One of the leading specialists on sycamore seed poisoning – which this year has claimed almost 120 horses and ponies in Ireland’s worst ever outbreak – will be on the panel for the ITBA’s final winter lecture next Tuesday 9 December in Palmerstown House Estate, Co Kildare, at 7pm.

It will be chaired by Dr Ursula Fogarty of the Irish Equine Centre and will be addressed by leading specialist Dr Dominque Votion, who is flying in from Belgium especially for the event. Dr Votion of the University of Liege is one of the leading authorities on atypical myopathy and all of the Irish data collected by the Irish Equestrian Centre on the outbreak will ultimately be fed into her research team.

The talk is entitled Atypical Myoglobin Urea – an Emerging Problem of Great Significance and the evening will also give an update on the occurrence of the disease in Ireland.

Professors Anne Cullinane and Tom Buckley, both of the Irish Equine Centre, will cover Preparing for the Breeding Season – a Breeders’ Checklist and the Code of Practice and a question-and-answer session will follow.

It’s essential to register so please contact ITBA HQ on 045-877543 (ITBA members €10; non-members €20). The evening includes a fork supper.