It was with a warm heart that I witnessed the outcome of the RHASS Annual General Meeting, when the overwhelming support of those present and attending on zoom voted in favour of the constitutional changes placed on the agenda.
Without it we could have been saying goodbye to one of our most precious national assets, which is the Highland Show. It was clear that the auditors found the governance of RHASS unfit for purpose and without the changes would have found difficulty in signing off the books.
I hope the directors didn’t pay a lot of money for the advice as they could have read it in this column last month and it has been obvious to many prior to that. Financially RHASS isn’t out of the woods yet, but it appears to be heading in the right direction.
Having enjoyed the freedom to play out his constitutional role of leading the society, he has done a good job so far and exudes a confidence which bodes well for the future.
For the equine exhibitors his presence is also welcomed as he has a pedigree and experience which aids his understanding of our side of things. His father, William, directed the show jumping competitions in past years and James, himself, was a competitor in the working hunter pony classes.
In his address he mentioned that light horse entries are up on last year, a remarkable vindication for the show at a time when everyone is feeling the financial strain, and a downward trend could have been understood. It means that the huge classes we witnessed last year may be even larger this time round so it’s game on as far as equine exhibitors are concerned.
Having attended many of the biggest shows in Britain and previously questioned the validity of the statement that the Royal Highland was the best show in the country, I can honestly say that I firmly believe it is, a view held by many of my exhibitor friends south of the Border. Roll on June.
As a livestock breeder and past exhibitor, myself, my sympathies lie with cattle, sheep and goat exhibitors, who find themselves with the uncertainty surrounding the infectious disease Bluetongue, which is prevalent in some areas of England. The Royal Highland organisers are taking a pragmatic approach to the problem mindful of the fact that it’s a long time until the show. Much can change in a relatively short period of time, so we wait with bated breath to see if the green light turns to red during the coming weeks. Let’s hope not.
From a selfish point of view, thankfully equines are unaffected by the disease-carrying midge so any restrictions placed on other livestock classes won’t apply. This is a blessing in disguise for the show as horses and ponies will give the paying public some livestock to see over the four days of the event, since the equestrian competitions, in one form or another, carry on from morning until night.
Undoubtedly one of the most hard-working directors at the show, Fiona Roebuck, has the unenviable task of overseeing all of the light horse classes while Anne Logan remains show jumping supremo with a big job on her hands.
Disease is not altogether a stranger to the equestrian exhibitors as many will remember to their costs when equine influenza seriously raised its ugly head not too many years back in 2019.
As a highly contagious disease which can have a crippling effect on the equine population and consequently to the equine industry, vaccination has proved to be the way forward and is the standard expected globally within equestrian competition.
Generally, this will involve a course of three injections with the first followed by a second in four to six weeks and a third some five to six months later. A booster injection occurs annually; however, in some cases, regulatory bodies call for two each year. At Ingliston, it is a condition of entry that all equines have an up-to-date vaccination certificate.
As anyone competing seriously will vaccinate not only their competition horses but every horse in the yard, it is obvious that the costs mount up and can easily run well into four figures. For the small, hobby enthusiast, witnessing veterinary fees escalating on an annual basis, it can still mean a significant addition to the overall cost of their interest.
Vaccination, expensive as it is, may well lead to the opportunity to compete or not. It is important to remember that vaccination also provides a means to protect your much-loved horse or pony from suffering if it succumbs to ‘flu’– all because you want to go to a show, where transmission is more likely to occur.
During times when equine ‘flu’ is rampant (thankfully not all that often), there is an easy decision to make of either paying up or staying at home. For the serious exhibitor/competitor, there is no choice, and vaccination provides the access to competition.
For those horses and ponies that suffer from the largely fatal disease known as Equine Grass Sickness (EGS), there is no vaccination available as the cause of the disease is yet to be identified and, sad to say, the chances may it never will be.
Nevertheless, as covered in my January column, much advance has been made on treatment, and this is where the hope for the future lies and where progress is being made. The true light of day indicates that further research needs to be done for which funds are required as momentum gathers for a breakthrough.
With this in mind, currently the Equine Grass Sickness Fund (a division of the Moredun Foundation) has launched a major fund-raiser thanks to the generosity of the Stirling Trailer Centre and Ikonic Saddlery.
The former is providing a smart new-generation Ifor Williams HBX506 horse trailer worth over £11,000 while the latter has donated one of the company’s Evolution saddles fitted to both rider and horse; it’s worth over £2500. By including them in a prize draw, it is hoped that they can raise substantial funds for research. With a closing date of June 26, anyone can enter via the EGS Fund website.
This prize draw apart, there are many active fund-raising groups round the country working hard all year to bring more money in for research.
With £11,400 already raised towards the funds over many years, Strathearn Eventing has confirmed the date of their 15th charity hunter trials in aid of Grass Sickness as Sunday, May 25. With classes for all levels, competitors will be treated to well-built courses set on good, established turf on what is expected to be a great day out.
Whether competing or chancing your luck on the prize draw, either way the equestrian community can make a difference by raising lots of money for this worthwhile cause.
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