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Worcester vet, David Denny, has been selected as one of three finalists for the third annual Petplan Equine Vet of the Year Award, in association with Horse&Rider Magazine. The winner will be announced at the glittering 22nd Animal Health Trust (AHT) Equestrian Awards ceremony to be held at the Royal Lancaster London Hotel on the evening of Thursday 4th November 2010.

David has run his own general veterinary practice in Worcester for over forty years. He comes from a family of vets and was inspired to join the profession by his grandfather, great uncle and uncle. He trained at the London Veterinary College in the early 1960s and has worked in general practice ever since, spending about a quarter of his time treating horses. David prides himself on running a small personal practice.

The judges were particularly impressed with his years of experience in carrying out diagnoses and his commitment to always putting the welfare of the horse first. David is so committed to his job that he even treated a horse on the day of his daughter’s wedding!

“I am humbled and very flattered to have been nominated.” said David. “I have always enjoyed my job and it is lovely to be appreciated by clients. For me, being a vet is a way of life rather than just a business – it is hard work but very enjoyable.”

Horse owners from all over the UK nominated their vets for this prestigious people’s award, which is sponsored by Petplan Equine, the UK’s leading equine insurance provider. Over 200 nominations were received, from which three finalists were selected by an independent panel consisting of; David Stickels, Head of Fundraising AHT, Alison Bridge, Editor-in-Chief of Horse&Rider Magazine, Madeleine Campbell, President of the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA), Gil Riley, 2009 Petplan Equine Vet of the Year and Alison Andrew, Petplan Equine Marketing Manager.

“It was incredibly difficult choosing just three finalists,” said Alison Andrew,, Petplan Equine Marketing Manager. “The nominees this year have again been genuinely outstanding. It is a great privilege to read the nominations and see the incredible commitment shown by equine vets across the UK.”

The Animal Health Trust Equestrian Awards are designed to recognise the outstanding achievements made by horses, riders, owners and trainers throughout the equestrian world and this year has once again presented some remarkable individuals. Since the Petplan Charitable Trust was founded in 1994 it has raised over £5 million, almost £500,000 of which has been donated to the AHT to fund research and development.

Horse welfare is paramount at Petplan Equine and as a leading insurance provider the company is committed to promoting responsible horse ownership, through its charitable contributions, wide range of policies and initiatives such as the informative equine resource website, www.yourstables.co.uk. This award has been created to give the equine community the opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the vet who has made the most outstanding contribution to the care of horses.

The winner will be posted on www.petplanequine.co.uk on Friday 5th November.

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For more information please contact the Petplan press office on:

Name	Telephone	Email
Tolu Akisanya	0208 580 8194	[email protected]
Carl Stephens	0208 707 8335	[email protected]

Petplan Equine is the UK's leading horse insurance provider offering a wide variety of flexible horse insurance and rider insurance policies which cater for all levels of experience.

Established more than 20 years ago, Petplan Equine is part of Allianz Insurance, one of the largest general insurers in the world.

For more information about a Petplan Equine horse insurance policy, please visit:
petplanequine.co.uk/insurance/quote.asp

Notes to Editors:

The Three Finalists are:

David Denny, B.Vet.Med MRCVS,who has run his own general veterinary practice in Worcester for over forty years. He comes from a family of vets and was inspired to join the profession by his grandfather, great uncle and uncle. David believes being a vet should be seen as a way of life rather than a business and prides himself on running a small personal practice. The judges were particularrly impressed with his years of experience in carrying out diagnoses and his commitment to always putting the welfare of the horse first. David is so committed to his job that he even treated a horse on the day of his daughter’s wedding!

Judy Scrine, MA VetMB MRCVS, from Mayes and Scrine Equine Veterinary Practice in Sussex, who first decided she wanted to be an equine vet at the age of three and never deviated from her path! She was horse mad as a child and has continued that interest into her professional life. After qualifying from Cambridge in 1991, Judy gained ten years of equine veterinary experience before joining Ben Mayes to set up a specialist equine practice in 2001. She also does charity work for the Gambia Horse and Donkey Trust. The judges were impressed with Judy’s professional manner, her thorough knowledge and her willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty on a day to day basis.

Vincenzo Franco DVM MRVCS who qualified in Italy having wanted to be a vet from childhood. He combined his passion for horses with his profession and has worked exclusively on horses for nearly 20 years, the first 14 of which were spent working with racehorses. Vincenzo joined a large practice when he moved to the UK before then setting up on his own in October 2010. The judges were pleased to hear that Vincenzo is always calm under pressure and has a perfect bedside manner with all horses. They were impressed to hear from clients that Vincenzo explains everything full detail and, importantly, in laymen's terms.

• Petplan Equine was founded in 1988
• It is part of Allianz Animal Health, the largest provider of animal health insurance in the world and part of Allianz – one of the largest general insurers in the UK
• In addition to horse and pony insurance options, Petplan Equine provides dedicated products for veteran horses and rider only insurance cover
• It is the sister brand of Petplan, the largest provider of small animal insurance in the UK
• Petplan Equine believes in supporting the equine community and provides more financial support to equestrian sports and activities than any equine insurance provider in the UK
• The Pet Plan Charitable Trust was founded in 1994 to raise much needed funds for animal welfare and veterinary projects. Money is raised by Petplan and Petplan Equine customers giving an optional £1.50 to the Trust when they take out or renew their policy. To date, almost £5 million has been awarded by the Trust
• Petplan and Petplan Equine are specialist insurers. As such, the company employs more horse riders and owners than any other and more former veterinary practice staff than any other to ensure the provision of specialist knowledge
• Horse&Rider magazine is the UK’s No 1 equestrian monthly.