An important wormer warning
British Equine Veterinary Association president elect David Rendle, a specialist in equine internal medicine, has warned that the equestrian industry appears to not “appreciate the urgency” of changing from routine worming to only using wormers when they are shown to be needed by testing. “We know traditional worming strategies mean 80% of doses are completely unnecessary, and multiple surveys show that although use of diagnostics is improving, as few as 10% of people are using them appropriately,” he said at the 30th National Equine Forum. Mr Rendle said in the past year in the UK, 1.13m doses of wormer were given, and 120,000 faecal egg counts carried out, so about 11 doses for each count, which is “definitely the wrong way round”.
Learn more about why things need to change
The first Riding A Dream Academy racing graduate
A teenager who learnt to ride in inner-city London has taken a major step towards his goal of being a jockey by becoming the first Riding A Dream Academy student to graduate from the British Racing School’s foundation course. Oshane, 16, from southeast London, learnt to ride at Ebony Horse Club in Brixton, and joined the foundation course in December 2021. He was one of the first students on the academy’s Khadijah Mellah Scholarship programme, which supports young riders from underrepresented communities to get into British horse racing.
Find out what Oshane had to say about the experience
Hours of fun for 4-10 year olds
Iconic German toy company Playmobil has recently released six new equestrian-themed playsets to add to its current collection. The sets, some of which have as many as 40 figures, will provide hours of imaginative playtime for pony-mad children. We thought the poo scoop, complete with poo and rake, was a particular good example of the company’s excellent research and attention to detail…
Check out the new Playmobil sets
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