The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) today confirmed the permanent appointment of Jenny Hall to the role of Chief Veterinary Officer and the completion of a review of BHA’s veterinary operations.
In January Jenny Hall was appointed interim Chief Veterinary Officer with responsibility for overseeing the restructuring of BHA’s raceday veterinary resources and what is now the Equine Health and Welfare area of the business. Her appointment to that role followed the departure of Tim Morris, formerly Director of Veterinary Science and Welfare.
Paul Bittar, Chief Executive of the BHA, said:
“Jenny has done an excellent job implementing the measures needed to restructure the Equine Health and Welfare operation and I am delighted to confirm her appointment as BHA Chief Veterinary Officer. The extensive experience she has gathered from other equine disciplines and her own veterinary practice, together with her deep understanding of the sport, have all proved to be of considerable value to BHA.
“British Racing is rightly proud of the high standards it sets in terms of horse welfare. It is one of the factors which identifies racing in this country as a leader on the world stage. A commitment to promoting horse welfare is at the heart of everything we do, not just in relation to BHA’s veterinary work but across all aspects of regulation. I am confident that the new structure and composition of the Equine Health and Welfare operation will serve to enhance the sport’s reputation in this sphere.”
Jenny Hall was team vet to the British Eventing team at the Sydney, Athens and Beijing Olympics before working for LOCOG as Veterinary Services Manager at London 2012. Jenny has worked in equine veterinary practices in Lambourn for many years as well as acting as a Racecourse Veterinary Surgeon at Epsom Downs, Sandown Park and Kempton Park. She started working for BHA in January 2011 in the role of Veterinary Officer.
The Chief Veterinary Officer and the Equine Health and Welfare operation report into the Director of Raceday Operations and Regulation, Jamie Stier.
Jenny Hall, BHA Chief Veterinary Officer, added:
“Overseeing the changes in the operation has been a challenging but also a rewarding experience. The benefits of the revised structure have already been evident in a number of areas, not least when working closely with the disciplinary and investigating teams on high profile cases relating to the use of prohibited substances.
“Our key objectives are two-fold, firstly, to uphold and promote the high standards of horse welfare in British Racing and secondly, to assist in ensuring a level playing field with regard to regulating the use of prohibited substances.
“By adopting a more collaborative approach, we are working with trainers to help them protect the health of their horses. We acknowledge that one cannot remove risk altogether but it is our intention to reduce and manage risk as effectively as possible.”
