NIVA Equine Welfare Symposium “Leading The Way For Horses”
Wednesday 8th October, 10am-4.30pm at The Dunadry Hotel, Antrim
Bringing together the whole equine industry including vets, vet nurses, equestrian leaders, owners, trainers, coaches, government and all sectors of the industry to focus on the changing landscape that is equine welfare.
Equine Welfare Symposium:
10.00 Registration with Tea, Coffee & Scones
10.30 Welcome & "From Report to Reality: NIVA’s Welfare Journey" - Kirsten Dunbar (NIVA President) and Esther Skelly-Smith
10.45 Horse Sense and Sensibility - Understanding learning and it's role in equine welfare - Helen Spence Psychologist & Clinical Animal Behaviourist
11.30 The Role of Farriery in Equine Welfare and Performance - Abigail Bunyard BFBA President
Research Highlight: Shoeing the Horse and Shaping the Law: An Evidence-Based Assessment of the Need for Farrier Regulation in Northern Ireland - Ashley Haskett, Queens University
12.20 AGRIA Sponsor Showcase Followed by Lunch
13.15 Traceability Matters: Global Lessons, Local Action - The global perspective on Equine Traceability - Roly Owers WHW
What is happening in Northern Ireland on traceability - Nicola Connery, DAERA
14.00 CANTERing towards sustainable parasite control Keeping horses healthy for now and the future - Julia Shrubb
CANTER & Three Counties Equine
Research Highlight: Is new parasite management guidance suitable for Northern Ireland? Ashley Robinson CAFRE
15.00 Tea, Coffee and Shortbread
15.15 Why is she doing that? How do horse owners manage unwanted behaviours in their horses, and what do they want from their vets?
Tamzin Furtado Liverpool University
16.00 Panel: From Talk to Action: Horses in Focus Main Speakers
MAIN SPEAKERS:
Dr Helen Spence
Psychologist and Clinical Animal Behaviourist Dr Helen Spence will take us on a whistle stop tour of what learning theory really is, where it sits in our understanding of horse- human interactions and how improving our understanding is fundamental to improving welfare and providing a Good Life for Horses.
Abby Bunyard FWCF, President BFBA
Abby Bunyard FWCF is a Dorset-based farrier with nearly 30 years of experience shoeing across all disciplines, from grassroots to top-level competition horses. After serving her apprenticeship with Richard Wood near Wincanton, Abby qualified in 1996 with the Diploma of the Worshipful Company of Farriers and began her career working with Paul Gibbons shoeing high-goal polo ponies for Royal Guards, Pommery Champagne, Les Lions and Kerry Packer. This early baptism of fire provided invaluable experience in the demands of equine athletes competing at the highest level.
Her own practice, Farrier & Forge Ltd, now covers a diverse range of clients — private and professional yards including eventers up to 4*, dressage horses up to Prix St Georges, hunters, polo ponies, and leisure horses. Abby’s farriery has also taken her abroad, shoeing eventers in Switzerland and competing in the American World Championships on the Las Vegas Strip.
Abby’s two great passions are veterinary referral work and education. In 2016, she achieved the Associate of the Worshipful Company of Farriers (AWCF), reflecting her commitment to the veterinary side of farriery, and gained Approved Training Farrier (ATF) status. To date, she has trained eight apprentices — one representing England on the apprentice team, three graduating with distinction, and all successfully running their own businesses. In 2025, Abby attained the Fellowship of the Worshipful Company of Farriers (FWCF), the highest recognition of technical and theoretical competence within the profession.
Abby has also played an active role in industry leadership. Elected to the Executive Committee of the British Farriers and Blacksmiths Association (BFBA) in 2014, she later became Treasurer, and in 2022 was elected Vice President — the first woman in the Association’s history to hold a presidential office. She also represents the UK as delegate to the European Federation of Farriers Associations (EFFA), travelling internationally to lecture, and promote equine welfare and education.
As a speaker and demonstrator, Abby has presented at BFBA Focus, at international farriery meetings through EFFA, and at numerous regional CPD and veterinary-farrier collaborative events. She is also Farrier Ambassador for Horslyx, promoting innovation in equine nutrition and hoof care.
Abby sums up her approach to farriery with a phrase that has guided her career: “If you are shoeing two horses the same, you are not shoeing one correctly.”
Julia Shrubb MA VetMB CertAVP(EM) MRCVS
Julia qualified as a veterinary surgeon from the University of Cambridge in 2007 and has worked in UK equine practice ever since. She joined Three Counties Equine Hospital in 2024 and is a RCVS Advanced Veterinary Practitioner in Equine Medicine.
Julia has a particular passion for sustainable parasite control and the responsible use of dewormers, aiming to help tackle the growing problem of resistance as well as minimise the environmental impacts of these drugs. She currently chairs CANTER (Controlling ANTiparasitic resistance in Equines Responsibly), a collaborative initiative bringing together experts from across the UK equestrian sector to address these challenges and promote sustainable practices. In addition, she sits on the BEVA Anthelmintic Working Group, co-leads ProjectWorms and chairs the VetPartners Equine Clinical Board.
Tamsin Furtado – Liverpool University
Tamzin is a social scientist with a background in global health, and has a specific interest in the interconnections between human and animal health and wellbeing. She completed a PhD at the University of Liverpool studying how we can improve the management of obesity in horses, particularly focusing on horse-human relationships and human behaviour change. She now works on projects covering a wide range of aspects of understanding human behaviour in order to improve companion animal welfare, and in using social sciences to find out more about how we can help people to change.
Roly Owers - World Horse Welfare
Roly is a qualified veterinary surgeon and has been Chief Executive of the charity World Horse Welfare since 2008. He graduated from Cambridge University in 1992 and acquired his Masters degree in Nutrition from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in 1997. His previous veterinary roles included the Blue Cross and Royal Army Veterinary Corps.
Roly plays an active role in much of World Horse Welfare’s work supporting the horse-human relationship, and as a Director of the British Horse Council he regularly liaises on policy with Defra, the devolved administrations and Ministers. He also advises the International Equestrian Federation (FEI), the International Horse Sports Confederation (IHSC) and the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) on horse Welfare, as well as other national federations.
Roly is currently Treasurer of the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA), Chairman of the UK Equine Disease Coalition, a Director of the British Horse Council, a Board member of the European Horse Network and Treasurer of the World Federation for Animals.
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