Working at a horse trials is an exciting event, but it can be quite daunting. There’s so much to know - from rules regarding medication, how to work with medical teams and how to build relationships with riders and owners. That’s why our new Event Incident Management course has been designed to fully prepare you...
As those who are involved with providing veterinary cover for horse trials will know it is more than just attending cuts and scrapes. It’s about getting to know the owners, riders and grooms. It’s about building friendships with event organisers, other vets, medical staff and working as a team to achieve the best outcome for the horses and riders taking part. It is about enjoying being part of a sporting competition (as well as the hospitality!)
At present there are no specific training requirements for vets attending events other than a recommendation that they are a minimum of two years qualified. This can mean that attending events can be stressful, rather than enjoyable, particularly for less experienced vets and that it’s hard to keep up with changes in fence design, new thoughts on managing incidents as a team, and medication rules.
Held during the early stages of Osberton CCI*** International Horse Trials, Event Incident Management will provide a forum for discussion of tricky situations, updates on fence design and how it affects vets, as well as highlighting the dos and don’ts of horse trials vetting. Lectures will cover a wide range of material including trauma, cardiology, the fallen horse, safer fence design, extraction techniques and legal treatments before the second horse inspection. Uniquely this course will also look at how we work with medics and course designers to ensure the best possible care for horse and rider in any critical incident, reducing the risk of fatal or serious outcomes.
Practical training on the cross-country course will enable hands-on experience of fence design and extricating horses and riders from jumps with plenty of discussion opportunities.
This new course highlights some new concepts relating to an incident management and updates us all on fence design and current approaches to the myriad of conditions and injuries that can occur with sports horses at an event.
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Have you seen our Event Toolkit yet? Created by our Clinical Practice Committee it provides vets looking to work at events with a check list of what to bring and what to expect. Take a look.