Health & Medicine Committee

Following graduation from The University of Bristol in 2001, David worked in farm animal and equine practice in Somerset before and completing an internship at Liphook Equine Hospital. A 3-year Horserace Betting Levy Board residency at The University of Glasgow and Liphook Equine Hospital enabled him to train as a specialist in equine internal medicine and to gain a masters by research into equine asthma and an RCVS certificate in equine medicine. David spent a number of years at Liphook Equine Hospital and had spells at The Royal Veterinary College and Charles Sturt University in Australia before moving to Rainbow Equine Hospital in Yorkshire where he became a director. David returned to his Westcountry roots in 2020 and now works as an independent equine medicine and therapeutics consultant.

James graduated from Edinburgh in 2001. After four years in mixed practice, he transitioned into equine stud practice and now leads the team at Equine Reproductive Services (UK). In 2010 he gained the RCVS Certificate in Stud Medicine and became an honorary lecturer at the University of Liverpool, teaching and examining CertAVP candidates. James continues to perform and publish practice-based research and collaborates widely. He is an Advanced Practitioner in Equine Stud Medicine, a BEVA council member and trustee of the International Equine Reproduction Trust. In 2022, he was awarded an RCVS Fellowship for meritorious contributions to clinical practice.

Roly joined World Horse Welfare as Chief Executive in January 2008. He qualified as a veterinary surgeon from Cambridge University in 1992 and having spent a short time with the Blue Cross, he joined the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, which included a posting as the Veterinary Officer at the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment in London. After the army, he went to work for World Horse Welfare until 2003, when he left to take up the post of Development Director at the Perse School in Cambridge. He returned to World Horse Welfare in 2008. Since then Roly has played an active role on the steering group of the Equine Sector Council for Health and Welfare and established the Equine Disease Coalition, of which he is Chair.

Bruce Bladon graduated from Edinburgh University in 1988. He spent one year in mixed practice and then six years in two equine practices (Endell Veterinary Group in Salisbury and O’Gorman Slater and Main in Newbury), before joining Bristol University as Resident in Equine Surgery. He was awarded the Certificate of Equine Practice in 1992, the Diploma of Equine Soft Tissue Surgery in 1999 and Diploma of the European College of Veterinary Surgeons in 2001. He returned to Donnington Grove Veterinary Group (as it is now) in 1998, and is now a Clinical Director. He has been recognised as a Specialist in Equine Surgery since 2000, and was awarded Fellowship of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in 2016. He has lectured extensively, including to the British, South African, Australian, New Zealand, Dutch, Italian and Israeli Equine Veterinary Associations, international meetings in Brazil Canada, Spain, Germany and to the European and American Colleges of Veterinary Surgeons. Bruce is the principle equine surgeon at Donnington Grove Veterinary Surgery. The practice treats a large number of racing Thoroughbreds, but also has a substantial leisure horse population, including a large referral case load. The practice performs a significant number of scintigraphy bone scans and a very large number of MRI scans, using the Hallmarq® standing low field scanner. Bruce’s key interests are surgery, especially fracture repair and colic surgery, though he undertakes all procedures presented to him. He is also very involved with advanced imaging, particularly MRI. Bruce Bladon was Emergency Services Team Leader at the Rio 2016 Olympics. Bruce is an eco warrior and drives a zero emissions vehicle. He is a (low level) rugby union referee. He can’t really run under 5 min per km pace anymore and can’t remotely keep up with his son (or wife). He does manage to squeeze in the occasional ski trip, but otherwise is not allowed out, and spends his time either in an operating theatre or looking at black and white images.

Colin Roberts is a graduate of the University of Bristol Veterinary School. After graduation, he spent just over eight years in an equine practice at Ashford in Kent, during which time he obtained the Fellowship of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons by examination (subject: Equine Internal Medicine). Leaving practice, he joined the Physiology Unit of the Animal Health Trust in 1987. In 1993, he became a RCVS Recognised Specialist in Equine Internal Medicine and in 1995 was awarded a PhD for a thesis entitled 'Aspects of respiratory function during exercise in the Thoroughbred horse in health and disease'. As a Senior Scientist in the Centre for Equine Studies of the Animal Health Trust he was responsible for the clinical treadmill exercise testing programme as well as being engaged in research in the field of equine respiratory function and disease. From 2001 to 2006 he was a member of the equine clinical team in the Department of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Cambridge. Since 2007, he has been an independent consultant in equine veterinary matters and he is an Affiliated Lecturer in Veterinary Anatomy in the Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience. Colin is the Director of Studies in Veterinary Medicine at Sidney Sussex College. He is a member of the Federation Equestre Internationale's (FEI) Veterinary Committee and an FEI Official Veterinarian. Colin is a member of the Scientific Advisory Group of the British Equestrian Federation. In 2012, he became a Fellow of the Society of Biology. He is an author of many scientific papers and has acted as a treating veterinarian at many top-level horseracing, show jumping and eventing competitions. In 2012, Colin led the Equine Anti-Doping and Controlled Medication Sampling Team for the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in Greenwich Park and he has also acted as an Official Veterinarian at the Asian Games as well as numerous World Championships, European Championships and Showjumping World Cups. He has competed in point-to-pointing, show jumping, dressage and hunter trials. His professional areas of interest include equine internal medicine, disorders of the equine upper airway, equine welfare and performance-related disorders. Colin's leisure interests include chess, cricket, rugby union, theatre, cinema and history.