Cian O’Connor going over the water jump at the RDS Horse Show in 2022. (Photo courtesy of RDS Horse Show)
Horse Welfare Already a Winner at RDS as Young Event Horses Partners with Equine MediRecord
EMR Press Release
DUBLIN, Ire. — Kildare-based Equine MediRecord will be deploying their revolutionary software platform at the largest equine event in Ireland, the Royal Dublin Society (RDS) Dublin Horse Show, with horses from Ireland’s Young Event Horse Series. This will include a new version of the Equine MediRecord platform to help all the horses and athletes in the trial to comply with biosecurity rules for this year’s event where the required information can be checked in advance, helping to safeguard the welfare of all horses competing.
Submission of equine vaccine and other records prior to entrance at the RDS grounds helps to screen out issues relating to vaccine records and permitted medication records prior to arrival at the RDS. This helps to ensure the biosecurity and therefore the welfare of horses at the Show. There have been several equine disease outbreaks at European equine events over the past few years, which could be reduced by inspecting the vaccination and permitted medications records in advance of the compulsory on-site Arrivals Inspections at the event venue.
The platform will support the RDS Dublin Horse Show across a number of categories including the following: Young Event Horse, Junior Young Rider Event Horses, Connemara Performance Hunter classes, Performance Irish Draught classes and the Ridden Connemara Ponies.
Flor Madden, Chair of the RDS Equestrian Committee, said “The RDS is happy to support this trial of the Equine MediRecord system at the RDS Dublin Horse Show. The Equine MediRecord platform’s potential had already been recognised by the RDS when it was a finalist in the annual RDS Agriculture and Forestry Awards earlier this year. Bio security is of paramount importance to the RDS, and we are happy to have the Equine MediRecord system used to help pre check horses are compliant with our biosecurity rules before the horses even arrive at the RDS, where they will have compulsory on-site Arrivals Inspections.”
The Equine MediRecord platform allows for the full veterinary history of the horse to be recorded securely, ensuring the best possible horse welfare while aiding crucial biosecurity procedures. This platform will provide all entrants, trainers, and vets with a system to comply with the latest biosecurity measures, enabling the collection of all necessary information digitally. The integrity of this information will be ensured using the Equine MediRecord system and its algorithms, which give great comfort to exhibitors that compliance with vaccination protocols for all participating horses is screen-checked before they step off their trailers at the RDS. This assures the highest level of equine biosecurity.
Angela McGahern, Secretary General of Young Event-Horse Series, said “We are proud to agree to trial the Equine MediRecord system. Helping our members to check that they are compliant with vaccination bio security rules in advance of the Show, not only helps safeguard their horses but also allows for a less worrying check in process at the RDS.”
Dr Peadar Ó Scanaill, Head of the RDS Veterinary Treating Panel, said “My veterinary team and I are happy that the EMR system will be trialed at this year’s RDS Dublin Horse Show. From a biosecurity perspective it makes sense to ensure horses are compliant with vaccinations rules before they come to the event, where they will come into contact with other horses. The EMR system helps make sure that vaccination records and permitted medications usages are compliant with RDS competition rules prior to setting off from home, on the long journey up here to Dublin. This should give great peace-of-mind to our many competitors and exhibitors as they prepare for the Show. Horses shall still pass through the compulsory RDS Arrivals Inspections but with the Equine MediRecord system, exhibitors can expect a more streamlined passage through Arrivals and on into the Showgrounds. With this Equine MediRecord system, there should technically no longer be a case of an unvaccinated horse arriving with no paperwork, seeking entry to the Show. This greatly assists to ensure the biosecurity and welfare of the horses at equine events”
Equine MediRecord’s platform has seen extensive traction after its launch only several years ago not only in Ireland, with the Ballindenisk International, but also having amassed an impressive list of clients and users including the Maryland 5 Star, The Saudi Cup, Thoroughbred Owners of California, Kentucky Thoroughbred Association, the Arabian Racing Organisation, Pegasus World Cup, Preakness Stakes, and Breeders’ Cup World Championships. Last year Equine MediRecord received a multi-million euro investment from Merits Holdings to become part of their Business Infusions group, the largest equine veterinary software group in the world.
The company sells and maintains a revolutionary software platform which allows for the full veterinary history of the horse to be recorded securely, ensuring the best possible horse welfare as well as aiding with crucial anti-doping and biosecurity procedures. The new system EMR that has been developed for the RDS Horse Show which will automatically inform trailing athletes and horses of the biosecurity protocols that need to be followed and what documents need to be submitted through the system to allow horses to compete at this year’s RDS Dublin Horse Show.
Pierce Dargan, Chief Executive Officer of Equine MediRecord said “We are thrilled to have our Equine MediRecord (EMR) system used at Ireland’s largest equine event, the RDS Dublin Horse Show. We are excited to deploy this new version of our EMR platform with the support of the Young Event Horse Series. We have seen athletes being wary of entering events due to biosecurity concerns. We hope that the Young Event Horse Series and RDS leadership in this area will drive adoption of our system by more equine events in Ireland and Europe who want to ensure the best equine biosecurity protocols are being followed at their events.”
For more on Equine MediRecord, visit equinemedirecord.com.
