Charlotte’s research has horse power

Charlotte Hodgetts graduated from Myerscough earlier this summer, and now her work has made the final of a national competition that featured the best dissertation from each equine college in the country, which were then assessed by a panel of leading researchers and industry representatives.

The thesis, entitled ‘’Cooling practices for thermoregulation after cross-country competition", has made it through the preliminary rounds of judging and has been selected as one the finalists for the prize, with the final taking place later this month,

Rachel Clarke, HE equine lecturer, said: ‘’Charlotte investigated the differences in cooling practices between grassroots eventing competition and also international level competition, to see if the practices used for cooling the horses differed or not and how closely these practices adhered to current research on best methods for cooling.

‘’There are only three finalists. All equine college's from across the country submit one entry to this competition each year.

‘’Charlotte will present her dissertation for 15 minutes followed by questions from a panel of industry experts.

‘’This is a really huge competition.’’

Charlotte Brigden, HE Quality Lead at Myerscough, added: ‘’This competition is hugely prestigious.

‘’Charlotte's dissertation was truly outstanding and has already received recognition from leading researchers in the equine discipline, such as Dr David Marlin and Dr Heather Cameron-Whytock, following her presentation of the study at the Alltech Research Conference in May this year. 

‘’We have already asked her to present at the Myerscough Annual Research Conference to inspire future dissertation students.’’

BETA executive director Claire Williams, said: ‘’The BETA Equine Thesis of the Year recognises and rewards excellence in undergraduate study.

“The award is a great way for us to acknowledge the extremely high standard of undergraduate study that is being produced at our universities and colleges.

“There is some incredibly impressive work taking place and some exciting and diverse ideas coming through – all of which bode well for the future of our industry.

“Taking a ringside seat makes sure we can hear about the work that is being done – straight from the horse’s mouth. And maintaining the event online makes it accessible to everyone. We are really looking forward to finding out more about the theses and discovering who is crowned winner.

‘’We wish the students and their universities the very best of luck and congratulate them on making it this far.”