Twelve veterinarians with motorbikes. 2,700 miles and 10 European countries in 16 days. Eight educational talks for up to 600 vets. Two charities reaping the benefits. That about sums up the fourth annual Vets with Horsepower event, sponsored by SUCCEED, which kicked off from the UK on July 2.
These senior-level academic and practicing specialist vets gathered in Utrecht, Netherlands and are currently riding motorbikes to St. Petersburg, Russia and back again. Along the way, they will be giving day-long collaborative professional development talks for practicing veterinarians. Stops along the way include Hannover, Berlin, Warsaw, and Tartu before a 2-day respite in St. Peterburg, followed by Helsinki, Skovde, Larvik, and Copenhagen on the return trip. And if that weren’t enough, they hope to raise at least £100,000 to donate to the Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust and SmileTrain.
Vets with Horsepower is coordinated by Derek Knottenbelt, OBE, BVM&S, DipECEIM, MRCVS and Professor of Equine Medicine at the University of Liverpool. In addition to coordinating and participating in the event, Professor Knottenbelt is also heading up several independent research projects utilizing SUCCEED products through the University of Glasgow.
Professor Knottenbelt believes that SUCCEED, equine gut health, and Vets with Horsepower are a natural fit:
“We KNOW that internal health is a fundamental part of being healthy and able to survive the rigors of life, just as we know that the gut is a vital part of the overall health and longevity of the horse,” Knottenbelt says.
“The motorbike is only a collection of metal bits connected in a suitable way; the gut of the horse is a highly complex structure that the horse has to rely on. It’s no good having a healthy stomach (fuel tank) if the power converter (engine/large gut) downstream is fouled up and horrible! I believe SUCCEED helps to maintain hind gut function, giving the horse its healthy power.”
Freedom Health is pleased to be a part of this unique event supporting veterinarians and horses around the globe.
Be sure to follow our Vets with Horsepower updates on the SUCCEED blog as well as our Facebook and Twitter pages.
