The “Vets with Horsepower” charity motorbike riders are staying on home turf for their fifth tour starting on Monday (22 June).
Led by Professor Derek Knottenbelt the nine-strong team on the five-day 2015 UK and Ireland tour will be giving talks to vets and horse owners to raise funds for the Gambia Horse & Donkey Trust.
Setting off from London, the vets’ first stop is on 22 June at the Royal Veterinary College in Hatfield.
On Tuesday (23 June) they are at the School of Veterinary Medicine at Dublin university; 24 June at the Beechlawn Hotel in Dunmurry, 25 June at BCF Technology in Bellshill and on 26 June at Newton Rigg College in Penrith.
Lectures are held for vets on new treatments for sarcoids, eye problems, teeth, acupuncture, and advanced imaging in equine foot lameness.
A tailored version for horse owners runs alongside the vet lectures covering topics from melanomas and strangles to colic, arthritis and gastric ulcers.
The courses are open to all with the suggested donation of £75 per vet and £25 per owner all going to the Gambia Horse & Donkey Trust.
“Our objective is to raise money to equip the new equine clinical and training centre in Banjul, Gambia for the GH& DT,” said Professor Knottenbelt.
The nearly finished centre in Maksutu has been built from the proceeds of last June’s Vets with Horsepower 2,700-mile northern European tour from London to St Petersberg and back.
“We would really like to be able to complete and equip the centre with the money we raise this year,” explains Professor Knottenbelt.
The 2015 tour is sponsored for the second year running by NFU Mutual.
Afterwards NFU Mutual offices will be collecting bits, bandages and headcollars for the “Gathering Goods for Gambia’ campaign at offices around the country.
“A healthy working animal in The Gambia can increase a farming family’s income by up to 500% and so we are delighted to sponsor this initiative and open our offices for donations of items to equip the new centre,” said Nicki Whittaker, an equine specialist at NFU Mutual.
Last year more than 1,000 items were donated. For details of offices taking equipment visit www.nfumutual.co.uk/Gambia
To book a place on a talk visit: www.facebook.com/VwHPCPD
