Royal Agricultural University to host equine nutrition conference
Gloucestershire’s Royal Agricultural University (RAU) will host the tenth instance of the European Workshop on Equine Nutrition (EWEN) later this month (August).
EWEN is a biennial meeting for experts in the field of equine nutrition. It was started in Dijon, France in 2002 by Professor Veronique Julliand and now attracts delegates from across the globe.
Simon Daniels, Senior Lecturer in Equine Management and Science at the RAU, said: “The last time EWEN came to the UK was in 2010 and it was also held at the RAU. Our own equine research group is very active in nutrition research and RAU Professor Meriel Moore-Colyer is currently the Chair of EWEN’s scientific committee.
“EWEN was due to be held at the RAU in the summer of 2020, following the 2018 meeting at SLU in Uppsala, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic so we are delighted to finally be able to host it here. It is an extra honour for us to welcome delegates in EWEN’s 20th anniversary year.”
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The conference is held every other year, with the European Equine Health and Nutrition Congress (EEHNC) being held on its off years. In 2020, the group decided in an online meeting to form EWEN as its own formal society.
EWEN 2022’s itinerary begins with a Ploughman’s Supper at the Royal Agricultural University’s Cirencester campus on Monday 22 August. This will be followed by two days of presentations featuring keynote speeches from Professor Pat Harris, Professor Stephanie Valberg and Dr Andrew Hemmings, Head of School of Equine Management and Science at the RAU.
Aside from the keynotes, a number of oral and poster presentations will be given by members of the scientific community on a range of topics associated with nutrition and gut health. Wednesday will feature a cultural tour of Bath followed by a gala dinner.
The final day, Thursday 25 August, will see the 'Equine Nutrition: Research to Industry' event - a day aimed at horse owners, those working in the industry, students and lecturers, as well as researchers.
Simon added: “The Thursday morning session will look at research on more practically applied feeding and, in the afternoon, Prof Valberg will speak about feeding horses with polysaccharide storage myopathy (PSSM), and rider and coach Warren Lamperd will talk about the challenges of feeding the performance horse.
“Equine nutritionist Ruth Bishop will then present about best practice in manufacturing equine nutrition products and finally I will talk about our current understanding of the horses gut microbiome.
“While this meeting is mainly aimed at research scientists and academics and those working within the equine feed industry, it is open to anyone who is interested in equine nutrition. Everyone is welcome!”
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