The 2024 NEF Award winners have been announced

Two joint winners receive the Sir Colin Spedding Award at the National Equine Forum (NEF)

At the National Equine Forum (NEF) on 7 March 2024, joint winners were announced in the Sir Colin Spedding Awards that recognise those in the equine industry who go above and beyond. The awards were presented by NEF president HRH the Princess Royal.

Sir Colin Spedding was the founding chairman of the NEF and chaired the event for 20 years until his death in 2012. He ensured that representatives of all areas of the equine sphere were made welcome to the NEF and that topics of general interest and concern could be discussed openly and amicably. The award was introduced in 2013 in his memory and is presented annually to an exceptional unsung hero or heroine of the equestrian world. Any individual or organisation from any equestrian field in the UK is eligible, as long as their outstanding qualities have not been formally acknowledged elsewhere prior to the closing date of nominations.

First joint winner in 2024 was Kirsty Withnall, recognised for her tireless determination as an RSPCA case officer in bringing to justice those responsible for causing unnecessary suffering to animals. Receiving the award alongside Kirsty was Amanda Stoddart-West, who was acknowledged for her pioneering work to enhance equine wellbeing in her role of livestock and entries co-ordinator at the Great Yorkshire Show (GYS).

The highly commended award went to managing partner of Catherston Stud Anne Dicker for her work in helping to unite the equine sector.

Kirsty has been an RSPCA inspector for 23 years, initially as an equine officer, before becoming a case officer within the RSPCA’s Special Operations Unit (SOU). She provides an overt uniformed response on behalf of SOU and conducts specialist criminal investigations into serious, organised or commercial animal cruelty. Kirsty has been the lead officer in numerous large, complex, high-profile equine and multi-animal welfare cases, most notably in large-scale operations, where co-ordination and co-operation with numerous agencies have been vital in securing safe and efficient rescue for equines and other animals. Her diligent collection and collation of evidential material has led to successful prosecutions and the reduction of future cruelty.

Speaking about her award, Kirsty said: “I’m honoured and delighted to receive this extremely prestigious award. Through my 23 years working for the RSPCA, I know first-hand how rewarding but also extremely challenging the role can be, so it truly means a great deal to have my work recognised in this way.

“I’ve been incredibly lucky to work alongside some outstanding colleagues at the RSPCA, but also with support from other agencies and organisations such as the police, veterinary teams, local authorities and, of course, members of the National Equine Welfare Council and I believe this award belongs to all of them, too. Together, we have achieved incredible results through our joint efforts to protect animal welfare and will for many years to come.”

In her role at GYS, Amanda Stoddart-West pioneered work to support appropriate rider:horse weight ratios, along with other initiatives aimed at enhancing equine welfare at GYS. These have included changes to warm-up rules, raised participation age levels for foals, adherence to rules on sensory functions and the introduction of welfare stewards, and many of these initiatives are now being widely adopted across other shows. Most recently, to further support positive change, Amanda has worked with Equifest to award special prizes for the most harmonious horse-and-rider combinations.

She said: “To be honest, I was totally shocked to be told I’d been nominated for the Sir Colin Spedding Award and incredibly honoured to be a joint winner. There are great efforts going into ensuring the highest standards of animal welfare nationally, and this award is a reflection of all of those who are doing such excellent work in this area.

“Personally, I couldn’t have achieved any of what I have without the support of my employers the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, and the GYS vet, Julian Rishworth, who I’ve been very fortunate to work alongside for the past 21 years.”

Anne Dicker was highly commended for her support of initiatives to bring the equine sector together, both as an individual and through the Catherston Stud. She has contributed to advancing equine groom apprenticeships, training fire responders, developing digital equine ID policy and research to further the principles of rider training programme The Happy Equine Athlete.

The full list of winners, past and present, can be found at nationalequineforum.com/roll-of-honour