BEVA Celebrates Veterinary Excellence At 2026 Awards Ceremony
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The British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) celebrated outstanding achievements across the equine veterinary profession at its Awards Ceremony at BEVA Congress on 10 September 2026. Six awards recognising excellence and contribution to the profession were presented by BEVA President Imogen Burrows and Blue Cross Chief Executive Chris Burghes.
The BEVA Equine Welfare Award, sponsored by Blue Cross was presented by Chris Burghes, Chief Executive of Blue Cross, to Phillippa Pritchard, in recognition of her outstanding commitment to improving equine welfare and wellbeing.
As Clinical Supervisor at Liphook Equine Hospital, Phillippa has become a leading advocate for ensuring that equine welfare extends beyond physical health to encompass the emotional wellbeing of every horse in her care. Through her compassionate and progressive approach, she has championed initiatives that reduce fear, stress and anxiety for hospitalised patients, helping to create a calmer and more positive experience during treatment and recovery.
Beyond the hospital, Phillippa is deeply committed to supporting owners facing difficult welfare challenges. Her empathetic, practical approach enables her to build trust with owners and work collaboratively to improve standards of care, delivering meaningful and lasting welfare outcomes without judgement.
The Nurse Empowerment Award was introduced in 2023 to commend any member of the practice team or wider profession who has empowered equine nurses and championed their role within the profession, either through leading by example or through championing the role of the equine nurse.
This year’s award was presented to Cassie Woods, a highly respected equine veterinary nurse, Partner and Head Nurse at Lower House Equine, where she has created a supportive, progressive and empowering environment for both her colleagues and student nurses.
As the UK's first equine nurse Partner, Cassie has broken new ground for the profession, inspiring the next generation of equine veterinary nurses to pursue leadership roles and helping to redefine what is possible within equine practice.
A passionate advocate for ambulatory nursing, Cassie has been instrumental in developing and promoting the role within equine practice. She has generously shared her expertise through teaching, published articles and contributions to the Textbook of Equine Veterinary Nursing.
In 2025, Cassie led the Nursing Stream at BEVA Congress, delivering a high-quality programme of lectures and practical sessions.
As a member of the BEVA Trust Board and the BEVA Equine Nurse Committee, Cassie is a passionate advocate for equine nurses and regularly supports BEVA and British Horse Society Education and Welfare Clinics.
The BEVA One to Watch Award was introduced in 2025 to celebrate an early-career equine vet who shows exceptional clinical promise, strong professional values, and a clear commitment to the future of the profession.
Following a unanimous decision by the judging panel, Molly McClean was selected as this year's winner in recognition of her outstanding achievements and remarkable potential.
Since qualifying, Molly has rapidly established herself as a talented and compassionate equine veterinary surgeon. After completing an internship at a busy equine hospital, she joined an ambulatory equine practice in 2024, where she has developed a particular interest in lameness investigations and first opinion practice.
Molly has also demonstrated an impressive commitment to professional development by qualifying as a veterinary chiropractor. She has successfully integrated this additional expertise into her clinical work, combining a holistic, evidence-based approach with excellent communication skills that have enabled her to build strong relationships with clients and colleagues alike.
The judging panel praised Molly's enthusiasm for equine practice, her collaborative approach and her ability to build trust with clients and colleagues. They were particularly impressed by her commitment to continuous learning, her authenticity and the maturity she brings to her work. To have achieved so much so early in her career made her the unanimous choice for this year's award.
As the recipient of the 2026 BEVA One to Watch Award, Molly receives a free year of BEVA membership, a Thursday and Friday ticket to BEVA Congress, a seat at the Annual Dinner and Dance with accommodation, and a career boosting opportunity to support her continued development.
The BEVA Richard Hartley Clinical Award was presented to Dr Euan Bennet for the paper ‘Novel risk factors associated with fatal musculoskeletal injury in Thoroughbreds in North American racing (2009-2023)’, co-authored with Tim Parkin, published in the March 2025 edition of Equine Veterinary Journal. The award was collected by Tim Parkin on behalf of Euan Bennet.
The award is given in memory of Richard Hartley, a founding member of BEVA and President from 1974-1975. It is awarded to the first author of the best paper published in Equine Veterinary Journal and Equine Veterinary Education with direct clinical application. The £1000 prize is intended to support travel of the first author and/or co-authors.
The Peter Rossdale Equine Veterinary Journal (EVJ) Open Award was presented to Camilo Morales for the paper ‘Vonoprazan pharmacokinetics and effects on gastric pH following administration to fed and fasted horses’, co-authored by Benjamin W. Sykes, Daniel S. McKemie, Philip H. Kass and Heather K. Knych, published in the January 2026 issue of Equine Veterinary Journal. The award was collected by Monica Aleman on behalf of Camilo Morales.
The award and £1000 prize is given for the paper that best achieves EVJ’s mission to publish articles which influence and improve clinical practice and/or add significantly to the scientific knowledge that underpins and supports veterinary medicine in relation to the horse.
The Peter Rossdale EVE Literary Award was presented to Pius Spiesshofer for the paper, ‘Injuries to the superficial digital flexor tendon branches: Clinical presentation, diagnostic features and outcome’, co-authored with V. O'Hara, K. S. Garret and R. K. Smith, published in the July 2025 issue of Equine Veterinary Education.
This award is given in memory of Peter Rossdale and is sponsored by Rossdales Ltd who have kindly provided the £1000 prize. The award is presented to the best clinical research paper published in Equine Veterinary Education (EVE). Peter Rossdale, a true pioneer in the profession, established EVE in 1989 recognising the need to encourage education of clinicians and to encourage clinicians to publish clinical papers.
The Sam Hignett Award All Clinical Research presentations from general equine practice are eligible for the Sam Hignett Award. A continuous process of assessment will take place throughout the Clinical Research Sessions and the winner of the award will be announced after Congress through the BEVA website and newsletter.
For further information on the BEVA Awards visit https://www.beva.org.uk/About-Us/BEVA-Awards
IMAGE: Chris Burghes, Chief Executive of Blue Cross, Phillippa Pritchard
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