. At the workshop, the expert panel reviewed existing knowledge and discussed how to generate the research evidence which is essential if these novel technologies are to gain a place in effective pre-race risk assessment programmes.

The following day a larger group of stakeholders reviewed the expert panel’s conclusions and discussed the need for greater transparency, education and communication amongst the racing industry stakeholders, all of whom share responsibility for ensuring racing continues to collaborate and enhance racehorse safety and welfare.

Prof Celia Marr, Editor of Equine Veterinary Journal, who chaired the meeting said: “Racing has an excellent safety record and the injuries we are talking about are extremely rare. The low prevalence of fetlock injury makes it very difficult to pinpoint the affected individuals. But it is essential that we continue our efforts to do so ever more effectively because if silent injury is not detected it can progress to become much more serious.”

Fred Barrelet, Trustee of Beaufort Cottage Educational Trust, said: “The charities who supported this event are delighted to contribute to advancing veterinary science. The social licence which supports racing places responsibility for promoting animal welfare in the hands of the veterinary profession. These are exciting times, and as new technologies come on board and information from these modalities is slotted into existing knowledge of risk factors, we can expect to see more effective risk assessment for individual races.”

Pete Ramzan, Partner at Rossdales LLP, who co-ordinated the workshop said: “There was a great need to get some of the key experts leading these new technologies together in the same room to correlate their findings and work out how to translate them into tangible reductions in serious injury rates. One of the somewhat unexpected outcomes of the discussions was that despite the fact that we are riding the crest of a wave of technological advances, basic radiography still has much to offer; better education around the application and interpretation of radiographs has real potential to allow vets like myself at the coal face to detect injuries at an early and recoverable stage”.

Peter Stanley, Chairman of the Jockey Club Estates, said: “The Jockey Club Estates are thrilled to support this very important initiative for global horseracing. Racehorse welfare is at the forefront of our activities and is of paramount important to us”.

Gerald Leigh Memorial Lectures 2019

Palace House, Newmarket
5 June 2019

Thoroughbred Sales Assessment

An afternoon of lectures on preparing and assessing Thoroughbreds for sales in memory of Gerald Leigh was held on 5 June 2019 at the National Horseracing Museum in Newmarket. BCET organises these lectures on behalf of the Gerald Leigh Charitable Trust in recognition of Mr Leigh’s achievements as a racehorse owner and breeder and his passion for scientific knowledge and the welfare of the horses he loved.

Newmarket Equine Medical Discussion Group Meeting – January 7th 2020

Rossdales Equine Hospital, Newmarket with simultaneous broadcast to Donnington Grove Country Club, Newbury
7th January 2020 18.30

Equine probiotics – A pro or con for horse health?

We are really excited to announce that Dr. Jamie Kopper from Washington State University is speaking at the next Newmarket Equine Medical Discussion Group Meeting on the controversial topic of probiotics. Jamie is an internal medicine specialist and expert on the equine faecal microbiome.

Probiotics are marketed as to improve gastrointestinal health in horses and are becoming increasingly popular among horse owners. Despite their popularity, what do we really know about these products? With little to no regulatory oversight these products may not be what meets the eye on the label. During this hour we will discuss the results of independent research regarding the contents or commercially available probiotics, the ability of the micro-organisms to survive transit to the cecum and/or colon, review available clinical trials  and discuss some additional potential pitfalls with these products. Finally, in lieu of standardized industry testing, we will talk about ways to spot a product that may be more likely to help your equine patients.

About Newmarket Equine Medical Discussion Group:

These meetings are free to attend; the target audience is clinicians and academics and we aim to ensure a high level of discussion. It is not our intention to provide CPD but rather to offer an opportunity to discuss recent and ongoing research and future concepts relevant to equine medical practice. There is no registration process – just come along, enjoy a glass of wine and take part in the discussion.

For more information about NEMDG, click here and to join our mailing list email nemdg@rossdales.com

Newmarket Equine Medicine Discussion Group – October 2019

Rossdales Equine Hospital, Newmarket with simultaneous broadcast to Donnington Grove Country Club, Grove Road, Newbury, Berks. RG14 2LA
8th October 2019, 18:30

These meetings are free to attend and the target audience is clinicians and academics and we aim to ensure a high level of discussion. It is not our intention to provide CPD but rather to offer an opportunity to discuss recent and ongoing research and future concepts relevant to equine medical practice. There is no registration process – just come along, enjoy a glass of wine and take part in the discussion.

For more information about NMEDG, click here and to join our mailing list email nemdg@rossdales.com

Newmarket Equine Medicine Discussion Group – July 2019

Rossdales Equine Hospital, Newmarket with simultaneous broadcast to Donnington Grove Country Club, Newbury
23 July 2019, 18:30

These meetings are free to attend and the target audience is clinicians and academics and we aim to ensure a high level of discussion. It is not our intention to provide CPD but rather to offer an opportunity to discuss recent and ongoing research and future concepts relevant to equine medical practice. There is no registration process – just come along, enjoy a glass of wine and take part in the discussion.

For more information about NMEDG, click here and to join our mailing list email nemdg@rossdales.com

Musculoskeletal imaging of the equine athlete in focus

Rossdales Equine Hospital and Diagnostic Centre, Newmarket, Suffolk, UK
6 June 2019

Sponsored by the Gerald Leigh Trust

This unique course, held on the 6th June 2019 at Rossdales Equine Hospital, was designed to create an opportunity for delegates to reflect on specific aspects of musculoskeletal imaging in detail. It was aimed at equine practitioners who have both experience and specific interests in diagnostic imaging for lameness in sports horses and/or racehorses. Our headline speakers are internationally recognised as leaders in this field and they were tasked with giving presentations which will go beyond techniques and image interpretation and drill into the role of diagnostic imaging in the management of the equine athlete. In order to fully explore each topic, the programme was planned with lots of time allocated to discussion.

Contributors

Debbie Spike-Pierce, Rood and Riddle, Lexington, Kentucky

Sue Dyson, Animal Health Trust, Newmarket

Marianna Biggi, VetCT Equine, Cambridge

Pete Ramzan, Rossdales Equine Practice, Newmarket

Tom O’Keeffe, Rossdales Equine Practice, Newmarket

Mariana Castro Martins, Rossdales Diagnostic Centre

Billy Fehin, Rossdales Equine Practice, Newmarket

Sarah Boys-Smith, Rossdales Diagnostic Centre

Newmarket Equine Medicine Discussion Group – April 2019

Rossdales Equine Hospital, Newmarket with simultaneous broadcast to Donnington Grove Country Club, Grove Road, Newbury, Berks. RG14 2LA
11 April 2019, 18:30

These meetings are free to attend and the target audience is clinicians and academics and we aim to ensure a high level of discussion. It is not our intention to provide CPD but rather to offer an opportunity to discuss recent and ongoing research and future concepts relevant to equine medical practice. There is no registration process – just come along, enjoy a glass of wine and take part in the discussion.

For more information about NMEDG, click here and to join our mailing list email nemdg@rossdales.com