David Booth, managing director and founder of veterinary laboratory, Westgate Labs, was honoured with the highest industry accolade in the British Equestrian Trade Association (BETA) Awards.

Mr Booth was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award to recognise his ‘invaluable contributions to the equestrian industry and his unwavering dedication to equine welfare’.

Judges praised not only his business achievements but the values and ethics that have gone into making the company what it is today. As well as a focus on sustainable parasite control, Westgate Labs has made significant investments into mitigating its environmental impacts.

In 2018, Mr Booth and his wife Gillian began developing a nature reserve on 135 acres of restored open cast land beside the farm where the lab is based. In 2020, the company moved to compostable, reusable packaging and has just announced further steps in this area with the launch of a compostable sample pot.

Mr Booth said: “It was such a shock to see my own face come up on the screen but now that it’s sunk in, I feel very honoured.

“Our focus has always been on integrity, on providing reliable results that people could trust, on taking time and effort to educate people, to be friendly and approachable and to provide an accessible service to help horse owners to understand their horse’s worm burden.

“We had no inkling that Westgate could ever become what it is today. It’s wonderful to have a team of staff that share those values and can continue the focus on providing the very best service to our customers.”