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Bit by Bit: Unravelling the Influence of Bridles and Bits on Welfare & Performance

Tue, 22 October, 2024 06:00 pm - 09:00 pm (Your Local Time Zone)

Species

Equine

Contact Hours

3 Hours - RACE Approval Pending

Early Booking Deadline

Fri, 12 July, 2024

Registration Deadline

Wed, 31 July, 2024

Language

English

Discipline

Behaviour

Sports Medicine

Industry Partners

Global

Veterinary Partners

Global

Time: London 6PM / Paris 7PM / New York 1PM / Sydney 4:00AM (+1)
                                                  

Panelists:

Agneta Egenvall   BVMS, PhD, DECVPH, MRCVS - Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Sweden
Rachel C. Murray   MA, VetMB, MS, PhD, Assoc.ECVDI, DACVS, MRCVS - VetCT, UK
Elke Pollaris   MSc, PhD, DEVDC(Eq) - Equine Clinic De Morette, Belgium
                                                  

Moderator:

Hilary Clayton   BVMS, PhD, DACVSMR, FRCVS - Private Consultant, USA

  

PANEL DISCUSSION DESCRIPTION

Bits and bridles have been used and developed over thousands of years. From bit-related lesions, so-called ‘bridle lameness’ to the impact on performance, understanding the influence of bits and bridles and having the skillset to identify and troubleshoot issues is essential for the equine vet. Four distinguished clinicians and researchers explore the relationship between bridles and bits with equine performance and welfare. The panel will appraise the evidence base and share their experiences on how issues relating to the bridle or bit can manifest. They will collectively explore when and how to intervene, and how practitioners could apply an evidence-based approach to optimizing performance and welfare. Topics explored will include: ·

  • Bit-induced lesions: a logical approach to evaluating and decision making for bit adjustment
  • The impact of bridle and bit design and / or fit on performance
  • Going bitless: what do we know?
  • Exploring the tack-rider interface through the relationship between rein tension and kinematics

Hilary M. Clayton, is a veterinarian, researcher and horsewoman. For more than 40 years she has performed innovative research in the areas of locomotor biomechanics, lameness, rehabilitation, conditioning programs for equine athletes, and the interaction between rider, tack, and horse. She has published seven books and more than 200 scientific articles on these topics. Clayton served as the Mary Anne McPhail Dressage Chair in Equine Sports Medicine at Michigan State University's College of Veterinary Medicine from 1997 until she retired from academia in 2014. She continues to perform collaborative research with colleagues in universities around the world. Clayton is a charter diplomate and past president of the American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation. She is an Honorary Fellow of the International Society for Equitation Science and has been inducted into the International Equine Veterinarians Hall of Fame, the Midwest Dressage Association Hall of Fame, and the Saskatoon Sports Hall of Fame. She is a lifelong rider and has competed in many equestrian sports, most recently focusing on dressage in which she trains through the Grand Prix level and has earned U.S. Dressage Federation bronze, silver, and gold medals.

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Agneta qualified as a veterinarian from the Swedish Agricultural University in Uppsala, Sweden in 1986. After various positions in the field, in mixed practice with focus on large animals, and in small animal hospitals she returned to Uppsala to work as a clinician in 1990. There she engaged in various research activities and in 1994 she started on a position as graduate student in veterinary epidemiology in 1999 finishing the thesis on describing disease patterns in the dog population. She was appointed professor in 2011, which she holds to this date. She has published on numerous subjects, mostly in horses, dogs, cats and cows, from using registries to determine longevity and parameters of numerous health issues, to studies on Anaplasma and Borrelia, and biomechanics in horses, including studies on equestrian surfaces, the seat and sidedness. Agneta devotes specific interest to rein tension studies in riding and recently harness trotting horses, and to combine biomechanics and ethology in rider-horse interaction studies. A specific interest concerns rein tension pattern across the stride of the horse, but also has a recent interest in the pricing of veterinary care in Europe.

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Rachel is a highly experienced Sport Horse Clinician, who is based at Rossdales Diagnostic Centre. She joined our team in October 2019, having spent more than 20 years at the Animal Health Trust where she was responsible for the Equine MRI diagnostic service, ran the orthopaedic research group and provided a clinical service focused on imaging, poor performance and rehabilitation in sport horses.

Rachel graduated from University of Cambridge before specialising in equine surgery, undertaking an internship and surgical residency in the USA, becoming a Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons. After 5 years in the USA, she returned to England as an equine surgeon at the University of Cambridge Veterinary School. She subsequently completed a PhD, investigating exercise-associated joint adaptation and injury in horses.

She has led many studies investigating sport horse training, injury and performance, including for British Dressage, British Eventing, British Equestrian Federation and the FEI. She has also published numerous articles on orthopaedic problems and advanced imaging in horses, contributed to a number of books and edited the standard text on Equine MRI.

Rachel also works for the British Equestrian Federation in various roles, from scientific advice to practical veterinary assessments with various GB squads. Rachel has been providing advice for the BEF World Class Programme since 2009 and has been integrally involved in the maintenance and preparation of numerous team horses for Championships and Olympic Games. She is an FEI treating veterinarian, has worked as a veterinary surgeon with the GB Dressage and Show jumping teams, including as a team vet, and was an official treating veterinarian at the 2012 Olympics.

Rachel has experience training and competing horses to Grand Prix and international level dressage, has competed in a variety of equestrian sports, and is a BHS accredited professional coach.

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Elke Pollaris graduated in 2014 from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Ghent. After her internship, she further specialized in equine dentistry and passed her European specialist exam in 2019 (Diplomate Equine Veterinary Dental College). Additionally, she obtained a doctorate in 2021, focusing on fissure fractures in equine teeth. Since 2021, Elke has been providing specialized dental care for horses at the Morette and Bosdreef clinics, as well as performing dental check-ups at studs. Since the collaboration between the main ECG partners, Elke has been leading the dentistry division of the Equine Care Group.

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