Finalists announced for 2020 BETA Equine Thesis of the Year Award

The search for the winner of the 2020 BETA Equine Thesis of the Year Award, recognising academic excellence in undergraduate study, takes a step closer as four finalists are announced. The strong contenders have each made it through the preliminary judging round and will now present their thesis to a panel of judges during an online event on Sunday 25 October.

One student thesis was received per entry from universities and colleges offering equine-related degree courses across the UK and Ireland, with the following making it into the finals:

• Royal Veterinary College – Victoria O’Hara. Thesis: Use of commercial ELISA for deduction of myostatin protein in equine serum and the examination of an MSTN gene promoter SINE insertion mutation in vivo.
• University Centre Sparsholt – Rachel Smith. Thesis: The Effect of breast support on 3D relative breast displacement and upper body muscle activity in female horse riders on an equine simulator.
• Aberystwyth University – Daniela Amiouny. Thesis: The effects of night light and bedding depth on equine sleep and memory consolidation.
• Bishop Burton College – Nina Robinson. Thesis: A preliminary report on the pressure present beneath bitless and bitted bridles and the effect on equine locomotion.

The BETA Equine Thesis of the Year finals will run from 1 to 4.30pm and are open to both the public and members of the academic community. Attendance is free, with tickets available from Eventbrite. Once the finalists have presented their work and the judges retire to consider each thesis, there will be an opportunity for members of the audience to pose their questions. The winner and runner-up will be announced at the end of the event.

“The award always attracts an incredibly high standard of undergraduate study and this year was no different – although the subject matter certainly was,” said BETA executive director Claire Williams. “It is good to see fresh ideas and some exciting, diverse content being put under the spotlight, and we are really looking forward to hearing about the different approaches and findings. They have all done tremendously well to make it this far and we send our congratulations and best wishes for the big day.”

This year’s 2020 BETA Equine Thesis of the Year Award final judges are:

• Dr Georgina Crossman – a research consultant with the British Equestrian Federation, coordinator at Advancing Equine Scientific Excellence (AESE) and owner of GK Crossman Consultancy.
• Katie Williams – an equine nutritionist with 20 years’ experience.
• Karen Coumbe – a vet for more than 30 years
• Liz Benwell – editor of leading trade title Equestrian Trade News.

For more information on BETA visit beta-uk.

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Suzanne Ashton

Suzanne Ashton, Founder of Everything Horse (Est, 2012), has a BA Hons in Marketing Management and a Diploma in Equine Science. Suzanne has ridden and owned horses all her life and has twelve years of experience in marketing, writing, design, SEO, and website creation.