Ladies and gentleman, it is a great honour to be in Beijing and to help launch WEVA Beijing 2018.

My name is Kate Savage and I am an Australian equine veterinarian. I will have been a veterinarian for 30 years in 2 months. I am an internal medicine specialist and have the honour to be the President of the World Equine Veterinary Association, more commonly known as WEVA. I have worked in Australia and the USA, and many years ago, during my PhD I was fortunate to be able to undertake some research and study in both Denmark and Sweden. Global equine veterinarians have helped me enormously and promoted my knowledge and expertise.

The ultimate mission of the World Equine Veterinary Association is to advance the health and welfare of horses, donkeys and mules, collectively grouped as equids, through the provision of high quality continuing education to equine veterinarians, especially in countries with less access. WEVA holds biennial congresses and numerous intermediate meetings across the world.

Our board is most excited to be working with the China Horse Industry Association (CHIA) to bring the next World Equine Veterinary Association congress to Beijing. So, again we are delighted to announce that the 15th WEVA congress is in the People’s Republic of China – this is so significant for your equestrian industries. 

This event is happening next year – it is essential to the long term health of your Chinese equestrian industries that all stakeholders get behind this exciting event. This is the penultimate chance for collaboration and will ensure equine veterinarians in China and from all over the world, are stimulated to improve and advance the health and welfare of horses, donkeys and mules. Prof Jia’s and WEVA’s role will help in reminding Chinese stakeholders of the importance of veterinarians in fostering and maintaining a vigorous equine industry in the years to come. The dates for WEVA Beijing 2018 are 21st to the 23rd April, 2018, so please mark your calendars and start to plan to get your employees and staff there to experience this. Preceeding the congress there will be wetlabs or practical equine laboratories on the Thursday 19th April 2018 and on Friday 20th April 2018. 

The topics of these wetlabs can be explored on the website of WEVAonline.org and the CHIA website. However, they will include lameness examination, diagnostic imaging including ultrasonography, dental examination, the foot: farriery and disease, the pre-purchase examination, preparing for a competition and the famous practical ultrasonography demonstration that all Chinese veterinarains and veterinary students should yearn to see by Dr Jean-Marie Denoix. For those lucky veterinarians who book for these practical sessions, this will increase their practical knowledge exponentially.  The congress proper has 3 days of lectures. There are three different streams of lectures: the equine industry, equine practice and advanced veterinary medicine.  This offers a unique chance for passionate exchange of information in every sector of your equestrian industries. This is also an opportunity for Chinese and Inner Mongolian veterinarians and stakeholders to network on a global basis. CONGRATULATIONS on being chosen to hold the next congress! Ensure you utilize this opportunity.

Intermediate meetings are held in between biennial WEVA congresses. They are smaller and more intimate than the congress, but are very important too. They usually have a small, but strong stream of practical laboratories too. Last year I lectured at intermediate meetings in Romania, Russia, South Korea and twice in China. This year I have lectured in Chile, Mexico and I am honoured to be back in the People’s Republic of China.  Drs Chris Riggs, Henry Tremaine, Tim Greet, who is a former President of WEVA, and I have been fortunate to present lectures and wetlabs in China over a number of years. It has been wonderful to see the enthusiasm of the Chinese and Inner Mongolian veterinarians and veterinary students. Great enthusiasm by attendees has been evident and they have shown a desire to learn new techniques and obtain more detailed knowledge about how to actually plan and carry-out equestrian competitions safely and efficiently.

Again, it is wonderful that the China Horse Industry Association has been willing to work with WEVA and Dr Riggs and Dr Tremaine in formulating such an event. It is an enormous step forward for WEVA and the CHIA and we hope our collaboration will ensure that equine veterinarians, equestrian industry stakeholders, farriers and staff in the diverse equestrian industries within China are stimulated and that it makes us all passionate to show the industry just what equine veterinarians can do to advance the health and welfare of horses, whilst promoting a vigorous equine industry in many forms. We also hope that WEVA Beijing 2018 will be critical in showing stakeholders in the Chinese and Inner Mongolian equine industries that knowledgeable, capable and well equipped equine veterinarians are essential to the success and longevity of our industry.

I would now like to tell you a little more about the World Equine Veterinary Association as an organisation. It is made up of many different national equine veterinary member associations. A few individual members have been accepted from countries that have not yet formed a national equine veterinary association. For example, WEVA has individual members from Pakistan, Iran, South Korea, Kuwait, Sudan and United Arab Emirates. However, it is one of the aims of WEVA to promote the formation of national equine veterinary associations. This adds cohesion to the equine veterinary profession in each country and fosters professionalism and knowledge.

National equine veterinary associations that are members include, but are not limited to the following:

-the American Association of Equine Practitioners, one of our most loyal sponsors, -the British Equine Veterinary Association

-AAVE in Argentina

-ABRAVEQ in Brazil

-ACHVE in Chile

-SIVE in Italy

-AMMVEE in Mexico

-the Indian Association of Equine Practitioners

-the South African Equine Veterinary Association

-the Veterinary Practitioners Association of Thailand,

-AVEF in France

-ANVM in Morocco

-Swiss Equine Veterinary Association

-German Equine Association

-Equine Veterinarians Australia

-the New Zealand Equine Veterinary Association

-BEPS in Belgium

-DDD in Denmark

-EGVI in Ireland

-NEVA in the Netherlands

-SVF in Sweden

This is not an exhaustive list and Paraguay and Columbia and Turkey are all forming new associations.

Our board is made up of 10 equine veterinarians. I am the Oceanic member and president, Prof Vince Gerber from Switzerland is the treasurer and Junior Vice President, Dr Dave Hodgson from Australia and the USA is the immediate past President, Dr Anne Courouce is from France and is the secretary, Dr Chris Riggs is the co- programme chair with Dr Henry Tremaine. Obviously Dr Riggs has vast experience in China and Hong Kong with respect to the HKJC, but also in facilitating the education of Chinese veterinarians. Both Dr Riggs and Dr Tremaine are specialist surgeons, whereas the previously mentioned are internal medicine specialists. Dr Riggs and Dr Tremaine have worked tirelessly to put together the most amazing programme for WEVA Beijing 2018. Dr Sandro Barbacini from Italy is a reproduction, or theriogenology, specialist. Dr Bianca Schwarz from Germany is an internal medicine specialist, Dr Maria Paz Zuniga from Chile is a general practitioner with expertise in neonatology and reproduction, and Dr Harry Werner from the USA is a general practitioner with immense experience in equine practice and business.

We are fortunate in having two extra levels of knowledge and expertise in the President's Advisory board made up of past presidents of the World Equine Veterinary Association. This erudite group assists in many matters including past historical items pertaining to awards, sponsorship and mission etc.. Past Presidents of WEVA include Dr Des Leadon, Dr Warwick Bayly, Dr Richard Corde, Dr Gary Norwood, Dr Tim Greet and Dr Ravi Reddy.

We also have a number of Regional Ambassadors who are incredibly helpful at getting the WEVA message out. These include:

-Dr Ruben Anguiano from Mexico

-Dr Racquel Baccarin from Brazil

-Dr Siraya Chunekamrai from Thailand

-Dr Julie Fjeldborg from Scandinavia

-Dr Zita Makra from Hungary

-Dr Ekaterina Zabegina from Russia.

We have great delight in asking Professor Jia of the People’s Republic of China to become a Regional Ambassador of WEVA. We would like to invite Prof Jia to become a Regional Ambassador for the World Equine Veterinary Association (WEVA) at out next congress, WEVA Beijing 2018.      

Our board recognises the work that Prof Jia is involved with on behalf of the horse and equine industries within China and think he would be an ideal candidate. Prof Jia has expertise in the Chinese equine industries and will be able to assist in raising the awareness of our important mission, which is to advance the health and welfare of horses, donkeys and mules (equids) through the provision of high quality continuing education to equine veterinarians, especially in countries with less access. This aim is of paramount importance for the longevity of our profession globally.

We would be honoured if Prof Jia would consider this role. It is very important to advocate for our profession in the People’s Republic of China and surrounding nations, and for the care of all equids to be promoted and advanced.

So, again I would like to thank you for the honour of visiting the People’s Republic of China this October. I look forward to seeing many of you in Beijing next April as we all learn to advocate for our profession, our industries and our true client: the horse. 

Together, we can become stronger.