BEVA Trust
  1. Resources
  2. Education
  3. Career support
  4. Get involved
  5. About us
BEVA Logo
  1. Resources
  2. Education
  3. Career support
  4. Get involved
  5. About us

BEVA Trust

We provide opportunities, support and funding to allow vets and vet nurses to volunteer for projects that seek to enhance equine welfare both locally and globally, in partnership with other organisations.

 

 

Volunteering Opportunities

Volunteering with BEVA Trust provides you with the opportunity to develop your skills, learn new ones, and meet a wide variety of people.

Several opportunities each year range from being a volunteer vet at BHS welfare clinics that run throughout the UK to travelling overseas to support veterinary education and improve the health and welfare of horses primarily in the developing world.

To be eligible for volunteering with the BEVA Trust you must be a BEVA member.

Open Opportunities
BHS/BEVA Trust Education and Welfare Clinics - Autumn 2024

The BEVA Trust are looking for volunteers to attend the Autumn Education and Welfare Clinics coordinated by the British Horse Society (BHS). Attending a clinic is great way of brushing up on skills and supporting equine welfare in the UK. A team of volunteer vets and vet nurses will work though the cases to provide health checks, passports and castration and dental checks (if required) to horses considered in "need" guided by a lead vet and supported by staff from the BHS, Bransby Horses, World Horse Welfare and other welfare charities.

Four clinics are planned for Autumn 2024:

Wednesday 18 September – Essex Horse Pony Protection Society

Wednesday 25 September – Darlington Auction Mart

Wednesday 2 October – South Wales Equestrian Centre (Bridgend)

Tuesday 29 October – Worcester Auction Mart

    If you are interested in attending a clinic or would like to find out more please email Leaya at leaya@beva.org.uk with your preferred location. 

    Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust - capacity building in Gambia

    Date: 1st – 14 December 2024 (flexible depending on flights)

    Duration: Two weeks

    Location: Makasutu, Gambia

    BEVA Trust is looking for two veterinary volunteers (vets and EVN’s) to travel to Makasutu, Gambia to support the work of the Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust’s (GHDT). The volunteers will provide support for the GHDT team in any way possible. This involves helping the GHDT team with cases, suggesting treatment and offering explanation of procedures in the purpose-built veterinary centre. Every week the mobile veterinary clinic team travel to different villages to provide treatments to animals in need. Whilst the focus is on working horses, donkeys and mules, the team would never turn away any animal in need of veterinary care. Working animals are an integral part of life in rural Gambia, so their owners are keen to gain preventative health care treatments whenever possible.

    The volunteers would also be assisting and advising on the mobile clinic. Volunteers may also be asked to deliver lectures/workshops to staff and students form the local university. Volunteers need to have good teaching skills with the ability to encourage and inspire through practical demonstrations. Just some of the main topic areas to cover include, The importance of good, professional nursing and patient care, clinical examination and actively interpreting the findings and acting on them, dentistry, farriery and recognising lameness.

    Volunteers need to have the ability to work comfortably without access to many diagnostic aids and must be prepared to try to understand the local culture and customs. An interest in tropical medicine and an open mind would be an advantage.

    Accommodation, meals and travel will be provided by BEVA Trust and host.

    For further information, travel advice and entry requirements for The Gambia see https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/the-gambia

    Contact us for further information or to register your interest in this opportunity email leaya@beva.org.uk with your CV and cover note. Applications are open until 29th September 2024

    Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust volunteering experience Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust volunteering experience

    Project Reports

    After each project our volunteers provide a project report sharing their experiences, what they gained from the experience and how it contributed to our mission of improving equine welfare globally. Have a read and be inspired to volunteer in the future.
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    Partner with the BEVA Trust

    We work with international charities and welfare bodies to provide the veterinary profession with volunteering opportunities that ultimately aim to improve the welfare of horses around the world.

    Find out more

    Fundraise for the BEVA Trust

    Help us to continue to support equine welfare globally by running a fundraising campaign.

    Find out more
    
    Meet the Committee
    BEVA Trust is led by a committee made up of volunteers who are responsible for overseeing, managing and developing the activities and projects the Trust undertakes.
    Julian Samuelson
    Committee Chair
    Julian Samuelson
    Committee Chair
    Julian was the Managing Director of the Bell Equine Veterinary Clinic from 2000 to 2018 where he was responsible for the day-to-day management of the practice with an emphasis on the management of human, financial and physical resources. In addition, he also oversaw the governance of the practice as well as developing and implementing the strategic objectives of the business. In 2018 Julian joined CVS(UK) Ltd and became the Acquisitions and Integration Director for the Equine Division. In 2020 his role expanded to become Acquisitions Director with responsibility for all practice divisions. Julian completed an MBA at Cambridge University’s Judge Business School in 2012. He was a member of the Veterinary Services Organising Committee for the London 2012 Olympic Games (LOCOG) and part of the Field Vet Team at Greenwich Park during the Games. He has also been a member of the Board of Trustees at the Horse Trust, and the Hadlow Agricultural College Business Advisory Committee. In his role as Chair of the BEVA Trust operational committee, Julian conducted a full strategic review of the Trust’s activities and has overseen the implementation of the review’s proposals.
    David Mountford
    Chief Executive Officer, BEVA
    David Mountford
    Chief Executive Officer, BEVA
    During his time with British Equine Veterinary Association David has seen many changes. From 2010 David took on the role of Chief Executive and has since transformed BEVA in to an ever expanding operation with the member’s consideration always at forefront when planning. The BEVA Trust another charitable arm of BEVA has also had great changes with a new direction proving to play a pivotal role in looking at the welfare of our equine population.
    Roly Owers
    Chief Executive, World Horse Welfare
    Roly Owers
    Chief Executive, World Horse Welfare
    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.
    Karen Rowe
    Managing Director, Interaction Marketing & Public Relations
    Karen Rowe
    Managing Director, Interaction Marketing & Public Relations
    Karen is the founder and managing director of Interaction Marketing & Public Relations, an international communication consultancy specialising in healthcare, brand and corporate communications. She originally trained as a journalist with the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ) working on regional and national newspapers prior to moving to one of the largest global public relations consultancies. One of her roles in Interaction was working as a global consultant for many years on PMU (pregnant mares urine) farming in Canada and the US, working closely with healthcare and equine charities, professional organisations and pharmaceutical companies. She has extensive experience in media, strategic communications and event planning. Karen has owned and bred horses all her life, competed to intermediate level eventing and currently still competes in dressage.
    Leaya Slater
    Secretary, BEVA Trust
    Leaya Slater
    Secretary, BEVA Trust
    Leaya joined the team in 2019 as BEVA Trust Secretariat and co-ordinates the UK and international volunteering projects.
    Caroline George
    Managing Director, Lambourn Equine Vets
    Caroline George
    Managing Director, Lambourn Equine Vets
    Caroline qualified in 1999 from Glasgow University and worked in mixed practice before moving to Lambourn Equine Vets in 2001. She became a Partner in 2005 and is now the Managing Director of the practice. Caroline specialises in the management of thoroughbred racehorse and performance horse medicine. Caroline provides veterinary cover at raceday meeting and eventing competitions, as well providing pre-sale vettings throughout the European Bloodstock Sales. Caroline was one of two volunteers to travel to Morocco for the BEVA Trust Pilot Project in 2015.
    Jeremy Kemp-Symonds
    Jeremy Kemp-Symonds
    Jeremy qualified from the University of Glasgow’s Veterinary School, but also holds degrees from the University of Birmingham, Nottingham Trent University and the Royal Veterinary College, London. After working at the world-renowned Animal Health Trust in Newmarket for a number of years, his private practice now concentrates entirely on the treatment of horses, ponies and donkeys with skin tumours and Jeremy works with numerous veterinary practices and equine charities throughout the United Kingdom. Jeremy is a member of both the British Medical Laser Association (BMLA) and the European Laser Association (ELA); he is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine (RSM) and a Visiting Fellow at Nottingham Trent University. In addition, he is a member of the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA), the British Veterinary Association (BVA), was a former trustee and treasurer for the BEVA Trust and has recently re-joined as a committee member. Finally, Jeremy is the Veterinary Consultant for the rescue and welfare charity Bransby Horses.
    Sara Barker
    Sara Barker
    Sara graduated from the University of Liverpool in 2010 and then spent several months working for a veterinary charity in India. She completed an internship in orthopaedics and diagnostic imaging at the Animal Health Trust, Newmarket before working in racing and equine practice in both Newmarket and North Yorkshire. Sara holds the RCVS Certificate in Advanced Veterinary Practice (Equine Medicine) and has spent time working within veterinary education at The Jockey Club School of Veterinary Medicine in Hong Kong. She has extensive experience working with both UK based and international veterinary charities, including the 2018 BEVA Trust trip to The Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust. Sara has a keen interest in veterinary education and the welfare of working equids.
    Grace Starling-Smith
    Catley Cross Veterinary Clinic
    Grace Starling-Smith
    Catley Cross Veterinary Clinic
    Grace graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in July 2015, and since then have been working in a rural first opinion Equine Practice. She became aware of the BEVA Trust as a student, however, was not sure of their purpose until the early education clinics were advertising for volunteers. Grace contacted the Trust, and although she was unable to attend the first clinic, she kept informed of future projects and took the opportunity to volunteer as soon as she could. Grace believes the Trust offers a brilliant service which aims to help horses, both in this country and abroad, who need assistance on an individual basis, and as a population. Grace is keen to get involved as much as she could - given the current overpopulation issues with the horses in our country and the impact it has on their welfare, Grace is hoping that her contribution may offer some improvement to at least a few horses, and perhaps prevent others being born into an uncertain future. As Grace discovered, the Trust also offers a valuable opportunity for BEVA volunteers; whether they are students; newly qualified (like herself) or more experienced. Taking part in the education clinic, helped Grace build up surgical confidence, with the benefit of several more experienced vets’ hints, tips and assistance and she was able to do the old vet-school favourite of “See one, Do one, Teach one” as well as helping a great charitable cause. Grace has said that there was a great atmosphere at the clinic’s, where everyone is keen to get stuck in and help, and all skills are valued! She now feels happier to go and perform a castration for a private client independently, and as a consequence, have been able to do more than she has ever dreamed of in her first year of practice. Grace is proud to sit on the BEVA Trust Committee and is excited to see how the Trust develops as we take steps in our new, welfare focused, direction.