BSc Equine student wins ‘Best Undergraduate Oral Presentation’ at National Conference

Congratulations to Freya, our BSc Equine Science student, for winning the ‘Best Undergraduate Oral Presentation’ at Hartpury University Alltech National Conference.

Last month, our Oxford Brookes BSc Equine Science students visited Hartpury University for the 13^th annual Alltech National Conference. The annual conference brings together undergraduate and postgraduate students from ten UK institutions to present and share their research within the field of Equine Science.

This year, the event offered students the opportunity to hear from three keynote speakers, including Professor Kristen Verheyen from the Royal Veterinary College, Dr Heather Cameron-Whytock from the University of Central Lancashire, and Ben Atkinson from Atkinson Action Horses.

Abingdon & Witney College attend the conference each year, with students presenting orals and posters. This year, students Freya, Catalina, and Poppy proudly presented their work.

Poppy presented a poster on ‘Differences in rein tension and conflict behaviours when horses are ridden over cross pole and upright jumps.’ Catalina shared an oral presentation on ‘The development of cloned equines: a pilot study investigating into the physiological advantages of cloned horses within equine sport’ and Freya presented her winning oral presentation on ‘Is soil a pH a reliable indicator of good quality pasture? A comparison of pH, soil moisture, nutrient, and metal content at two contrasting equine pastures.’

Following their success at the conference, BSc Equine Lecturer and Course Leader, Rose enthusiastically shared:

"The students all worked really hard on their scientific projects this year with a fantastic spread of ideas from soil quality to using our new rein tensioners to measure if riders are pulling too much on their reins when riding.

We were all thrilled when Freya won the best undergraduate oral presentation, especially as it was all about a subject that we in equine tend not to consider as much as we should.

It was a fantastic achievement for the degree, which is run by Abingdon and Witney College in partnership with Oxford Brookes, with lecturing taking place mostly at the university. The practical sessions we run at the College have clearly helped these undergraduates choose their subjects - another clear win for our unique mix of university and horses."

In celebrating her achievement, Freya thanked Rose for her continued support:
“I was honoured to be invited to deliver an oral presentation of my thesis titled ‘Is soil pH a reliable indicator of good quality pasture? A comparison of pH, soil moisture, nutrients and metal content at contrasting equine pastures.’ It was an incredible opportunity to share my research and raise awareness for a subject which is often overlooked within the equine industry.

Thank you, Alltech-Hartpury Student Conference, for this opportunity and to my supervisor Rose Scofield for your continued support throughout the completion of this project and my degree.”

Congratulations to Freya, Catalina, and Poppy for your brilliant presentations!

If you would like to find out more about the BSc Equine Science Degree run in partnership between Oxford Brookes University and Abingdon & Witney College, please click here.