Once again, Kelly Marks and the Intelligent Horsemanship community came out in force for a webinar- this time on Poor Performance for Owners. This group have equine welfare as their collective aim, and the quality of the questions posed was superb.  Come join these webinars- it's equine professionals, vets, farriers....  Intelligent Horsemanship

Because the Vets with Horsepower trips couldn't happen "on the road", Derek Knottenbelt decided we do something in the spirit of Horsepower...demanding! We gave an online, live 25 hour webinar with speakers from around the globe. The feat of technology was down to Lizzie Barnard and organised by Derek, Sanne Wilmink and Jessica. We had a few guest speakers including Dr Sue Dyson, Dr Bara Bedzekova, and Dr Bianca Schwartz (all long standing HP supporters) and guest sessions chairs including  Dr Dylan Gorvy (in Sweden), and Dr. Patrick Pollock (in Scotland). It was quite the organisational and endurance feat but raised £116,000 for our chosen 2021 charities!! In 2022 we hope to be back on bikes.... it will seem much easier in a way....

After becoming on a first name basis with everyone at Heathrow in 2019, 2020 shifted gears to web based lecturing. Many practices asked for online CPD for their vets and topics covered included bent legs in foals, foal ICU, colic in the foal, Sports Horse lameness,  and reconstruction of nasal  and facial wounds. Intelligent Horsemanship had a series of webinars for owners.  On line talks for vets included an overview of the bock, participation in a panel on equine backs and a panel on angular limb deformities, and subchondral bone disease all for VetPD. But by 2021 no travel was yet in sight.

December 2nd: Jessica has just returned from teaching on a VetPD CPD course in the Czech Republic held at the Veterinari Klinika Hermanuv Mestec, about 90 minutes east of Prague. Also lecturing were Emily Haggett from Rossdales in Newmarket and Professor Pam Wilkins from the University of Illinois. The course was Neonatology in 1st opinion practice and combined lectures and practical sessions. Pam even brought medical model foals so delegates could learn to place over the wire catheters!

Jessica is just back from a week's teaching on South Africa for VetPD. The other lecturers included Professor Derek Knottenbelt, Professor Pam Wilkins, Wade Tenney and Suzanne Brenner. It was four days of intensive lectures and practical sessions bookended by game drives in the stunning Dinokeng game reserve north of Johannesburg. Hard work for the lecturers but a wonderful and enthusiastic group of delegates made it a great event.
While we were there, we had the opportunity to see Johan Marais and his team from Saving the Survivors dart two White Rhino and place anti-poacher tracking devices. This was a real privilege to be able to see this, particularly as Vets with Horsepower have supported Saving the Survivors for the last two fundraising tours.  For more information on Saving the Survivors, please visit www.savingthesurvivors.org.

Although it is a long way to go, Jessica was delighted to be asked to be a keynote speaker at the NZEVA annual congress in Wellington, New Zealand. The trip enabled her to see many old friends and colleagues and meet new ones. The congress was organised by NZEVA president Andrea Ritmeester, Professor Joe Mayhew and Alanna Zantingh and the hospitality was superb. Talks included subchondral bone disease, angular limb deformities, flexural deformities, septic arthritis and osteomyelitis in foals, and conditions of the back and neck. The trip ended with a few days in Matamata with Andrea and a trip to Hobbiton!

Jessica has been lucky enough to visit South Africa a number of times as a vet- from the Vets with Horsepower tour in 2016, to the 2017 SAEVA Congress, and now back to SAEVA. This is an outstanding meeting with a great turnout, a wonderful collegial atmosphere, and braai, braai braai! It was a pleasure and an honour to be asked to be a keynote speaker and to see so many old friends and make many new.