Equine Science at Edinburgh

Don't miss our next Clinical Catch-Up with Catherine Featherstone and Gemma Pearson on Wednesday 8 July!

This free-to-member webinar will provide you with tips and tricks to make having horses on box rest easier for you, your clients and your patients.

Sign up to be there today - https://www.beva.org.uk/Education/CPD/Event-Details/eventDateId/2002?utm_source=Facebook&utm_campaign=Facebook&utm_medium=Facebook

The University of Edinburgh has been named as one of the top 50 universities in the world, ranking 1st in Scotland in the 2027 QS World University Rankings.

We are especially proud that of 1,500 universities, we have ranked 4th in the world for sustainability.

Thank you and congratulations to our amazing students, staff and the whole Edinburgh community for continuing to make these achievements possible.

Find out more about an extraordinary future at the University of Edinburgh: https://edin.ac/4vhfdz0

Today was the last day of clinical rotations for our final year students! It's a big day for them: most have dreamed of being vets since childhood, beaten the odds to be offered a place at vet school, studied hefty scientific concepts, learned how to handle unfamiliar species, passed dozens of exams and practicals, and, most importantly, developed their abilities to care for their patients, clients and colleagues. We couldn't be more proud as they leave the University of Edinburgh to take their considerable skills to the world.
A MASSIVE thank you goes out to each and every one of our equine clients who have made this possible by welcoming our students and giving them the time and space to find their confidence. We cannot overstate how appreciative we are. You may, one day, reap the rewards when one of our graduates helps to look after the horses in your future.
For now, it's goodbye from Crea, Bella, Hugh, Libby, Lara, Charlotte, Hattie, Jack, Scarlett, Benjy, James and Ellie! We wish you all good luck!

Another one for the horsepeople! Our wonderful student Leyi is investigating horse owner perceptions regarding dental pain in horses for her dissertation - this work will help us understand how to support owners in identifying potential problems early, to improve equine health and welfare. If you can please spare 10 minutes to take this anonymous survey and/or share it, we would be very grateful! Thank you!

Link to survey: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=sAafLmkWiUWHiRCgaTTcYfibQfC0_dhNkuBgFbCstj9UOU9TVDU2NEVUTDIwRVI1WlZONk80Wlg4SS4u

Equine Science at Edinburgh
Animal Welfare Centre
The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies
Dick Vet Equine

You ask your horse to move forward, but they plant their feet.

You ask for canter, and they rush, pigroot or pin their ears.

You ask them to stand quietly, but they paw, call out, fidget or pull back.

It can be easy in those moments to say the horse is being naughty, lazy or stubborn. But unwanted behaviour is information. Labelling a horse as naughty, lazy or stubborn can stop us from understanding the cause.

The Pony Club Australia Horse Welfare Policy is clear that using terms like naughty, lazy or stubborn to describe unwanted behaviour demonstrates a lack of understanding.

That does not mean people are trying to do the wrong thing. These words are common in horse communities, and many of us have heard them used for years. But they can lead us down the wrong path.

When we call a horse stubborn, we may stop asking whether the horse is confused, worried, uncomfortable, in pain, tired, overwhelmed, or responding to unclear aids.

The Policy reminds us that horses need clear and consistent aids, and consistent expectations for their behaviour. When aids are unclear, or expectations change from one day to the next, the horse’s world can become confusing and worrying.

Good horsemanship means looking deeper. Before we label the horse, we need to ask:

❓ What is the horse trying to tell us?

❓ What part might our timing, pressure, training, handling or environment be playing?

❓ How can we make the right behaviour easier for the horse to understand?

Understanding the cause helps us support the horse, improve safety, and build better partnerships.

Empathy and compassion in One Health: Perspectives across disciplines, species and ecosystems

Dovecot Studios, 28-29 Sept 2026
£175

This conference will host international leaders and experts from the Global Empathy in Healthcare Network, in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh’s Global Compassion and Empathy Initiative. This is the inaugural event of the Edinburgh Empathy Place, an initiative of the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, and forms part of the Edinburgh Medical School 300 celebrations.

For more information and to book a place, visit our website: https://edin.ac/3Oahj3B

We have a strong line-up of veterinary surgeons and nurses speaking at the Vet Trust Conference on 2-3 June. The highly skilled group will be sharing their knowledge and expertise across the equine, practice and nurse streams at the two-day event in Stirling.

Pictured left to right, starting from top row
• Dr Claudia Hartley will deliver two talks on ocular changes in horses
• Dr John Keen will present ‘Equine cardiology – when do I worry?’
• Dr Rob Kelly will speak about how practices can support the development of new graduates
• Fiona McDowall RVN will deliver a talk called ‘Neurodiversity awareness and the workplace’
• Jennifer Marshall RVN will present ‘Using capnography to make sustainable decisions'
• Lindsey Ashburner RVN will give a presentation on ‘RECOVER-guided basic life support'.

See the programme for further details: https://vettrust.co.uk/2026-conference/