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Renowned farrier wins Sir Colin Spedding Award
Dr Simon Curtis receiving the Sir Colin Spedding Award, presented by HRH The Princess Royal, president of the National Equine Forum.

Dr Simon Curtis recognised for his contributions to the profession

Newmarket farrier Dr Simon Curtis received the Sir Colin Spedding Award at the National Equine Forum on Thursday (8 March) in recognition of his contributions to the profession.

During his 45-year career, Dr Curtis has lectured on and demonstrated farriery in 30 countries in six continents, including Australia, India, Russia, the USA and Brazil.

He has also written three textbooks on farriery, contributed to numerous journals and, in 2002, became the only farrier to be awarded an Honorary Associate by the RCVS.

Commenting on his award, Simon said that he was both surprised and delighted to have won. “I take it as a recognition that good farriery and increased farriery science is acknowledged as contributing to equine health and performance,” he said.

The Sir Colin Spedding Award is presented each year to an exceptional unsung hero or heroine of the equestrian world. Introduced in 2013 in memory of Sir Colin, a leading academic and animal welfare expert, the award is open to any individual or organisation from any equestrian field, provided that their qualities have not been recognised elsewhere.

The award was presented to Dr Curtis by HRH The Princess Royal, who is president of the National Equine Forum. Previous recipients of the award include Jim Green, pioneer of equine rescue methodology and training (2017), and Sue Martin BHSII who runs Trent Park Equestrian Centre (2016). 

Image (C) National Equine Forum

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Applications open for MMI research grants

News Story 1
 RCVS' Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) has launched round two of its veterinary mental health research grants.

Researchers have until 11.59pm on Wednesday, 28 May 2025 to apply for a grant for research which reflects MMI's 2025 focus areas.

Only one Impact Grant was awarded last year, and so this year there are two Discovery Grants and one Impact Grants available. Each Discovery Grant is worth £5,000 and the Impact Grant is worth £15,000.

For more information or to apply, email researchgrants@rcvs.org.uk to contact the MMI team.

 

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News Shorts
BBC Radio 4 documentary addresses corporate fees

BBC Radio 4's File on 4 Investigates has released a documentary exploring how corporate-owned veterinary practices may be inflating bills to increase profit.

Released on 15 April, 'What's Happening To Your Vet Bills?' revealed the policies which many corporate groups have in place to increase their profits. This included targets and upgrades which veterinary teams are tasked with meeting on a regular basis.

It also features Anrich Vets, an independently-owned practice based in Wigan. Following the case of Staffordshire terrier Benjy, who is diagnosed with a tumour, the documentary shares how the team were able to offer contextualised care and advice to make the procedure as affordable as possible for his owners.

The documentary can be heard on demand on BBC iPlayer.