The Ides of March is an auspicious time that we all need to be wary of, according to William Shakespeare (murder of Julius Caesar and all that) but ides also means division and this year we just don’t know what way the pandemic is going to run as there is much uncertainty about.

But with more and more people getting vaccinated, there is also so much hope. As our industry moves warily out of lockdown, we see organised sport in groups of 15 and coaches able to teach group lessons again,; it is perfectly understandable to see how cautious everybody is. We're all so anxious to do the right thing.

In the midst of all this uncertainty, the search for certainty continues. That is why the BHS is so proud to have launched our new horse incidents app enabling riders to conveniently and easily submit details of any happenings that effect their safety.

The app and our website records details of any incident that makes a human, or horse feel unsafe. This might involve a near miss on the road, a run in with cyclists, fireworks or dog worrying; you name you can record it quickly and easily.

In return, the reporter get reassuring advice by email and BHS gets true verifiable and time critical statistics to help us improve safety in the future.

Members and non-members can use this handy tool and in the information world we live in having verifiable statistics is so important – to be informed means the BHS can crunch data, look at causes and help prevent potentially serious equestrian accidents in the future.

Far too many equestrian road incidents take place every month in the UK and sadly too many horses die on our roads, that’s why our 'Dead Slow' campaign asks drivers to slow down to a maximum of 15 mph, be patient, pass wide and slow and drive slowly away.

Horse riders must wear approved headgear, be seen and be safe, avoid dark, icy, wet and windy circumstances, be road aware, give clear signals, adhere to the highway code and take the BHS ride safe award.

In this time of so much uncertainty, there is so much we can all do to ascertain out future. And we hope it will not be too long before we see Police Scotland mounted branch out and about delivering 'Operation Lose the Blinkers' once more.

Being clinical applies to equine welfare as well as safety. Its strangles season again – when is it not strangles season actually?

And with EHV (equine herpes virus) running amok in Europe. We as an industry, have to learn to practice good biosecurity automatically. Fortunately, the equine welfare organisations in Scotland are on the ball.

Join Scotland’s Equine Welfare Webinar for 2021 on Thursday, April 22, at 06.30pm and learn what you can do to make every horse, pony and donkey safer and healthier in Scotland today.

Jointly organised by the British Horse Society, World Horse Welfare, Scottish Government, SRUC, the Donkey Sanctuary and the Scottish SPCA this annual event will focus on the disease threat to our equine herd and how we all have a part to play in reducing that threat.

As a horse owner, or someone who cares for donkeys, horses and ponies – we are all part of the horse world. And we each can take small daily actions that preserve the health and welfare of not only our own equines but those around us too.

One of our greatest collective health responsibilities is to combat the spread of disease. Currently, our defences include vaccination, monitoring, quarantine and taking preventative measures while moving horses and ponies around.

This webinar will look at the current equine disease threats and those that might be around the corner and all the practical actions – both large and small – we can take to minimise these dangers.