The British Horse Society (BHS) and the University of Nottingham’s Colic Awareness Week was well received by the equine community. Online resources, such as webinars and an equine care and emergency plan will remain live for concerned owners who have not yet had the chance to view them or download the plan.
The BHS and University of Nottingham strongly advise all owners to create a detailed plan of how to deal with an emergency before the situation arises. When time is of the essence, as is the case in many incidents of colic, having a plan in place and thinking REACT (restless or agitated, eating less or droppings reduced, abdominal pain, clinical changes, tired or lethargic) can make the difference to improving the chances of a successful outcome for the horse.
The care plan, which is still available on the BHS website, has been downloaded over 1,500 times. BHS also shared ten free webinars presented by the colic team members from the University of Nottingham, on BHS social media giving owners an insight into a wide range of colic-related issues, which are available to view on the BHS Facebook Video page. These were also extremely popular, with almost three thousand people engaging with them.
Emmeline Hannelly, Welfare Education Manager at The British Horse Society said:
The response that we have had to Colic Awareness Week has been outstanding. Those horse owners who have #PledgetoREACT have taken an important step to have a plan in place should the worst happen to their horse. By using these resources, as well as thinking REACT, you can help protect the welfare of your horse. The resources are all freely available from our website and BHS social media platforms.”
Alistair Love, BVSc Cert AVP (EP) MRCVS said,
Clevedale Veterinary Practice was delighted to support Colic Awareness Week and got involved promoting the care plan to our clients. As a Vet REACT Colic Champion practice, it’s great to be part of this initiative and help owners be prepared for a worst-case scenario’.
Dr Katie Lightfoot, BSc (Hons) PhD AFHEA at the University of Nottingham said:
The School of Veterinary Medicine and Science were delighted to have collaborated once again with the fantastic team at The British Horse Society for a successful Colic Awareness Week. It is essential to us that research is shared with owners to help improve the health and welfare of horses. Colic has a big impact on horses and their owners and remains a key focus for our research group. We are really pleased to see once again all the engagement and involvement of our champion vet practices, horse owners and groups across the sector who help make this a truly collaborative initiative.
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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.