How The Horse Trust is helping
THE Horse Trust is the second-largest equine veterinary research funder in the UK, after the Horserace Betting Levy Board (soon to be known as the Racing Authority). The charity, founded in 1886, has given more than £25m in research funding since the mid-1960s.
“We fund non-invasive research of the highest scientific standard that advances our knowledge of veterinary treatment, the optimal care of equids and the prevention of disease and suffering,” explains Jan Rogers, director of research and policy. “Our focus is moving towards translating the outcomes of this research into tools the horse owner can use.
“Current projects that will help alleviate areas of concern for the whole of the equestrian industry include drug resistance and evidence-based worm control. Our disease focus has been strangles, atypical myopathy [an often fatal muscle disease], grass sickness and diseases spread by mosquitoes, but we have also funded work looking into conditions such as osteoarthritis, obesity, stress and insect bite hypersensitivity (sweet itch).”
The Horse Trust aims to understand better the motivation of owners towards yard hygiene (biosecurity), welfare and key lifetime decisions affecting their animals, as well as focusing on horse behaviour and horse-owner interaction.
“In addition, we plan to run a longer-term study involving in-depth information collection to help us get to grips with the health conditions horses experience day to day — problems which may currently go unreported,” adds Jan.