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The BHS partners with Nottingham Trent Uni to support equine workforce

The British Horse Society (BHS) are pleased to have partnered with Nottingham Trent University (NTU) to invest in the future equestrian workforce, working collaboratively 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 in our care.

Since launching the module, the BHS’s horse care & 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, with 14% of horses in the UK suffering from severe Equine Asthma.

NTU students, with the support of the BHS, have developed an informative 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 vital importance of supporting the next generation of equine industry professionals to inform equestrians on welfare topics such as respiratory health, was recognised at an event hosted by NTU at the end of April.

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. 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: “Working with the BHS is such an incredible opportunity for our students; this knowledge exchange project has provided valuable experience of working in the industry as well as developing some key graduate skills.”

For further information on respiratory health, and to view the animated video, please visit: bhs.org.uk/respiratoryhealth.

Notes to editors

Contact: The British Horse Society Press Office

E: pressenquiry@bhs.org.uk

T: 02476 840521

The British Horse Society:

As the largest equine charity in the UK, The British Horse Society is dedicated to education, equine welfare, protecting and increasing access to bridleways and places to ride and carriage drive off road, and safety for horse and riders. The Society’s thriving and active community of staff and volunteers is committed to improving the lives of horses everywhere.

Nottingham Trent University

Nottingham Trent University (NTU) received the Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher and Further Education in 2021 for cultural heritage science research. It is the second time that NTU has been bestowed the honour of receiving a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for its research, the first being in 2015 for leading-edge research on the safety and security of global citizens.

The Research Excellence Framework (2021) classed 83% of NTU’s research activity as either world-leading or internationally excellent. 86% of NTU’s research impact was assessed to be either world-leading or internationally excellent.

NTU was awarded The Times and The Sunday Times Modern University of the Year 2023 and ranked second best university in the UK in the Uni Compare Top 100 rankings (2021/2022). It was awarded Outstanding Support for Students 2020 (Times Higher Education Awards), University of the Year 2019 (Guardian University Awards, UK Social Mobility Awards), Modern University of the Year 2018 (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide) and University of the Year 2017 (Times Higher Education Awards).

NTU is the 5th largest UK institution by student numbers, with nearly 39,000 students and more than 4,400 staff located across five campuses. It has an international student population of 7,000 and an NTU community representing over 160 countries.

Since 2000, NTU has invested £570 million in tools, technology, buildings and facilities.

NTU is in the UK’s top 10 for number of applications and ranked first for accepted offers (2021 UCAS UG acceptance data). It is also among the UK’s top five recruiters of students from disadvantaged backgrounds and was the first UK university to sign the Social Mobility Pledge.

NTU is ranked 2nd most sustainable university in the world in the 2022 UI Green Metric University World Rankings (out of more than 900 participating universities).