Student’s work could “directly impact horse welfare,” say judges.
Alice Goff has won the 2024 BETA (British Equestrian Trade Association) Equine Thesis of the Year award with her dissertation Prognostic Indicators for survival in Horses with African Horse Sickness (AHS).
The Royal Veterinary College graduate investigated prognostic indicators that are associated with survival from this devastating disease and identified successful therapeutics that might improve survival in horses infected with AHS.
Alice received a trophy and cash prize after four finalists presented their theses to a panel of judges during an online event on Sunday, 27 October.
“'I'm absolutely honoured to have won the Thesis of the Year award,” said Alice. “I'd like to thank BETA and the judges for running the day.
“It was a really great experience to present my research on African Horse Sickness alongside three other brilliant finalists. Of course, a huge thank you to my supervisor Mike Hewetson for providing the clinical data and support throughout the project.”
“Real life application”
The judges praised all four 2024 BETA Thesis of the Year finalists for their practically applied topics of real relevance to the equine industry.
“The judges would like to congratulate each of the finalists on the successful completion of their dissertation. During the competition, their presentations allowed them to elaborate on their written work and bring their research to life,” said Dr Georgina Crossman who headed the four-strong judging panel.
“The selection of Alice as the winner was a unanimous decision. Her dissertation was well written, concise and professionally presented. Its outcomes have real life application and could directly impact horse welfare.”
This is the ninth year BETA has run the competition which recognises the best in undergraduate study across the UK and Ireland. An international audience from the public, industry and academia watched the finalists’ presentations online.
Universities and colleges offering equine-related degrees are each invited to submit one undergraduate dissertation entry for the annual BETA Equine Thesis of the Year.
Following preliminary judging, the following made it through to Sunday’s final:
- Royal Veterinary College - Alice Goff
- Prognostic Indicators for Survival in Horses with African Horse Sickness
- University Centre Myerscough - Charlotte Hodgetts
- Cooling Practices for Equine Thermoregulation After Cross-Country Competition.
- University of Limerick - Jake Draper
- An Investigation Into The Profitability of First-Season Thoroughbred Sires
- Aberystwyth University - Rifka Faithfull
- Influences of double and snaffle bridles on equine behaviour at dressage competitions and factors that interact with their effect.
The judges were Dr Georgina Crossman – research consultant and owner of GK Crossman Consultancy; Dr Katie Williams – technical and product development manager at Dengie; Sarah Jenkins – Editor-in-Chief, Horse and Hound; and Jack Day, Veterinary Surgeon with Rossdales specialising in Thoroughbred racehorses.
