We are delighted to announce that planning for #srt2021 is well under way, with an exciting list of presenters already confirmed.
8th December • 3rd International Conference • Horse, Rider, Saddlery: Welfare and Performance
We are delighted to announce that planning for #srt2021 is well under way, with an exciting list of presenters already confirmed.
The June issue of The Equestrian Business features two of the presentations on the latest equine research from the acclaimed 3rd Saddle Research Trust International Conference.
These have been brilliantly filmed and are available for everyone, whether you are a professional practitioner or an amateur rider, they are a great learning opportunity with invaluable knowledge to help the welfare and performance of every ridden horse. All the screens and clips used in the presentations are clearly shown.
The ridden horse pain recognition study, (57mins) is a wonderfully easy to use ethogram, acclaimed by vets and yet still accessible for every horse owner and practitioner.
The Rider Weight Pilot study, ( 1hr52mins) throws up some key issues and has set the path for more research in the future on this complex issue.
Both of these, with more to follow, are available to watch on Vimeo on demand with all proceeds going to the Saddle Research Trust.
The previews include celebrity interviews from our sponsors and special guests who kindly consented to unscripted, unplanned filming during the breaks in proceedings which resulted in real conversations with some real horsemen and women from the wide spectrum of the equine industry. We’d like to express our grateful thanks to the top trainers, riders, researchers, saddlemakers, veterinarians and welfare experts all under one roof at #srt2018.
” Some emotional speeches, some entertaining ones.- a high degree of passion and drive in all of the winners. See a problem, make a difference 🏆 congrats to you all!! ” was how one of our guests described the Awards ceremony.
The Saddlery Equipment Award was sponsored by Novel GMBH and the winner was the Micklem Bridle, designed by William Micklem. Shortlisted were the Equiband and the Saddle Aid saddle.
William, who was later presented with the Saddle Research Trust Global Ambassador Award, said:
“A huge thank you to the Saddle Research Trust and all those who feel so strongly that we have achieved something special and different with the Micklem bridle and voted for it in such huge numbers….and special thanks to Horseware Ireland and their CEO Tom MacGuinness who saw the value of the bridle, when for fifteen years I had failed to convince other manufacturers.
It is not an exaggeration to say that the Micklem bridle has changed the way we think about bridles and nosebands, and because of this, we are immensely proud. It is designed from the inside out, from the shape of the skull itself and the position of the nerves … for this special thanks are due to my late Father, Dick Micklem, who started me on this journey, not just because of his deep interest in equine anatomy and physiology, but also because of his love of horses and his deep appreciation of their integral role both in two world wars and in our life-enhancing equestrian sports.
My Father would be so pleased with this recognition for the Micklem bridle, but even more pleased about the proactive and positive contribution to horse welfare by the Saddle Research Trust “
The Welfare and Performance Person award, sponsored by Ridercise was won internationally renowned coach and author Mary Wanless and you can watch her acceptance speech here
Also shortlisted were John McEwan FEI vet, and Hayley Moore.
Sue Dyson, who was voted winner of the Welfare and Performance Practitioner award, sponsored by Harper Adams University,
The Animal Production, Welfare & Veterinary Sciences Department, gave a heartfelt speech, thanking everyone who voted for her, and was clearly moved by the public support and awareness of her work. Shortlisted for this category along with Sue, were Thilo Pfau and Sonya Nightingale.
21stCenturyRider sponsored the App Award, won by Equla Vert and accepted on their behalf by Professor Hilary Clayton.
Introducing the award, fellow vet Sue Dyson noted:
“Stewart was of the old school of veterinary surgeons with a background steeped in horses and a real passion for the horse. He was an observer, a questioner, a reader, and a thinker. He was ahead of his time, recognising the importance of correct foot balance and appropriate shoeing, realising that saddle-fit for the horse was imperative for optimal function and embracing appropriately trained paraprofessionals as part of the team required to promote equine health and welfare. He recognised that learning never ended and his thirst for new knowledge continued unabated throughout his life. Stewart was a gentleman, with high professional ethics. Woe betide anyone who transgressed these principles when he was in practice. He had an amazing memory and, combined with his wit and sense of humour, had plenty of tales to tell from throughout his extensive career.
Stewart was intimately associated with many facets of the equine world, most particularly hunting, working hunter showing, eventing, and racing. He supported eventing as a lifetime member of British Eventing. He was Veterinary Advisor to the Society of Master Saddlers and was recognised as an Honorary Fellow of the organisation. He delivered the inaugural lecture on the History of the Saddle to the Worshipful Company of Saddlers in 1983. Stewart was passionate about the education of the horse-owning public and was intimately involved with the British Horse Society. He wrote two editions of The British Horse Society Veterinary Manual and received an Award of Merit for Welfare and Training from the British Horse Society. His contributions to the equine industry were recognised by the award of the British Equestrian Trade Association’s Life Time Achievement Award in 2013.
Stewart also played an active role in veterinary politics serving as Secretary to the British Veterinary Association in the 1960s and acting as both Honorary Secretary and Honorary Information Officer for the British Equine Veterinary Association in the 1970s. Stewart was a passionate believer in continued professional development and was an avid supporter of BEVA meetings until very recently.
The Saddle Research Trust presented a Welfare and Performance Ambassador Award to William Micklem, who gave an inspiring response.
The Saddle Research Trust would like to extend huge thanks to Master of Ceremony, Simon Grieve, eventer, who expertly made sure everything ran smoothly on the night.
Thank you to everyone who supported the 3rd International Conference at Nottingham University’s DeVere East Midlands Conference Centre.
We’ve had amazing positive feedback from our delegates, presenters, special guests and sponsors, All of the presentations were deeply interesting and we were filled with enthusiasm and renewed purpose after the conference, ready to take the welfare of the ridden horse another step further forward.
For conference proceedings please click here to view as an Adobe document for everyone who hasn’t already downloaded them.
Delegates and Attendees– Please take a minute to fill in this short survey to help us take your views and feedback into account when we plan future events.
This conference website will keep giving you more so please bookmark it for reference. We’ll add selected edits of the presentations, links to the full versions, reports from the Research Workshops plus interviews with our special guests, celebrity riders and trainers, researchers and sponsors who were in attendance. A full report on the Gala Awards Dinner coming soon!
You’ll be able to find out more about why the Saddle Research Trust continues to grow, and bring science and saddlemakers, practitioners and riders together in understanding how best to influence and understand the ridden horses they encounter every day. We’d like to make the welfare, performance, and safety of horse and rider the best it can possibly be.
The tv quality live stream was a great success watched in 23 countries and we have already asked Jamie and the team at Wave FX to put #srt2021 in their diary. They promised us tv quality and did not disappoint.
A date has been set! for the next Saddle Research Trust Conference! Save the date: 11th December 2021 in your diary and look out for #srt2021 on Twitter.
Finally a huge thank you to our sponsors, especially World Horse Welfare, Wow Saddles, Albion Saddlery, and DIPO. Without their support, the work of the Saddle Research Trust, the Conference and Research Workshops and the Gala Awards Dinner would not take place. All of our sponsors were in attendance – they really do want their designs, organizations, and practice to be informed by the latest scientific research so please check them out in our sponsor tab if you didn’t manage to visit their stands on the day.
Pictured above are Simon Grieve, who we kept busy all day (and all evening too), with special guests Lucinda Green and Richard Davison.
We are almost ready, with 3 weeks to go and are busy putting the finishing touches to the conference plans. Very exciting!
We are thrilled to be able to offer a tv quality live stream of the Conference, to everyone, wherever in the world you may be, so if you aren’t able to attend in person don’t miss out on hearing the latest influential research.
Click here to attend via Livestream and please check the programme tab for details.
Our amazing sponsors will be in attendance and delegates will have the opportunity to visit their display stands and find out more about what they do and why they support the Saddle Research Trust, with its aims of improving the welfare of the ridden horse.
Our list of speakers is absolutely fabulous. Their presentations are for everyone: riders, saddle fitters, designers and makers, equine practitioners, vets, and trainers. We are sure everyone will benefit and enjoy the day.
The Research Poster submissions will be displayed in the main concourse with the authors present to discuss their research during the intervals.
The Gala Awards Dinner is a great way to round off proceedings with like-minded people, and to celebrate our amazing shortlist of deserving Welfare and Performance Awards candidates at the perfect pre-Christmas party. There is still time to buy tickets for this, just click this link.
The Saddle Research Trust cordially invite you to join us in the Banqueting Suite at 7pm. Dress code is smart/casual and you don’t need to be a conference delegate to be able to attend!
Looking forward to meeting you there!