Giorgia Monti from the University of Limerick has won the British Equestrian Trade Association (BETA) equine thesis of the year 2025 for her research into equine arteritis virus.
The finals were held online on 26 October, giving the four finalists a chance to present their thesis to a panel of esteemed judges made up of Dr Georgina Crossman, Dr Katie Williams, Dr Edd Knowles, and Eleanor Jones. The event enjoyed a record-breaking international audience.
“The finalists did an superb job in preparing and presenting their theses in summary to everyone,” said Claire Williams, executive director of BETA. “We’d like to congratulation Amy Rowlands from CAFRE College, Charlotte Hurst from the Royal Agricultural University, Morgan Leesing from Aberystwyth University, and of course Giorgia Monti for making it through to the final. It was great to see so many impressive pieces of work, and as always, this shows what a bright future the equestrian industry has. Giorgia was delighted to receive win the competition, and she should be so proud of her work.”
The winning thesis by Giorgia was about the diagnostic validation of an indirect ELISA for the detection of Equine Arteritis Virus (EAV) antibodies for screening purposes. A virus that can have huge welfare and economic impacts on horses, and although symptoms can be present, some horses are asymptomatic making it harder to identify in breeding animals.
“The judging panel have really enjoyed watching the presentations,” said Dr Georgina Crossman. “The finalists presented a diverse and novel range of topics, coming across as passionate and knowledgeable about their areas and broadening our horizons. We’ve all learned from them and are encouraged that the future of our industry is in safe hands. The winner, Giorgia Monti, presented a complex subject clearly, explaining the underlying concepts well, and to a very high standard. The selection of her as the winner was unanimous by the judging panel. Her work has already impacted the equine sector, with the breeding industry in Ireland changing their protocols around screening for Equine Arteritis Virus (EAV) antibodies following her work.”
You can find more information on BETA or the equine thesis of the year, see here.
