British Equestrian Podcast

It's the final episode in our series for Equine Health Week 2026, in partnership with Agria. We’ve covered various specific health conditions over the course of this week, but today we’re going to focus on something a bit different – but no less important in terms of safeguarding the wellbeing of our horses.As horse owners and carers, it’s our duty to ensure that our horses have the best possible lives, with their essential needs at the forefront of decision-making. Getting this right can provide a stable foundation for everything we do with them, whether you have an unridden companion, go hacking a few times a week or compete to higher levels. Our understanding of what our horses need has changed over time and a number of phrases are becoming more widely used. One of these is ‘the other 23 hours’ and, in this episode, we’re going to find out a bit more about what that means, with help from Roly Owers and Janet Douglas from World Horse Welfare. 

Equine gastric ulcer syndrome is believed to affect as many as one in three horses in the UK. This painful condition can be caused by multiple factors and will impact performance, temperament and welfare. Leading consultant and researched Ben Sykes shares how, as our understanding of the condition and how it affects our horses improves, so too does how effectively we’re able to treat and manage it.

We're spoiling you with not one, but two episodes today for Equine Health Week 2026, in partnership with Agria! Ensuring your horse has a healthy digestive system and a diet that meets their needs is just one step in reducing the risk of numerous gastrointestinal problems, including colic and equine gastric ulcer syndrome. We’ve reunited our equine nutritionist dream team of Dr Marga Mas from Dodson & Horrell and Kate Hore from NAF to look at some of the feeding fundamentals needed in order to promote wellbeing in our horses. 

Colic is a word that strikes fear into the hearts of everyone who owns or cares for horses, with good reason – it’s one of the most common veterinary emergencies and causes of equine death worldwide.  While the severity and causes of colic will vary, knowing how to spot signs so you can respond quickly is vital in giving your horse the best chance of a good outcome. Professor Sarah Freeman from the University of Nottingham shares what to look for, plus how you can manage the risk factors associated with colic to reduce the likelihood of it happening in the first place. 

While not a disease itself, lameness is a symptom of an underlying problem and a sign that your horse is in pain. Sometimes that pain is minor and can be resolved quickly and easily, but at other times it can be more serious and not immediately obvious what's caused it. In our next episode for Equine Health Week 2026, in partnership with Agria, vet Rob Oulton from the World Class Programme and Scott Dunn's Equine Clinic explains the process and tests a vet will go through to reach a diagnosis. 

In the next episode of our series for Equine Health Week 2026, in partnership with Agria, vets Hattie Bell and Tegan McGilvray from Equine Infectious Disease Surveillance join us to discuss the important role that vaccines play in protecting our horses. For many of us, vaccinating our horses is just something we tick off once or twice a year when we get a reminder through from the vet practice, without thinking too much about what it actually means. However, this seemingly small action – when done right – can not only save our horses from serious and potentially even life-threatening diseases, but also safeguard the wellbeing of the national herd. 

Equine Health Week, in partnership with Agria, is back for 2026! This year, we're focusing on some equine health essentials. In today’s episode, Sam Cutts from Hook Norton Equine Vets shares some of the basic first aid knowledge that all horse owners and carers should have in their arsenal, what items to keep in your first aid kit and, perhaps most importantly, how to tell when it’s time to call the vet. 

In our final episode for Worming Week, in partnership with Agria, the focus turns to the environmental impact of the drugs used to treat our horses for parasites. Rachel is joined by Claire Shand from Westgate Labs, who sits on the core steering group of cross-industry organisation CANTER, and Ruth Dancer from White Griffin to find out the effects that these drugs can have, not only on a local level but also on the wider ecosystem. Plus, Ruth shares insight into the importance of caring for our soil and Claire amazes everyone with some hard-hitting statistics. 

In the second of our Worming Week episodes, in partnership with Agria, Rachel chats with Nicola Housby Skeggs, Veterinary Director at The Horse Trust, and Dr. Tamzin Furtado from the University of Liverpool. They take a closer look at what factors need to be taken into consideration when deciding whether to test or treat our horses for common parasites, and why overuse of anthelmintics poses such a risk to our national herd. 

It's the first episode in our special series of podcast episodes for Worming Week, in partnership with Agria.Having the right parasite testing and treatment programme in place is an important part of keeping our horses healthy and also helps to protect the national herd. Rachel chats with vet Tim Mair to explore the different parasite tests and what factors need to be considered when putting together a programme to suit the needs of our individual horses. Find the CANTER guidelines and matrix here: https://canterforhorses.org.uk/