Bruce Bladon has been appointed as president of the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) for 2024/26. The principal equine surgeon at Donnington Grove Equine Vets takes over the role from Roger Smith.
One of Bruce Bladon’s goals for his presidency is to start a national antibiotic monitoring programme for equine medicine. Growing resistance to antibiotics is a serious concern and poses a major threat to horse health on a global scale.
Fellow vet Imogen Burrows is president elect and Kate Blakeman is junior vice president.
Following graduation from the University of Edinburgh, Bruce had a year in mixed practice before joining an equine practice. He went on to complete a residency in surgery and has worked as equine surgeon at Donnington Grove since 1998.
About Bruce Bladon
Bruce’s interest is equine surgery, including arthroscopy, fracture repair, colic and airway surgery.
He also has an interest in imaging, including MRI, scintigraphy and radiology. The experienced vet was equine surgeon for the Rio Olympic Games and was awarded a fellowship of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) in 2016 for meritorious contributions to clinical practice.
“BEVA has been a huge part of my career, since I was taken to a meeting when I was a student seeing practice at Rossdales”, said Bruce.
“So I was keen to be part of Council once my time commitments at Donnington were reasonably under control. I am both proud and delighted to take up the mantle of presidency.”
National antibiotic monitoring programme
During his presidential year, Bruce is keen to explore the theme: ‘Use it Wisely or Lose it Forever’. His work will include the use of antibiotics, the possibility of over-treatment and over-medication of the sport horse, and the use of potentially unnecessary surgical procedures.
He hopes to start a national antibiotic monitoring programme so that the use of antibiotics in equine practice can be published alongside farm animal usage data in the Veterinary Antimicrobial Resistance and Sales Surveillance (VARSS).
Jenny Hindmarsh, Rebekah Sullivan and Jo Suthers have also joined BEVA Council this year. Ian Beamish and Gemma Dransfield have been re-elected onto council.
Main image: new BEVA president Bruce Bladon (left) with outgoing president Roger Smith. Credit: Ian Cooper Photography
