We are delighted to announce that Mark Bowen will be joining our team as Lead Equine Veterinary Consultant.
Mark Bowen is an internationally recognised veterinary specialist and clinical scientist. His career has seen him obtain recognition in a large range of disciplines, He is an RCVS recognised specialist in equine internal medicine, a EBVS European specialist in Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation and an ABVS American Specialist in Large Animal Internal Medicine. Mark spent a career in clinical academia being promoted all the way to Professor, before building his own clinical and educational consultancy business in 2021, working for a range of businesses including The European Board of Veterinary Specialisation (EBVS) and Veterinary Continuous Education in Europe (VetCEE). He is author of many publications, including the development of consensus guidelines for the management of gastric disease, obesity and pain in horses. His PhD was funded by the Horserace Betting Levy Board. He is currently trustee for the Horse Trust and also serves on a number of professional bodies. His current clinical research interests are related to the impact of hind gut health on equine performance and welfare and pain management in horses.
“Tharos is focused on improving equine digestion using cutting-edge science and Dr Bowen's energy and enthusiasm will be a real asset to the team.” said Dr Rosemary Waring, director and co-founder of Tharos Ltd. “We are looking forward to our collaboration where his extensive clinical experience will help in optimising the gut microbiome and in improving equine health.”
Dr Bowen said, “It is exciting to be working with the team at Tharos to help develop an understanding of how EquiNectar improves health in the hind gut of horses. The company have impressed me with a science based approach to developing this product and in their desire to conduct robust clinical research. I look forward to identifying ways to optimise the use of the product in a variety of clinical scenarios.”
Speaking of the digestive issues that horses are prone to, Dr Bowen continued, “It has been demonstrated that horses have a limited ability to process high-starch diets and that when high concentrations of these sugars reach the hind gut, they can cause dysfunction of the hind gut microbiome. Managing the amount of these readily fermentable sugars reaching the hind gut is useful in horses with recurrent colic and diarrhoea and may play a role in a variety of other conditions. EquiNectar provides a suite of digestive enzymes that assist with the breakdown of carbohydrates.”