Equine Thesis of the Year

The Equine Thesis of the Year competition, developed by Graham Suggett and Pat Harris in the late 1990s, until 2012. It was hosted and administered by the Royal Agricultural Society of England (RASE) as a means of recognising the good work done by equestrian undergraduates.

BETA relaunched the competition in 2016 after a three-year break.

The winner of the 2025 BETA’S Equine Thesis of the Year award was announced on an online event on Sunday 26 October.

Winner GIORGIA MONTI of the University of Limerick presented to a panel of 4 judges a complex study extremely well –

Diagnostic validation of an indirect ELISA for the Detection of Equine Arteritis Virus (EAV) antibodies for screening purposes.

Her research has already had a direct application to the equine industry in Ireland. 

Congratulations to the finalists:

● CAFRE College- Amy Rowlands – An investigation into the physiological effects of music on the rider and the potential impact on the horse.

● Royal Agricultural University – Charlotte Hurst – Exploring the effects of shim design to reduce peak pressure under the girth straps in equine kinematics

● Aberystwyth University – Morgan Leesing – Investigating the fatty-acid binding protein family in equine tapeworm, anoplocephela perfoliata.

This year’s subjects, studied by undergraduates as part of their degrees, explored particularly novel and innovative ideas of relevance across the equestrian industry.

Every year, BETA invites UK and Irish universities and colleges offering equine-related degrees to submit one entry.

“The Equine Thesis of the Year award highlights important subjects that are topical and relevant, and this year’s final four are no exception,” says Claire Williams, executive director of BETA.

“The competition celebrates undergraduates and the work they’re doing. It’s a great barometer of the equestrian industry’s exciting future talent.”

The finalists’ presentations were shared in front of a judging panel with a broad range of expertise:

• Dr Georgina Crossman – a research consultant and owner of GK Crossman Consultancy.

• Dr Katie Williams – an equine nutritionist with 25 years’ experience, technical and product development manager at Dengie.

• Dr Edd Knowles, a vet and Global Science & Nutrition Director, Mars Horsecare and Head of the Equine Studies Group – Waltham Petcare Science Institute.

• Eleanor Jones, News Editor at Horse & Hound

For more details, please email agy@beta-uk.org.