BEVA Trust Education And Welfare Clinics Bounce Back
2 years ago 
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BEVA Trust’s popular education and welfare clinics have helped to treat 435 of the UK’s horses and ponies over the past 12 months and a further four further clinics remain scheduled for 2022.The clinics, which are run in partnership with the British Horse Society (BHS), restarted in September 2021 following a 15-month hiatus because of Covid.
The BEVA Trust and the BHS have worked together to run education and welfare clinics around the UK, for the past seven years. With practical support from several other equine welfare charities, the clinics provide education, dental care, farriery, worming, microchipping and passporting for horses identified to be in need, as well as castration if required.
The BEVA Trust provides opportunities, support and funding to allow BEVA members to volunteer for projects such as UK education and welfare clinics as well as initiatives that enhance equine welfare globally. To date, 320 BEVA members, together with nurses, students, and farriers have volunteered their time and expertise to help a total of 1631 horses and ponies in the UK.
Volunteer Marie Rippingale said: “I volunteered as a Registered Equine Veterinary Nurse (REVN) at an education and welfare castration clinic recently at Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire. This is the second clinic I have volunteered at and both experiences have been very positive.
“My role as an REVN was to assist in setting up the drugs table, making sure the clinical waste was managed properly, working out drug doses and drawing medication up ready for use. I also made up the enzymatic disinfectant to the correct concentration and helped to clean and disinfect the emasculators and other surgical instruments used. I also got involved with the castrations by monitoring the general anaesthetics and recovering the horses after the procedure. I was able to talk to the owners of the horses and assist them with loading the patients ready for them to go home.
“The patients seen at these clinics are often young and unhandled, and it is nice to be able to talk to the clients about the handling of them. Overall, I had a really good time, and working with a great group of people with the combined goal of improving the welfare of the horses at the clinic, was extremely rewarding. I would thoroughly recommend this as a volunteering experience for equine veterinary nurses.”
The BEVA Trust is looking for volunteers for the following clinics:
· Tuesday 13th September, Newark Showground, Nottinghamshire
· Thursday 29th September, Ashford Cattle Market, Kent
· Wednesday 12th October, Darlington Farmers Mart, County Durham
· Tuesday 1st November, Worcester Livestock Market, Worcestershire
Volunteers must be BEVA members and qualified vets or vet nurses (unless attending as a student with a University Veterinary Surgeon or Lecturer). Approximately 8-10 volunteers are needed for each clinic, to include a mix of equine vets and equine vet nurses.
The BEVA Trust is also working with international charities on five overseas projects:
· Meru Animal Welfare, Tanzania, September
· American Fondouk, Morocco, November
· Ace Egypt, Egypt, November/December
· The Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust, Gambia, December
· World Horse Welfare, Cambodia, December
Julian Samuelson, BEVA Trust Chair said: "It’s great to have our clinics up and running again and in just a year we have been able to help an impressive number of horses and ponies. Our volunteers, both at home and overseas, have been outstanding with their dedication and tireless hard work. We are grateful for the close partnerships we have between BEVA and leading national and overseas equine welfare organisations".
The UK clinics have been generously supported by Zoetis, Bransby, Blue Cross, Redwings, World Horse Welfare and the RSPCA, together with a £50,000 grant from South Essex Insurance Brokers (SEIB).
You can find out more about the BEVA Trust’s work here: www.beva.org.uk/BEVA-Trust
To volunteer for the BEVA Trust please contact Leaya Slater [email protected]
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