As part of their Higher National Diploma in Equine Studies, a group of students from the North Highland College in Thurso were given the task of planning and managing an event.
The students chose to host an evening where a panel of equine experts came to speak to the audience on a number of equine topics. The experts were: Dr. Vicky Glasgow, a feed nutritionist for Harbro feeds, Turriff, Aberdeenshire, Bryony Waggett, HND, BSc, MSc. Equine Grass Sickness Fund Research Assistant/Nurse from University of Edinburgh and Clare Molyneaux, BHSII and Saddle Fitter for the Native Pony Saddle Company. All three delivered interesting and informative talks to the audience with some really good power point presentations and props. The audience were also given the opportunity to ask the experts questions and advice on their topics.
After refreshments, the raffle was drawn by the team of experts with some fantastic prizes, including two season tickets to Blair International Horse Trials; a limited edition, numbered and signed Fine Art Print from Greer Ralston, Stirling; an Aigle full length coat from Caithness Livestock Breeders, Thurso; an Equine Equi Grab Bag, a new innovative first aid kit for horses supplied by www.equigrabbag.co.uk ; vouchers from the Ulbster Arms Hotel in Halkirk; Katrina Sutherland at Seabreaze Beauty in Lybster; Calluna in Reay; Spillers Horse Feeds; Mr James Munro of Spittal and Lorna MacKay of Torrisdale Trekking Centre - set on the stunning coastline of Bettyhill. Prizes were also donated by Seaforth Saddlers Inverness, Shear Klass Wick, Aurora Thurso and Sylvia Stewart Lybster who herself has had livestock touched by Equine Grass Sickness.
Two main sponsors made the evening possible:
The Castletown Hotel very kindly donated their function suite for the evening and supplied excellent refreshments and home baking. They also provided Bed & Breakfast to the speakers at favourable rates.
D S McGregor & Partners, Veterinary Surgeons, very kindly sponsored one of the speakers to fly from Edinburgh to deliver their talk on Equine Grass Sickness.
The other sponsors for the evening were North Highland College, the Caithness branch of the Pony Club and Caithness Riding Club, who all kindly sponsored accommodation for the speakers and Caithness Print Solutions, Wick who supplied the raffle tickets for the evening.
Around 100 people attended the evening leaving standing room only in the hotel. Everyone enjoyed the speakers and refreshments immensely, with the students receiving positive feedback emails and texts from people who had gone to the event.
The sale of entrance and raffle tickets has given the students over £700 to donate to their chosen charity, which was the Equine Grass Sickness Fund. The Sickness is prevalent in Caithness, so the girls felt they would like to donate this money to help with the research of Equine Grass Sickness in the hope that one day this horrid disease can be eradicated.
The students would like to give a huge thank you to everyone who sponsored, donated and supported the event, without this support, the evening would not have been possible and the students would not have been able to raise such a fantastic amount for the Equine Grass Sickness Fund.
A thank you must also go to James Munro, section manager of the Land use section of North Highland College, who was the M.C. for the evening and kept the evening flowing well.