The National Equine Health Survey was designed to provide a landscape on horse health and welfare in the U.K. | Photo: Stephanie L. Church/The Horse

In its eighth and final year, the annual National Equine Health Survey (NEHS) has confirmed that it is an accurate tracker of endemic equine disease in the United Kingdom.

Pioneered in 2010 by national pet charity Blue Cross, the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA), and professor Josh Slater, BVM&S, PhD, Dipl. ECEIM, of the Royal Veterinary College, the NEHS was designed to provide a landscape on horse health and welfare in the U.K. The results of the 2018 survey remain consistent with previous survey results, providing a clear sense of what continues to affect the health of British horses year after year, helping equine specialists to benchmark and educate on current and predicted equine health priorities.

“Thanks to the loyal support of the U.K.’s horse, pony, mule, and donkey owners and keepers NEHS has achieved more than we ever imagined over the past eight years,” said Gemma Taylor, education officer at Blue Cross. “Our charity’s history dates back to treating horses in World War I and rescuing and rehabilitating hundreds to this very day. Blue Cross is extremely proud to have played an important part in developing NEHS into one of the most important endemic disease monitoring initiatives in the U.K.