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Renowned farrier wins Sir Colin Spedding Award
Dr Simon Curtis receiving the Sir Colin Spedding Award, presented by HRH The Princess Royal, president of the National Equine Forum.

Dr Simon Curtis recognised for his contributions to the profession

Newmarket farrier Dr Simon Curtis received the Sir Colin Spedding Award at the National Equine Forum on Thursday (8 March) in recognition of his contributions to the profession.

During his 45-year career, Dr Curtis has lectured on and demonstrated farriery in 30 countries in six continents, including Australia, India, Russia, the USA and Brazil.

He has also written three textbooks on farriery, contributed to numerous journals and, in 2002, became the only farrier to be awarded an Honorary Associate by the RCVS.

Commenting on his award, Simon said that he was both surprised and delighted to have won. “I take it as a recognition that good farriery and increased farriery science is acknowledged as contributing to equine health and performance,” he said.

The Sir Colin Spedding Award is presented each year to an exceptional unsung hero or heroine of the equestrian world. Introduced in 2013 in memory of Sir Colin, a leading academic and animal welfare expert, the award is open to any individual or organisation from any equestrian field, provided that their qualities have not been recognised elsewhere.

The award was presented to Dr Curtis by HRH The Princess Royal, who is president of the National Equine Forum. Previous recipients of the award include Jim Green, pioneer of equine rescue methodology and training (2017), and Sue Martin BHSII who runs Trent Park Equestrian Centre (2016). 

Image (C) National Equine Forum

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Practices urged to audit neutering data

News Story 1
 RCVS Knowledge has called on vet practices to audit their post-operative neutering outcomes.

It follows the release of the 2024 NASAN benchmarking report, which collates data from neutering procedures performed on dogs, cats and rabbits.

The benchmarking report enables practices in the UK and Ireland to compare their post-operative outcomes to the national average. This includes the rate of patients lost to follow-up, which in 2024 increased to 23 per cent.

Anyone from the practice can submit the data using a free template. The deadline for next report is February 2026.

Visit the RCVS Knowledge website to complete an audit. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
RCVS pays tribute to well-loved equine vet

The RCVS and the Riding Establishments Subcommittee has paid tribute to well-loved veterinary surgeon and riding establishment inspector, Rebecca Hamilton-Fletcher MRCVS.

Linda Belton MRCVS, RCVS President, said: "I, along with my colleagues on the RESC, RCVS Council, RCVS Standards Committee, as well as RCVS staff, was very saddened to hear of the sudden death of Rebecca, or Becca as we knew her, last week.

"She was a true advocate for equine welfare and in her many years on the RESC worked to continually improve the quality and consistency of riding establishment inspections, all in the interests of enhanced horse welfare and rider safety."