Health & Medicine Committee

Bruce Bladon graduated from Edinburgh University in 1988. He spent one year in mixed practice and then six years in two equine practices (Endell Veterinary Group in Salisbury and O’Gorman Slater and Main in Newbury), before joining Bristol University as Resident in Equine Surgery. He was awarded the Certificate of Equine Practice in 1992, the Diploma of Equine Soft Tissue Surgery in 1999 and Diploma of the European College of Veterinary Surgeons in 2001. He returned to Donnington Grove Veterinary Group (as it is now) in 1998, and is now a Clinical Director. He has been recognised as a Specialist in Equine Surgery since 2000, and was awarded Fellowship of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in 2016. He has lectured extensively, including to the British, South African, Australian, New Zealand, Dutch, Italian and Israeli Equine Veterinary Associations, international meetings in Brazil Canada, Spain, Germany and to the European and American Colleges of Veterinary Surgeons. Bruce is the principle equine surgeon at Donnington Grove Veterinary Surgery. The practice treats a large number of racing Thoroughbreds, but also has a substantial leisure horse population, including a large referral case load. The practice performs a significant number of scintigraphy bone scans and a very large number of MRI scans, using the Hallmarq® standing low field scanner. Bruce’s key interests are surgery, especially fracture repair and colic surgery, though he undertakes all procedures presented to him. He is also very involved with advanced imaging, particularly MRI. Bruce Bladon was Emergency Services Team Leader at the Rio 2016 Olympics. Bruce is an eco warrior and drives a zero emissions vehicle. He is a (low level) rugby union referee. He can’t really run under 5 min per km pace anymore and can’t remotely keep up with his son (or wife). He does manage to squeeze in the occasional ski trip, but otherwise is not allowed out, and spends his time either in an operating theatre or looking at black and white images.

James graduated from Edinburgh in 2001. After four years in mixed practice, he transitioned into equine stud practice and now leads the team at Equine Reproductive Services (UK). In 2010 he gained the RCVS Certificate in Stud Medicine and became an honorary lecturer at the University of Liverpool, teaching and examining CertAVP candidates. James continues to perform and publish practice-based research and collaborates widely. He is an Advanced Practitioner in Equine Stud Medicine, a BEVA council member and trustee of the International Equine Reproduction Trust. In 2022, he was awarded an RCVS Fellowship for meritorious contributions to clinical practice.

Roly joined World Horse Welfare as Chief Executive in January 2008. He qualified as a veterinary surgeon from Cambridge University in 1992 and having spent a short time with the Blue Cross, he joined the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, which included a posting as the Veterinary Officer at the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment in London. After the army, he went to work for World Horse Welfare until 2003, when he left to take up the post of Development Director at the Perse School in Cambridge. He returned to World Horse Welfare in 2008. Since then Roly has played an active role on the steering group of the Equine Sector Council for Health and Welfare and established the Equine Disease Coalition, of which he is Chair.