Berkshire Equine

24/12/2024

Wishing all our clients a very happy and healthy Christmas and New Year! We hope you don't require our services over the festive period but we are always available on the usual number if you need us.
01635 243707

18/10/2024

‼☎️ PHONE UPDATE ☎️‼

Our phone lines are back up and running as normal, thank you for your patience.

20/09/2024

We have recently welcomed Elle to the team at Berkshire Equine. She will be working with us as an administrator.

Elle has been around horses since age 9 and has always enjoyed pottering around on her ponies. More recently she has gotten into drag hunting and showjumping which her and her pony Sonny seem to be having success with! Elle came from a background of working as a groom and recently decided she wanted to pursue a career within an office-based role and this job is great as it is still a perfectly ‘horsey’ office job! Elle started working for us in September 2024 and is excited to be a part of the team at Berkshire Equine.

28/03/2024

We hope that our equine friends have a happy and healthy Easter weekend, but if you do need our help we are available on the usual number at all times. 01635 243707

If you have any non-emergency queries please pop us over an email to: [email protected] and one of administrative staff will get back to you when we re-open on Tuesday 2nd April.

Please be aware we are closed for routine appointments on Good Friday and Easter Monday.

Have a lovely easter everybody!

21/11/2023

What superb news, and SO very well deserved!
Congratulations to the whole Wellington International Horse Trials team! 🥳

🏆𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗡𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗬𝗘𝗔𝗥 – 𝗪𝗜𝗡𝗡𝗘𝗥 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯🏆

All the hard work of Wellington Riding School staff & our dedicated volunteers was encapsulated with WIHT winning the prestigious industry accolade of ‘FEI Event Of The Year 2023’ from the SouthEast Eventers League (SEEL).

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟴𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝘄𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗘𝗘𝗟 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱!

WIHT had a table of 10 attending the SEEL Ball at the weekend to accept this award - as you can see from this photo they all really enjoyed themselves, echoing the great comradery within the WITH team. Huge thanks to Ian N Bareham & the SEEL committee for all their efforts, not just organising an epic ball, but behind the scenes by supporting event organisers & riders from grassroots to professionals.

As always, Adrian Ditcham ensured that WIHT had the best going possible & provided beautifully presented yet challenging courses to keep both horses & riders thinking.

Even in its 12th year of running, this year’s WITH event was all about celebrating exciting sporting firsts:

✨First time the course has been completely reversed
✨First ever horses went through the new lake complex
✨First time for public to fully access upper areas of the course
✨First time hosting the CCI1* class

WIHT 2023 had 11 nations represented at FEI level, 13 Olympians compete along with numerous high profile riders from around the country.

“It is such a compliment to have had consecutively high entries year after year. 2023 entries were at the maximum even before ballot date, with 1253 entries received & numerous waitlists facilitated. With the ever changing landscape of the sport this year’s entries required a Herculean effort to deliver from our staff, officials & army of volunteers. Our ethos across the Wellington Estate & Wellington Riding is to allow opportunities for all ends of the sport whilst brining communities together.” – David Sheerin Equestrian Coach FBHS

The WIHT Organising Team are already planning ahead for next year’s expansion centring around the new lake complex as well as liaising with FEI Eventing to apply for future CCI4* status!

Thank you to our WIHT sponsors for continuing to support the sport with us!

Andrews Bowen Ltd BedSoft & HaySoft Berkshire Equine
Bruce's Charlotte Bury Photography Childeric UK Equine Exceed
Gusbourne Horse & Country TV H.Giles Fencing Highfield Park
LeMieux Lister Wilder Agriculture Nirvana Spa Pretty Green Landscapes Saracen Horse Feeds



British Eventing Official EHOA - The Event Horse Owners Association Event Riders Association BE Regional Youth Programme - South East British Eventing Volunteers British Eventing British Equestrian FEI Eventing

16/11/2023

***ATYPICAL MYOPATHY***
As the weather is changing and seeds from the Sycamore trees are falling, we thought now might be a good time to remind all of our clients of the symptoms to watch out for and the methods we can use to prevent Atypical Myopathy!
Atypical Myopathy is a severe muscle disorder caused by eating sycamore seeds, leaves or seedlings and is fatal for around 3 out of 4 affected horses.
Hypoglycin A (HGA) is the toxin that causes Atypical Myopathy and is found in some Acer trees but mostly from Sycamore trees.
HGA toxin causes the accumulation of fatty acids in the muscles by preventing energy production in the muscles and heart of horses which causes:
- High heart rate
- Weakness – difficulty walking or breathing
- Depression or dullness
- Muscle trembling
- In severe cases horses may become unable to stand
- Signs of severe colic
- Dark brown or dark red urine
If you see any of the signs listed above, please contact us immediately to examine your horse. If any other horses are on the pasture they should be removed as soon as possible.
Atypical Myopathy can be prevented by using the below methods:
- Avoid Sycamore trees – especially in Autumn, Winter and Spring when there are lots of seeds and seedlings present
- Be hypervigilant after windy or stormy weather when more seeds will have fallen and travelled further from the trees
- Offer additional hay or feed in the field to prevent grazing of seedlings (making sure that the hay isn’t near the area with seeds or seedlings)
- Fence off affected areas or mow the areas very short
- Test acer trees in your fields for their HGA concentration

17/08/2023

FANTASTIC news, congratulations to Sacha and her boys, all the hard work and dedication has paid off. Best of luck at the nationals! 😃

Absolutely over the moon. We are off to the nationals. I got both wild cards on my amazing boy Nero and Ziggy. Thank you to my team at home for all your support. Excited is a understatement 🍾🥳💙 so happy 😀

27/07/2023

We recently welcomed Maria to the Berkshire Equine team as an administrator to help us keep our vets organised!

Maria has grown up around and worked with horses from a young age and thoroughly enjoys it. Between her and her family they have several horses to keep them busy! For a long time Maria has wanted to get back to working in the equine industry, and the role with our team felt like the perfect opportunity. Maria started working for Berkshire Equine in July 2023 and is excited to be part of the team.

26/07/2023

How smart do Charlotte Clarke and Sam look at Area Festivals last week? Look at those pointy toes!

31/05/2023

19/04/2023

We are thrilled to see that Sam and Charlotte Clarke are back out and FLYING following surgery to manage a nasty injury late last year. They have returned to competition in fine form, clocking up a win at BD Medium already, only 14 weeks on.
Well done guys, Watch this space!

22/02/2023

Our very own Maverick and goose- we will let you decide which one is which 🤔

11/12/2022

Berkshire equine Christmas fancy dress mounted (and unmounted) games 2022.

With a couple of ex-racehorses, a carriage horse and a show jumper, you’ll all be happy to hear that the whole team is still in one piece so it will be business as usual tomorrow!

What a fantastic day getting into the Christmas spirit with mulled wine, mince pies and a December bbq!

12/10/2022

Owing to the dry summer this autumn, oak trees are producing a bumper acorn crop. We (and other local practices) have already been seeing cases of acorn poisoning.
This can occur from eating any part of the oak tree, although the toxins tend to be more concentrated in less mature parts of the tree such as acorns and buds.

Symptoms include:

Lethargy
Depression
Ataxia (wobbliness)
Inappetence
Increased thirst
Colic
Constipation
Acorn husks in droppings
Blood in urine or faeces
Diarrhoea

Diagnosis:
The is no test for acorn poisoning, so diagnosis is generally reached by recognising clinical signs in addition to known/suspected acorn consumption.

Treatment:
There is no antitoxin available, so treatment is based on support of the liver and kidneys as well as resolving any dehydration. It is often necessary for horses to be hospitalised for intravenous fluid therapy. The prognosis can vary from good to hopeless depending on the amount of toxin ingested, the horse’s individual tolerance to it, and the timeframe in which treatment began.

Most horses with enough food will not eat acorns. However, some horses develop a taste for these nuts and can actively seek them. Tolerance of the toxins vary from horse to horse, so it is wise to fence off areas around oak trees at this time of year.

31/08/2022

The whole Berkshire Equine team were out in force over the bank holiday weekend at Wellington International Horse Trials. Whilst our vets were busy on duty, we were catching up with some of our lovely clients as well as some new faces, making sure they weren’t going thirsty. We even had our very own competitor in the arena eventing! Superb weekend all round.

25/08/2022

We are thrilled to once again be one of the sponsors for Wellington International Horse Trials this year! We will not only have our veterinary team on duty over the bank holiday weekend, but also have a marquee to host anybody who is attending the event and fancies popping in for a chat!
We hope to see some of you there 😊

02/08/2022

What better way to ensure your stomach tubing skills are at the top of their game than a race with the encouragement of the lovely Woodland Pony Club.
Jamie had the opportunity to give a fantastic colic talk yesterday evening to the members of the pony club at their annual summer camp, but of course he couldn’t resist having a practical segment too!