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General News 1 2 PET TRADE WORLD DECEMBER 2009www. pettradeworld. com Staffordshire Vet wins ' Petplan Equine Vet of the year award' Gil Riley of the Pool House Veterinary Hospital in Lichfi eld, Staffordshire has won the annual Petplan Equine Vet of the Year Award. The Award was announced at the glittering 21st annual Animal Health Trust ( AHT) Equestrian Awards gala dinner held at the Lancaster Hotel in London recently. Horse owners from all over the UK nominated vets who had gone above and beyond the call of duty. A short list of three fi nalists was then drawn up and the winner selected by an independent panel consisting of; Peter Webbon AHT Chief Executive and Equine Vet, Alison Bridge Editor-in- Chief of Horse & Rider Magazine, Chris House President of the British Equine Veterinary Association ( BEVA) and Jo Whitaker Marketing Development Manager for Petplan. Peter Webbon of the AHT said " We received a record number of nominations this year and the standards were incredibly high. However, Gil was nominated by over 100 clients and we felt he was truly deserving of this award." The glowing testimonials given by Gil's clients impressed the judges enough to give him the edge over his closest rivals for this coveted title. " This award recognises the amazing hard work and commitment of people within the equine veterinary profession and those who provide outstanding service to horse owners," explained Alison Andrew, Marketing Manager for Petplan. " All the nominees this year were outstanding and it was very diffi cult to have to pick only three fi nalists let alone a winner. However, we felt Gil's dedication and commitment to caring for horses was outstanding and this was reinforced by the overwhelming support from his customers." Susan Hubbard was among the clients to nominate Gil and said: " He has always been so sympathetic to both clients and equines. He makes himself available on his mobile to any client who wishes to talk to him and he explains all procedures without superiority and in plain and simple language." Gil joined the Pool House Veterinary Group and Equine clinic practice to expand his equine skills after working in a mainly agricultural practice in Wales and is jointly responsible for the Equine part of the Practice. He has subsequently been awarded the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Certifi cate in Equine Practice and he is particularly interested in lameness and laminitis. He also recently acted as British Team Vet at the International Driving Trials in Germany. " Everyday I feel like I'm pulling the greatest trick in that I get paid for doing what I love", commented Gil on receiving the award. " To receive further recognition with this award almost feels greedy. I'm tremendously fl attered and indebted to all my clients who nominated me." In his acceptance speech Gil praised his team for their dedication and support without whom, he said this would not have been possible. Special thanks went to his proud wife Emma on the evening of their fi fth wedding anniversary. ¦ Gil Riley of the Pool House Veterinary Hospital Blue Chip supports new ' NOPS' code Blue Chip has announced its commitment to a new industry code intended to eliminate the incidence of positive dope tests due to what are described as Naturally Occurring Prohibited Substances or NOPS. Blue Chip Managing Director Jem Clay explains, " We have been actively involved in the development of the NOPS Code and are committed to its role as an independent verifi cation scheme reassuring our customers that Blue Chip products are of a technically high standard. " All feed products conforming to the new NOPS Code will carry labelling confi rming to owners and trainers that each has been manufactured to the most stringent of quality management procedures at every stage of production. " We feel that any positive dope test is one too many and potentially disastrous for the rider or trainer concerned, along with damaging the image of UK equestrian sport. Those responsible for buying feedstuffs will now be able to clearly identify which companies, like Blue Chip, are committed to the Code and feed our high- quality, technically advanced products with complete confi dence." ¦