Polly Taylor, MA, VetMB, PhD, DVA, Dipl. ECVAA, MRCA, MRCVS, has been awarded honorary membership to the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) due to her long-term commitment to equine welfare. Her nomination was approved at BEVA’s Annual General Meeting, held at BEVA Congress on Sept. 8 in Birmingham, U.K.

Honorary membership is given each year to one individual who has been recognised as performing notable services to the charity or to the profession. Taylor was one of three candidates put forward this year and her nomination was approved unanimously.

Taylor has made significant direct contributions to BEVA and the equine sector through her position as senior advisor on the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (until 2010). Most recently she has supported BEVA’s health and medicines committee over the home office rescheduling of ketamine and the proposed U.N. scheduling of ketamine. In so doing, Taylor has given BEVA considerable insight and advice in these areas helping to achieve the committee’s strategic objectives.

Taylor has a long-term commitment to equine welfare, analgesia, and anesthesia having published more than 100 peer reviewed papers and contributed to numerous books and chapters on anesthesia and analgesia. She has received numerous awards for contributions to equine science. Her recent contributions to equine analgesia and pain scoring are have had considerable impact the welfare of horses undergoing veterinary treatment and clearly aligned to the objectives of BEVA. She was founding president of the European College of Veterinary Anaesthesia (and Analgesia) and established the specialty of veterinary anesthesia within Europe as well as past president of the Association of Veterinary Anaesthetists. She is a member of the independent Scientific Committee on Drugs