Spetses Equine owners welcomed the GAWF (Greek Animal Welfare) Equine Team on Friday 29 February 2008, for a 2 day Equine Seminar. GAWF invited Greek vets, carriage and private owners, untrained farriers and welfare group members to attend.

The delegates from all over Greece and were welcomed at Klimis Hotel near Ayios Mamas beach. They then headed off for a delicious traditional meal at Spetsiotiko on the sea front. All delegates received their welcome pack with the scheduling and notes in Greek (all prepared by Elisa Geskou, the GAWF coordinator in Greece) ready to start the programme the following day.

Delegates from Spetses met the visiting delegates on Saturday morning and were divided up into three groups; farriery, dentistry and veterinary nursing. They proceeded  with a morning lecture and continued with the  practical sessions held at the Aloni (the old threshing place) near Ayia Triada Monastery.Threshing in the old days at Aloni, Spetses.: 2008 site for practical sessions at the Spetses Equine Seminar

This was to be the second GAWF Equine Seminar, the first one being in Crete in March in 2007. GAWF Seminars are offered to vets/equine owners and welfare groups to further their knowledge in farriery, training in dentistry and veterinary nursing care. These seminars are designed to follow a GAWF Outreach Programme, where GAWF vets offer help to equines in rural areas.  Usually these programmes are run on request from the Local Municipality or Animal Welfare Groups in locations where there are no vets/professionals available in this field.

A quote taken from an interview with Janet Eley - GAWF’s Project Leader:
"What is your overall aim?"
"To work ourselves (GAWF) out of a job! I think we would all like to see equine vets and farriers trained in dentistry and farriery all over Greece running the programmes themselves and keeping GAWF only on hand for the more difficult cases".

GAWF: Janet Eley and Joan Rogers examining horses teethGAWF have scheduled Outreach Programmes in Lindos, Rhodes in May and Corinth in June and the 3rd Equine Seminar is scheduled on Lesvos in October. Plans are being made for Yiannis Brastianos, the farrier to visit Spetses in May and hopefully there will be another Seminar in 2009.

Of course all future programmes are dependant on GAWF funding and private donations. Municipalities or Welfare Groups should contact Elisa Geskou the GAWF coordinator in Greece for more information and details of future programmes - Tel  6945 44 49 92 email lisageskou@yahoo.gr

It was after the GAWF’s Equine Team visit to Spetses some years ago, that owners realised the importance of how to trim and shoe correctly and the necessity of a healthy, regularly rasped equines mouth.
Spetses carriage owners were delighted when in October 2007 they once again had the opportunity to receive the GAWF Equine Team which treated eighty eight horses and several donkeys.

GAWF offered this Seminar in Spetses as a result of the enthusiasm shown by the Spetses carriage owners and the necessity for further training. The co-ordination with the carriage owners and arrangements on Spetses and the liaison with Elisa Geskou of GAWF was carried out  by Angela Katsikopoulou.Elisa Gaskou GAWF co-ordinator: teaching dental delegates

All Seminars and treatments are offered free by GAWF to participants/equines. GAWF rely greatly on donations to cover some of the costs. GAWF were most grateful for the donation of  €1,325 given by the carriage owners on completion of the GAWF Outreach Programme in October 2007.

During this seminar, the students were supervised and instructed by members of the GAWF Equine Team - Elisa Geskou, Janet Eley, Garry Draper, John Fairgairgrieve, Michael Kearan, Yannis Brastianos, and Kleopatra Triantafyllou

Joan Rogers a veterinary nurse from the Donkey Sanctuary in Sidmouth, Devon, UK, ran the practical nursing sessions for the beginners. They were taught how to access a healthy and sick equine; apply first aid and bandage the wounds. Also, condition scoring; weight calculations; how to administer medicines; medicine usage and dose rates; preventative medicine; lameness detection; handling and methods of restraint.

On Sunday Joan instructed everyone on nursing a sick equine; feeding; hospital sheet records and injection techniques. As there weren’t enough sick equines on Spetses or animals needing vaccinations, the students had to make do with injecting oranges (which I am sure is a lot easier than a boisterous horse - although I must say, our little Shetland was most enduring with us, especially when all the team had to take its temperature!) Delegates were shown how to bandage different limbs and then came the time for the students to practice – not as easy as Joan made it look!

Veterinary nurse Joan Rogers: instructs on eye care to delegatesGarry Draper, Elisa Geskou and Kleopatra Triantafyllou taught dentistry to the vets and owners and were divided in to two groups; beginners and those delegates who had already attended the first seminar. The course covered many areas including theory; handling and restraint methods; fitting the gag, rasps and teeth rasping. The advanced group learnt advanced theory and cutting and tooth removal.

The GAWF team thankfully were available to treat a horse in a severe condition after an inexperienced owner had unsuccessfully tried to file its sharp teeth down. Our patient Shetland was found to have irregular teeth and some work was done to help him eat.

The Farriery Group lead by John Fairgairgrieve and assisted by Michael Kearan, and Yiannis Brastianos, taught their groups how to assess and trim a foot and the advanced group was shown how to choose the correct shoe and how to apply a shoe correctly. They were shown a variety of foot ailments and how to treat them.
Yiannis had bought along his van with a mobile forge so the students could see how to make a metal shoe and alter it to fit the foot.Farrier Yiannis Brastianos: files horses hoof

Did you know that a working horse should be shod every 4 – 6 weeks and that in a perfect world, equine’s feet should be checked every day for “foreign objects”?

On behalf of the Nursing Group I would like to thank Joan Rogers for sharing some of her knowledge with us and only hope I can retain a good percentage of what we were shown. One thing I know I will never forget is how to take an equine’s temperature!

Thank you GAWF Equine Team for visiting Spetses.

Unfortunately the GAWF team were unable to schedule more time on Spetses and didn’t have the opportunity to see more of our wonderful island during this unseasonably warm weather. Well next time we hope they will be able to have a little more free time to take in some of the stunning places to visit on Spetses

Do follow our link to the GAWF web www.gawf.org.uk where you will be able to follow some of the remarkable stories of success throughout Greece.
 

How can you help ?
Why not become a member of GAWF and support this most worth while charity?

Contact Carol Mac Beth by email gawfgr@otenet.gr or gawf@gawf.org.uk
and she will let you know how easy it is. Once a member, you will receive an excellent magazine twice a year with articles on all the projects in Greece. There are articles on neutering projects, animal shelters, education programmes, responsible pet ownership and yes, shopping to help animals, especially the special Christmas Catalogue and cards for all occasions.  The magazine ELPIDA (Hope) has articles both in English and Greek.

Friends of Animals Ermionida (F.A.S.E.) were represented at the Equine Seminar by Lynda Evans and Christina Kesisoglou from Spetses and Frances Leakey FASE Secretary from Kranidi (mainland) had the opportunity on Saturday afternoon to introduce herself to  the GAWF Equine Team.

Articles prepared by Lynda Evans

F.A.S.E /Spetses

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