News

New Arena for Canine Studies Students

Abrand-new Animal Assisted Activity Area designed to further enhance the student learning experience and facilitate canine research opportunities has officially opened for use. Located within Hartpury Equine, the £730,000 activity area consists of a covered 60m x 30m arena finished with an Andrews Bowen Pro Wax Surface. A 22m-diameter round pen completes a contemporary learning environment for Hartpury University and Hartpury College students enrolled on equine, human-animal interaction and canine diplomas, undergraduate and postgraduate degrees.

In line with Hartpury’s commitment to sustainability, the covered indoor arena has been built with an Equaflow base in order to attenuate rainfall from the roof that can later be released via controlled discharge into the existing site drainage. Manufactured from recycled material, Equaflow provides a sound subbase for the Andrew Bowen’s ProWax surface that is consistent with the existing surfaces used on site.

Several organisations, charitable trusts and foundations backed the development.

Aleksandra Lipinska, Animal Collection Manager at Hartpury, said: “The EAAAA will provide an invaluable space to work with our dogs, not just for agility and training purposes, but also for the many canine research projects carried out by staff and students alike. The arena and round-pen are beautifully constructed and we’re all immensely grateful to everyone who came together to create such a dynamic and multi-purpose facility.” The EAAA will prove particularly useful for Hartpury University students enrolled on a variety of animal training, behaviour and humananimal interaction programmes. These include BSc (Hons) Canine Training and Performance, BSc (Hons) Animal Training and Performance, BSc (Hons) Human Animal Interaction, and BSc (Hons) Animal Behaviour and Welfare.

Hartpury University students studying equine sports coaching or equestrian sports science programmes will benefit from an additional arena for coaching practice, and those enrolled on courses such as the BSc (Hons) Equine Performance and Rehabilitation will be able to use the space for horse assessment and therapy support. Postgraduate students will also benefit from the facility. Learn more about Hartpury University’s new postgraduate degrees for 2022. Hartpury University made a strong debut in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2022, ranking highly in areas including Teaching Quality and Student Experience. Hartpury, which was granted university status just three years ago, also achieved excellent graduate employability figures in the 2021 Graduate Outcomes Survey released by HESA, with 96% of 2019 Hartpury graduates progressing into employment or other purposeful activity.

How much do you know about cold pressed dog food?

Most of us have spotted the term ‘cold pressed’ on a few items when out shopping; a vitamin-packed fruit smoothie or a great olive oil. But are you familiar with cold pressed dry dog food? We caught up with Devonian dog food makers Forthglade to learn more about the benefits of feeding this increasingly popular food to our dogs.

What exactly is ‘cold pressed’?

Cold pressed dog food is where bite-sized pieces of food are made by pressing the ingredients together under pressure for a short time at a low temperature.

Why is cold pressed often referred to as being ‘more natural’ than other dry dog foods?

Extruded Kibble is produced by using long times and high temperatures which reduces the nutritional value of the ingredients and may result in using additives to provide taste, colour and preservatives. The gentler cold pressing process preserves the ingredient’s nutrients better, which avoids the use of unnecessary additives.

What are the main benefits of feeding cold pressed natural dry dog food?

Forthglade’s cold pressed natural dry dog food is made by taking lots of tasty ingredients and basically doing as little to them as possible during the pressing process. The unique process means that each bite-sized piece retains the natural flavour, aroma and goodness of the ingredients. The recipes also include vitamins, minerals, prebiotics and oils.

The short time and low temperature used during cold pressing produces a heavier but softer kibble compared to an extruded kibble. They absorb moisture and fall apart easier when consumed, which makes it easier for the dog to digest, whilst also helping to maximise the absorption of the nutrients. This highly digestible dog food can also help to reduce the likelihood of a dog’s stomach bloating.

Is cold pressed more expensive than standard dry dog food?

Obviously, this depends on the quality of the ‘standard’ food fed, but in principle it’s no more expensive than any other good quality diet. As cold pressed is nutritionally denser a dog requires less per portion.

Is it easy to switch from a standard kibble diet to cold pressed?

As with switching any dog’s diet, a change should be done gradually introducing the new food to the original food bit by bit over a period of at least five days to avoid any unnecessary tummy upset. It is also important to ensure that your dog has access to adequate fresh drinking water throughout the day.

What is the shelf life and how should it be stored?

Our cold pressed has a shelf life of 18 months. It should be stored either in the bag or a loose-lid container and kept in a cool and dry place.

Can puppies eat your cold pressed recipes?

Absolutely. It’s suitable for puppies from the ages of 2 months+. The small pieces can also be mixed with a little warm water to soften it further for young pups, if required.

Forthglade’s award-wining cold pressed recipes

Forthglade offer three delicious grain free recipes, choose from turkey, chicken or duck, each with a tasty mix of fibre-rich vegetables. As with all Forthglade recipes, the ingredients included in our cold pressed recipes offer natural goodness. Bag sizes available range from 1kg through to 16kg and cost from £6.75. Contact trade@forthglade.com for stockist detail.