CONGRESS INFORMATION

The impact of nutrition on the equine athlete is often underestimated, although condition of the horse and its performance are often related to feed. Many efforts have been made to understand equine nutritional physiology. Interactions with human research and findings in the bio-industry have contributed to the understanding within the horse community.

Still many questions remain unanswered. The discussion about the potential health effects of feed should be continued, especially in relation to sport performance, training and well-being of the horse. The relations between breed, prevention, cure, metabolism, feeding habits and nutrition still have many areas of discussion. Practical experience and scientific research should combine their efforts in finding solutions to pending problems.

A group of individuals, institutions and companies has set up a multidisciplinary approach to understand the influence of feed on equine health. The organizing committee invites all researchers, veterinarians, universities, feed industry, nutritionists, pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industry, breeders, professional horse men/women and their co-workers, sport federations and educative institutions to participate in this learning process.

After our first congress in 2002 at the surroundings of the Antwerp Zoo our second congress took at the Equine Research Facility of the “Waiboerhoeve Centre for Cattle, Sheep and Horses” in Lelystad. The 3rd European Equine Health & Nutrition Congress took place at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium (http://www.dgk.ugent.be). The 4th European Equine Health & Nutrition Congress took place in 2008 at Wageningen University, the Netherlands, in cooperation with the Animal Nutrition Group. We are proud to announce the 5th European Equine Health & Nutrition Congress. The forthcoming congress will take place at Waregem, Belgium, in cooperation with Ghent University. In 2006 our congress has been taken up in the database of CABI-publishing (proceedings and abstracts) and our proceedings are also available through "ivis.org" a non-profit organization established to provide information to veterinarians, veterinary students and animal health professionals worldwide using Internet technology.

We are happy for the continued cooperation with our partners which also participated in the organization in earlier editions of the European Equine Health & Nutrition Congress.

The European Equine Health & Nutrition Congress was first organized in 2002, Belgium. In 2003, the congress organization has welcomed new partners. Wageningen University and Research Centre (NL), the Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Department of Large Animal Internal Medicine of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University (Belgium) joined us in the organization of this congress. In 2008, the Department of Equine Sciences, Utrecht University and the Equine Clinic of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liege joined our organizing committee.

The Equine Health & Nutrition Association has organized the 3rd and 4th edition of the European Equine Health & Nutrition Congress and will also organize the 5th edition of this congress.

The content of the 5th European Equine Health & Nutrition Congress and submitted contributions will be reviewed in supervision of the Scientific Committee. The Scientific Committee consists of the following members (alphabetical order):

• Eng. Peter Bollen: General Manager of Nutriquine N.V., Drongen,Belgium.
• Piet Deprez Ph.D DVM: Professor at the Department of Internal medicine and clinical biology of large animals at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Belgium.
• Eng. David van Doorn Ph.D.: Cavalor Equine Nutrition Research, Drongen, Belgium (Secretary).
• Eng. Geert Janssens Ph.D.and Myriam Hesta Ph.D. both Professor at the Laboratory of Animal Nutrition at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Belgium. Website: http://www.animalnutrition.ugent.be/english/english.htm
• Eng. Wouter Hendriks PhD, Professor at the Animal Nutrition Group , Wageningen University and Research Centre, Wageningen, the Netherlands.
• Han van der Kolk Ph.D. DVM Department of Equine Sciences , Internal Medicine Section, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University.
• Gaby van Galen DVM, MS, Diplomate ECEIM, Equine Clinic of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liege.