February 03, 2025
Nearly 120 IVC Evidensia colleagues attended the 2025 Equine Congress in Derby, which featured engaging presentations and workstreams, as well as a dinner and awards ceremony.
The IVC Evidensia Equine Congress is an annual event for UK Equine Vets teams to gather, share knowledge and celebrate achievements within the network. This year, the theme was 'Collaborative Care – Building Stronger Equine Veterinary Teams'.
Sponsors all hosted exhibition stands, where they showcased new innovations in equine pharmaceuticals. Amongst them were MSD, Dechra, Norbrook, and more.
The Congress began with a warm welcome from UK Head of Equine, Katie Stallard. She was followed by engaging presentations from Country Medical Director Richard Hooker and Clinical Director at Fyrnwy Vets, John Spencer. This was also an opportunity to hear from the new Chief Operating Officer for UK & Ireland, Rob Keates.
Over the course of two days, delegates at the 2025 Equine Congress heard from a diverse lineup of inspiring speakers. Here attendees learnt about working with IVC Evidensia, positive workplace philosophies, and discovered the latest in equine healthcare initiatives.
Ayesha Nasir and Sean Bissaker from IMS discussed the company’s role as a supplier, while Darrell Woodman captivated audiences with his talk on ‘The Art of Brilliance.’ Helen Sanderson introduced the Equine Health Plan, and Dr. Sarah Jackson from Vetled highlighted the importance of Human Factors in veterinary practice.
The event also hosted a panel discussion on the evolving role of ambulatory nurses, providing detailed insight into this veterinary career. This featured Equine Operations Manager and Registered Veterinary Nurse, Louise Pailor, and Group Veterinary Nursing Advisor, Liz Cox.
Finally, a range of Vet, Nurse and Practice Manager streams were available for delegates to attend. These sessions helped delegates gain a deeper understanding into topics including Ambulatory Radiography, MRI's role in unveiling pathology, equine sustainability and more.
The opening day of the Congress concluded with a formal dinner and awards ceremony. Here attendees joined together in celebration of the achievements and exceptional client care of IVC Evidensia Equine teams.
Katie Stallard took a moment to express her gratitude for the talent across the group:
“The atmosphere at the Awards Evening was fantastic, there were some really heart-warming and inspiring nominations.”
“It was an opportunity to celebrate the huge talent we have within our network, and to recognise how fortunate we are to have every single team member in each of our practices.”
The winners and runners up were as follows:
|
Awards |
Winner |
Runner Up |
|
Equine Clinical Support |
Penny Brownings |
Millie Batchelor |
|
Non-Clinical Support |
Georgina Nixon |
Andrea Bolton |
|
Equine Nurse of the Year |
Becky Pritchard |
Krista Middleton |
|
Equine Leader of the Year |
Karl Holliman |
Jacqui Patron |
|
Equine AD/ASM |
Peter Harriman |
Ronan Phelan |
|
Equine Young Vet of the Year |
Alexandra Prior |
Poppy Stiles |
|
Equine Vet of the Year |
Luanne Hunt |
Nicole Hadley |
|
Equine Practice of the Year |
Cliffe Equine |
Wendover Park |
Reflecting on the event Katie Stallard said:
“Our Equine Congress was an outstanding success. We had delegates from across our network of practices and hospitals, with representation from both our clinical and non-clinical teams and multiple exhibitors. The speakers were exceptional too, with knowledge being shared from key figures within the Equine community.