Swiss officials have banned the use of hyperflexion (also known as rollkur).

The ban, which applies to equestrian competition and training, came into effect on January 1 as part of the Ordonnance sur la protection des animaux.

Hyperflexion which has been used in show jumping and dressage, sees the rider use aggressive force to make the horse to hold its neck.

A spokesman for the Swiss Federal office for Food Safety and Veterinary Affairs, said: "Hyperflexion has been banned in order that the authorities can also officially control and sanction the horse owners.

"Hyperflexion is considered not to be in line with animal welfare principles."

The Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) almost four years ago, held a conference to debate the use of hyperflexion.
br> "The consensus of the group was that any head and neck position of the horseachieved through aggressive force is not acceptable.

"The group redefined hyperflexion/rollkur as flexion of the horse's neck achieved through aggressive force, which is therefore unacceptable.

"The group unanimously agreed that any form of aggressive riding must be sanctioned.

"The group also emphasised that the main responsibility for the welfare of the horse rests with the rider," an FEI statement said at the time.

Dogs for the Disabled, which has just opened its North West England centre at Atherton, is looking to recruit 30 volunteers with the launch of an appeal next Tuesday (21).

The charity is looking for volunteer puppy socialisers who will teach puppies to sit, wait, and stay, and prepare them for their working life as disability or autism assistance dogs, by introducing them to locations such as supermarkets, hospitals, schools, buses and trains.

Next Tuesday's launch will see a demonstration of the role of a puppy socialiser lead by puppy coordinator Jessica Hardiman from 11am.

Jessica will provide the new volunteers with continuous support including regular home visits and the puppy's food and vets' bills will be paid by the charity.

Volunteers need to be armed with endless supplies of patience, have a safe, well-fenced garden, be able to spend time on socialisation activities every day and live within approximately one hour of Atherton.

More detailed information will be available on the day.

Places are limited and those wish to attend should email their home and mobile numbers to liz.stone@dogsforthedisabled.org or call Liz Stone on 01295 759827.

Dogs for the Disabled is also currently recruiting its first North West England instructor who will be responsible for matching and placing dogs with disabled adults or children and for providing in-depth training and aftercare support during the first year of a dog's placement.

Fifty young, aspiring vets from low and middle income backgrounds will be able to learn about preparing to apply to vet school and what it takes to become a vet, as the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has joined the Sutton Trust summer school programme.

Successful applicants to the summer school this year will attend a week-long residential course with all expenses covered. Sessions will be given on the application process for vet school and interview practice. The course will also include practical dissections and clinical skills, with an academic programme focused on bioveterinary sciences, veterinary medicine and veterinary nursing.

Sir Peter Lampl, chairman of the Sutton Trust and Education Endowment Foundation, said: "Veterinary courses are highly competitive, but it is vital that young people from low and middle income backgrounds have a fair chance to access them.

For further information, visit the Sutton Trust website.

Comedian Ricky Gervais has been named PETA's Person of the Year 2013, for his use of social media to keep his 5.3 million followers buzzing about animal abuse. This year, Gervais has tweeted everything from tips about PETA's cruelty free cosmetics campaign, to Melissa Bachman's killing of a lion.

Ingrid E Newkirk, PETA managing director, said: "Ricky Gervais makes sure that animals have their say, tweet, growl or roar on Twitter."

A free, online course in equine nutrition that was launched earlier this year by the University of Edinburgh is to be repeated in 2014. The degree-level course attracted 24,000 learners in its first year, and another five-week course will begin in January.

The course, which is organised by the University's Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, covers anatomy and physiology of the equine digestive tract and equine nutrient sources, as well as dietary management for equines with nutrition-related disorders.

To learn more about the course, please click here

The latest EU statistics on animal experimentation have revealed 17,896 dogs were used for experiments across Europe in 2011. Of these, 7,488 were used for toxicology and other safety tests, 4,671 for the research and development of human and veterinary medicines and dentistry, 3,715 for fundamental biological studies, 927 for production and quality control of veterinary medicines, 458 for the diagnosis of diseases, 351 for education and training, 65 for the production and quality control of human medicines and dentistry and 221 for other experimentation.

While this represents a 16 per cent decrease since the last available statistics in 2008, the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV) says it is disappointed that dogs continue to be used in such high numbers.