Leading Vets Gather For International Conference on Equine Exercise Physiology

The WALTHAM® Equine Studies Group is pleased to be sponsoring the International Conference on Equine Exercise Physiology (ICEEP), to be held in Chester from 16 – 20 June 2014, in conjunction with Kentucky Equine Research.

ICEEP is held every four years with the aim of advancing understanding of the physiology, function and health of athletic horses through the promotion of scientific research. It is organized by a prestigious committee comprising leading names within the international equine veterinary and research sector and is open to all researchers as well as veterinarians and other professionals involved in the care and treatment of athletic horses.

Professor Pat Harris MA PhD, VetMB DipECVCN MRCVS, head of the WALTHAM® Equine Studies Group, which provides the scientific support for the SPILLERS® and WINERGY® brands, was a member of the National organizing committee and is delighted to be co-chairing the nutrition section of the conference.

ICEEP’s extensive, five-day program will commence with Professor Warwick Bayly discussing applied exercise physiology, followed by Drs Emmeline Hill and Des Leadon on the genetics of equine performance. On day two Professor Ray Geor will discuss recent advances in the nutrition of the athletic horse and Jose Rivero will explore progress in understanding skeletal muscle design and adaptability of equine athletes.

Local excursions on day three will be followed on day four by Professor Rene van Weeren on biomechanics as the gateway towards better understanding of the horse-rider interaction and Professor Robert Shave on the athletic heart. On the final day Professor Graeme Close will look at the balance between recovery and adaptation – does nutrient timing hold the key and Dr Narelle Stubbs will examine comparative physiotherapy and maintaining the equine athlete for optimal performance. During sessions linked to these keynote speakers, researchers from all over the world will present the results of their current work and there will be plenty of opportunity to discuss the findings. Finally there will be extensive poster sessions highlighting the breadth and depth of research in this area.

Clare Barfoot, Research and Development Manager at MARS HORSECARE UK Ltd said: “We are fortunate to have WALTHAM’s® world class scientific expertise behind our brands. The continual, practical application of knowledge consistently helps to improve the health and welfare of horses and ponies worldwide and to this end we are proud to be associated with ICEEP this year.”

To find out more about ICEEP and to book online visit www.ICEEP.org. For further information on SPILLERS® and the latest nutrition research visit www.spillers-feed.com