The British Horse Society (BHS) has partnered with Nottingham Trent University (NTU) to invest in the future equestrian workforce, working together to provide young people with the tools and skills they need to thrive in a welfare role.

Through a new, dedicated BHS Welfare Education Coordinator work experience module, students enrolled at NTU have the opportunity to gain the knowledge and experience needed to support the prevention of diseases across the equine industry, and to ultimately optimise the welfare of horses.

Since launching the module, the BHS’s horse care and welfare and communication teams have already worked closely with a number of students to develop an effective strategy that aims to drive education around equine respiratory health. This is a particularly important topic to address, the charity said, and highlighted that 14% of horses in the UK are suffering from severe equine asthma.

Understanding equine asthma

NTU students, with the support of the BHS, have developed a video exploring the topic of equine asthma. From creating the concept through to producing and promoting the content, the students are striving to raise awareness of the signs and causes of respiratory diseases, as well as the treatments available and prevention.

All the students also contributed towards creating advice for the BHS website, peer-reviewed by Dr Samuel White who is Senior Lecturer at NTU and applied immunologist, specialising in equine asthma and allergies.

Their hard work, as well as the importance of supporting the next generation of equine industry professionals to inform equestrians on welfare topics, was recognised at an event hosted by NTU at the end of April.

Helping horse owners

Emmeline Hannelly, Welfare Education Manager at The British Horse Society was in attendance.

“We are delighted to have teamed up with Nottingham Trent University to deliver an exciting new module for equestrians going on to work in the equine industry,” she said. “It has been an honour to support the students and to see their ideas progress into effective welfare resources, which will provide great benefits for many horse owners and carers.

“We hope that, through the creation of the animated video, we can collectively reduce the cases of respiratory diseases and ultimately improve the welfare of horses.”

Dr Kelly Yarnell, Principal Lecturer in NTU’s School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences, led the module. She said working with the BHS was such an “incredible opportunity” for their students.

“This knowledge exchange project has provided valuable experience of working in the industry as well as developing some key graduate skills,” she added.

For further information on respiratory health, and to view the video made by the NTU students, visit: www.bhs.org.uk/respiratoryhealth

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