Posted: 6th March 2015 | Back to news feed
More than 20 key stockists from the North West took part in a Dengie Retailer Training Day at Nantwich Veterinary Hospital and Reaseheath College Equestrian Centre, Cheshire. The event, designed to highlight benefits of a fibre diet, was led by practice vets Alasdair Topp and Dan Cripwell, with Dengie’s senior nutritionist and technical manager, Katie Williams.
The day featured presentations on equine gastric ulcers, laminitis, equine metabolic syndrome, Cushing's disease and the importance of diet. Retailers were given the opportunity to watch four scoping sessions, conducted by the vets to check for the presence of gastric ulcers, and see a demonstration of condition scoring and how to use an equine weighbridge.
“We are extremely pleased that the training day was so well attended,” said Dengie marketing manager Lisa Wilson. “Ensuring that our stockists are equipped with sound knowledge and a thorough understanding of the relationship between diet and good health is crucial.
“Alasdair, Dan and Katie provided the retailers with plenty of food for thought as they focused on the ways in which a fibre diet has been shown to have a positive impact on the wellbeing of all horses, especially those suffering from laminitis, EMS and PPID (Cushing's disease).
“Passing on information in this way is part of Dengie's strategic plan to make sure that our stockists who work at the cutting edge of equine nutrition are able to deal with enquiries and offer advice to their customers.”
The day was attended by managers and staff from TFM, of Telford, Shropshire, W & T Gibson, of Kingsley Mill, Cheshire, Whitchurch, Newport, Stafford, Pontesbury and Oswestry branches of Wynnstay, Sandiway Shavings, of Northwich, Cheshire, Weaver Equestrian, of Market Drayton, Shropshire, Youngs Animal Feeds, Cheshire, B Corbetts, Malpas and the Stockport branch of Decathlon.
“The topics covered were so beneficial to those of us who are frequently asked for dietary advice,” said Jude Lakey, of W & T Gibson. “It was also fantastic to see the gastroscopy performed live with clear and concise explanation.”
Gena Prince, of Wynnstay's Newport branch, found the weighbridge demo a great help. “It was a really good idea, as it helps us to pass on advice about nutrition and condition,” she said. “There is only so much information a customer can read on a label and people often prefer to speak with a member of staff.”
Carrie Ash, of sports chain Decathlon, enjoyed the combination of practical and theory sessions. “Topics were really appropriate, as we do seem to be getting more customers coming in to ask about these subjects,” she said. “They are far more savvy and expect more from us. Thanks to Dengie, we get a great deal of support and feel better equipped to deal with questions from horse owners who visit the store.”
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