Some of the course speakers; left to right: Sidney Ricketts, Celia Marr, Sarah Stoneham, Kevin Corley, Alexandra Dugdale, Jane Axon, Emily Haggett, Loraine Palmer, Peter Morresey, Andrew McGladdery, Jenny Ousey and Nick Wingfield Digby.

Rossdales Foal Care Course attracts 66 delegates

66 delegates from 18 countries attended the 6th Rossdales Foal Care Course, which was held at the British Racing School from the 11th to 13th January 2012. End of course questionnaires suggested that the delegates had enjoyed the education, the experience and the friendship of meeting and discussing foal care with experienced clinicians from 5 continents.

External speakers were Jane Axon of Scone Equine Hospital, New South Wales, Australia, Peter Morresey of Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital, Lexington, Kentucky, USA, Kevin Corley of Anglesey Lodge Equine Hospital, Curragh, Ireland and Alexandra Dugdale of the University of Liverpool’s Philip Leverhulme Equine Hospital, Leahurst, Wirral. Rossdales speakers were Simon Curtis, Alastair Foote, Tim Greet, Emily Haggett, Celia Marr, Andrew McGladdery, Jenny Ousey, Lorraine Palmer, Sidney Ricketts, Sarah Stoneham, and Nick Wingfield Digby. Lectures covered foetal intrauterine health, to problems of the neonatal and older foal, to orthopaedic problems and remedial farriery, emerging foal diseases and aspects of clinical and morbid pathology. ‘How to’ sessions gave useful practical advice on a variety useful topics. The lecture programme, designed by Sarah Stoneham and Emily Haggett, catered both for clinicians in foal care units and those in first opinion equine practice, and also for foal care nurses.

The Course was dedicated to Peter Rossdale, founder of the practice and the ‘Father of modern equine perinatology’, who remains an important catalyst and source of support and inspiration to all those who work in this specialist field. Speakers and delegates were pleased that Peter spoke at the welcome session, with his usual enthusiasm and encouragement.

The social programme included an evening at Rossdales Equine Hospital and Diagnostic Centre, with tours, dinner and a very entertaining talk by Professor ‘Twink’ Allen on aspects of comparative reproduction of the horse, camel and elephant, and an evening at the Jockey Club Rooms with dinner and tours of the rooms, with its unique history and equestrian art.

Rossdales are grateful to MSD Animal Health for being main sponsors and BCF Technology, Direct Medical Supplies, Merial Animal Health, Nortev Limited, Veterinary Concepts Europe Limited and Veterinary Immunogenics Limited for providing busy and interesting trade stands. They are also grateful to Jenny Ricketts and Whorl Publishing Limited, who again administered the course and produced the excellent 248-page book of the course’s lecture notes, copies of which are available from www.whorlpublishing.co.uk.

We are sorry that we were not able to accommodate those on our waiting list but these colleagues will be given priority for our next Foal Care Course which we anticipate will be held in two years time.