Leading Lights To Present Plenary Lectures At BEVA Congress
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Two prestigious plenary lecturers will explore the Congress theme of ‘doing the right thing’ to help boost horse health outcomes.
The British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) has confirmed two prestigious speakers for the highly anticipated plenary lectures at BEVA Congress 2026 (ICC Birmingham 9–12 September 2026).
This year’s headline sessions will feature two world-renowned veterinarians who will be reflecting on their experiences and exploring opportunities to help practitioners optimise case management and ultimately deliver better outcomes for horses and for vets.
The John Hickman plenary lecture on Thursday 10th September will be presented by Meta Osborne MVB CertESM MScIAWEL MRCVS. With her primary focus on equine stud medicine, Meta co-owns a leading Irish commercial Thoroughbred stud farm. She has served as President of both the Irish Veterinary Association and the Veterinary Council of Ireland. She also served as Senior Steward of the Turf Club, the regulator of horseracing in Ireland. In 2023 she completed an MSc in Animal Welfare, Ethics & Law at the University of Edinburgh. She co-hosts Changing Rein, a podcast exploring the future of horse sport using a welfare lens and is a guest lecturer in Animal Welfare for undergraduate veterinary and animal science students at UCD.
Meta will talk about Threads, Patterns and Boundaries - Understanding Veterinary Influence on Equine Welfare, giving an honest account of how she transformed from a confident and competent equine practitioner who thought caring about horses was enough, to someone whose postgraduate study, regulatory experience and ongoing research revealed patterns in everyday veterinary practice that are hiding in plain sight.
Meta will focus on three specific behavioural patterns:
· The pattern of treating the consequences of welfare compromise rather than its causes
· The potential for the professional veterinary presence to legitimise systems that vets should perhaps be questioning
· The routine confusion of health and welfare in ways that leave horses physically sound but psychologically impoverished.
The second plenary lecture, which marks the fifth Peter Rossdale Memorial lecture, will be held on Friday 11th September and will be presented by Tim Mair who will speak about Beyond gut feelings: building better care and promoting equine welfare from practice-based data.
Tim Mair BVSc PhD DEIM DESTS DipECEIM AssoECVDI FRCVS worked in mixed practice before returning to Bristol to undertake research in equine immunology and lecturing in equine medicine. He joined Bell Equine Veterinary Clinic in 1989, concentrating on internal medicine, soft tissue surgery and advanced imaging. He has published over 250 peer-reviewed articles and co-authored several textbooks. He is Honorary Professor of the Royal Veterinary College, a past President of the British Equine Veterinary Association and editor of Equine Veterinary Education. He is Equine Veterinary Director of CVS, and his current research /quality improvement interests focus on gastrointestinal diseases (including parasite control), sustainability, and antibiotic and anthelmintic use in equine practice.
Tim’s plenary lecture reflects Peter Rossdale’s work as a proponent of both clinical research and evidence-based medicine. Tim will explain that by combining the art of the practitioner with the science of practice, fuelled by the developments and new knowledge gained from the clinical research, vets can not only improve the health and welfare of patients, but also enhance the enjoyment and satisfaction associated with the job. He will cover:
· The fundamental difference between clinical audit and clinical research, emphasising the benefits of the latter for equine health and welfare.
· Recent advances in technology and methods that enable the capture of large volumes of detailed data as highly beneficial research tools.
· The importance of recording and publishing details of cases as a means of sharing novel observations that can add to the general evidence base and stimulate further investigations.
· Sharing of advances in diagnosis and treatments to open new avenues and opportunities for clinical research.
Meta and Tim’s lectures will contribute to more than 90 hours of live and on-demand CPD on offer at Congress, covering equine medicine, surgery and practice, via presentations, interactive discussions, debates and workshops. Between lectures and after hours, delegates can network and learn about new products and innovations in the exhibition hall which will be filled with a mix of the industry’s leading suppliers and referral practices. The evening social scene kicks off with First Night Fun on Wednesday night at Lane7, and now delegates can add socials tickets when booking their Congress pass.
Don’t miss super early bird Congress registration
Super early bird registration for BEVA Congress is still available, with discounted rates available for members, recent graduates, nurses and lower-income delegates.
Congress registration includes: Access to all lecture theatres and exhibition halls, full entry to the virtual Congress hub and on-demand access to Congress content for six months after the event
BEVA members receive 50% off ticket prices, plus an additional 15% discount before the super early bird deadline of 1 July 2026.
To view the programme and book tickets, visit BEVA Congress
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