Earlier this month, University Centre Sparsholt (UCS) announced that eight of its undergraduate and postgraduate students had their research abstracts accepted to present at the inaugural UK Equine Student Conference, of which UCS was a proud Gold Sponsor.

The conference provided equine students from across the country the much-needed opportunity to present new research as part of their studies as many conferences have now been cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We were so proud of all of our students who presented so professionally and were delighted that two of our students received an award for their research.

First prize in the category Best Oral Undergraduate Presentation  

  • Rachel Smith – UCS Undergraduate Research – Effect of breast support on 3D relative displacement and upper-body muscle activity in female horse riders on an equine simulator.

Rachel has just graduated with a first in BSc (Hons) Equine Science and that we will be continuing her research area with more students next year.

Highly commended in the category Best Oral Undergraduate Presentation  

  • Lilly Harris – Reaseheath Undergraduate Research – Coach and rider perceptions of autonomy supportive coaching behaviours.

After graduating from Reaseheath, Lilly is currently at UCS for her postgraduate study. She is now half way through her part time MSc Equine Behaviour, Performance and Training Degree and is also currently studying her Level 5 teacher training whilst teaching on the Access to HE course.

Lilly, commented, “It was a beautifully organised conference, offering fantastic opportunities for equine student research presentation in a positively supported environment. I loved every minute”.

Lorna Cameron, Teaching Fellow at University Centre Sparsholt, said: “We were delighted to see so many of our students present at the conference this year and would like to congratulate everyone that took part. With so many students due to miss out on presenting their hard work at conferences this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was a great opportunity to take part as Gold Sponsors and see students from across the country taking pride in their research and starting to think about Postgraduate study and beyond.”

Clearing is now open to join us in September 2020, find out more about UCS Equine Courses

Read more about the conference in Horse and Hound