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Part Of The Solution: Equine Veterinary Practices Come Together To Hold Convention Centered On Students

By now, most people in the equine industry have heard about the nationwide shortage of equine veterinarians. In recent years, fewer veterinary students have graduated with the intent of working in equine practice, and many who do end up leaving in just a few years.

The root causes are well-established – equine medicine pays significantly less than small animal medicine, which is a significant consideration for students who are graduating with more and more debt; conventional equine practice demands long hours and can strain work/life balance; veterinarians in general are suffering from poor mental health as client demands increase among shortages of support staff; and in addition to the other drawbacks, working with equine patients is more physically dangerous compared to small animals.

Read our previous coverage of the ongoing veterinary shortage here, here, and here.

In response, a number of colleges, industry organizations, veterinary clinics and equine businesses have responded, looking for ways to reduce stress on equine veterinarians and reduce barriers to people interested in the profession.

Virginia Tech's veterinary program recently launched an emergency care team to help support veterinarians in their equine hospital, reducing on-call hours.

Mississippi State University's College of Veterinary Medicine has begun organizing trips to Central Kentucky to give students a first-hand look at equine practice.

And Lincoln Memorial University recently engineered a veterinary degree program that's paired with an associate degree program in equine studies. The goal is to shrink tuition debt for students while giving them practical horse-handling skills they can carry forward into a veterinary career.

This fall, a group of nearly 50 equine veterinary practices will be working together to host veterinary students in Lexington, Ky., at the Opportunities in Equine Practice Seminar (OEPS). The annual event was launched in 2003 and hosted 3,900 students before it went on hiatus several years ago.

Seminar host Dr. Craig Lesser of Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital said there was no better time to bring it back.

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“Many of us would love to be able to hire additional veterinarians for our practices, and we're really starting to worry about workload for our current veterinarians,” he said. “We're concerned with the number of veterinarians entering, but also the number of veterinarians leaving in the first five years. OEPS' goal is to work on the recruitment aspect of that.”

There are already 263 students signed up for the event, somewhat above Lesser's original goal of 200, from American, Canadian, and island veterinary schools.

Students will go on farm and clinic tours and experience lectures focused on different types of equine practice, as well as some ways to overcome commonly-cited challenges to the profession. Lecture topics will center around different types of equine practice availability from different parts of the country, as well as how to manage work/life balance. Speakers will come from ambulatory clinics, academia, and mixed animal practices in addition to equine hospitals.

Students will also have the chance to get hands-on with some wet labs focusing on ultrasounding, colic, and dental work.

“Mostly who we're trying to attract are the kids that say, 'Wow I really like horses but I'm not sure I really want to be an equine vet – I've been told how hard the life is,'” Lesser said. “A lot of times they haven't been exposed to people who are champions of the lifestyle and really enjoy it.”

Lesser has seen firsthand examples of students who came to past events thinking they'd graduate and go to work on cattle but decided to give horses a try and are still in the profession today.

“You don't have to be the horse girl who grew up going to all the shows to be able to do equine practice,” he said. “Having a love for horses and the desire to be a good practitioner is enough.”

In recent years, more veterinary students have leaned toward careers in small animal medicine; meanwhile, equine caseloads at teaching hospitals have decreased significantly. That, combined with the need for veterinary schools to give students background in a wide range of species (since veterinary degrees are not species-specific even though practices are), may mean that veterinary students don't know much about the ways they could use their degree to work with horses.

“We're excited for the next generation of equine veterinarians,” said Lesser. “We hope they find the joy in practice that we do.”

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From The Racetrack To Revolutionary War Reenactments (Yes, Really), Bielefeld Can Handle It All

Bielefeld was very special to owner/breeder Thomas Thienel, who named him after his family's home city in Germany. Thienel's parents came to the United States in 1960 with $50 in their pockets searching for the American Dream. They came from horse families and loved going to the races. Thienel named Bielefeld in honor of his dad.

“My dad always wanted to own a horse,” said Thienel, “but unfortunately he passed in 2001. I am honored to be able to fulfill their dream of owning and breeding these magnificent animals.”

Bielefeld had a winning personality from the beginning but failed to win at the track. After 15 starts, Thienel chose to retire the gelding while he was still sound rather than run him in cheap claimers. Bielefeld had a good life at the track and Thienel wanted the next chapter to be good as well.

Bielefeld came to New Vocations trainer Amanda Vance in Gansvort, N.Y., through NYTHA's Take the Lead Program.

“The moment Bielefeld stepped in the barn we were impressed with his laidback demeanor,” Vance said. “He was this big goofy gelding that took everything in stride.”

Vance's assistant trainer, Anne Raymond, was looking for an easy going horse for her husband to use for Revolutionary War reenactment.

Bielefeld, at left, in a Revolutionary War re-enactment. Photo courtesy New Vocations

“We knew after some training, Bielefeld would be perfect (even when he shouldn't be) to take care of Anne's husband, Randy,” she said.

Bielefeld proved to be so calm and accommodating that it wasn't long before Randy was practicing re-enactment maneuvers with him. It's a good thing because Anne blew her knee and the surgery laid her up for six months. During that time, she concentrated on ground work. Bielefeld took Anne's crutches, cane and awkward movements in stride. Anne found him to be so agreeable she even allowed inexperienced adults and young children to use him to practice leading and lounging.

Bielefeld has handled everything thrown at him to prepare him for Revolutionary War re-enactments. Fife and drums, swords, flags, gunfire, and cannon were added without issue to his resume.

Bielefeld greets a young fan at a re-enactment. Photo courtesy New Vocations

“He's still gaining confidence in the actual horse on horse combat,” Anne said. “but everything else has been second nature to him. He takes very good care of my husband.

“I think my favorite part of Bielefeld is his kindness to humans. He is never pushy when people come say 'Hi' and is so careful with small children. I occasionally use him for huntseat lessons and he loves it. He does everything with a willing heart and the kindest eye I have ever seen on a horse. I sometimes say he is kinder than he is smart, but that's a compliment because he is truly very smart!”

Thomas Thienel is delighted with all the updates and pictures he has received from New Vocations over the last 18 months.

“We are so happy for Bielefeld and glad to see he is loving his work,” said Thienel. “We wanted him to have a good life.”

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IFAR: Research Shows OTTBs Are Particularly Well-Suited To Therapy Work

There is mounting evidence to show that retired racehorses are particularly well-suited to providing equine-assisted services and equine-assisted therapy, delivering life changing support to people affected by physical and/or mental health conditions.

Programs related to equine assisted therapies from all across the globe are highlighted in the new video magazine, including BraveHearts, Equine Pathways, HorseBack UK, Racing Hearts, Racing to Relate, and the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation (TRF).

Research conducted by Racing to Relate at the University of Bristol, together with a range of case studies from around the world, has identified that Thoroughbreds, more than other breeds, possess the characteristics that make them well-equipped to perform in such valuable roles. The initial findings of the Racing to Relate research were recently unveiled at a symposium entitled the 'Universal Language of the Horse' in Deauville, France.

“The study we're carrying out at the University of Bristol for Racing to Relate started in 2021 and is about the selection, education, welfare of the Thoroughbred in equine assisted services programmes,” said Claire Neveux. “We had 125 respondents from all over the world. From which we gathered very detailed information on 427 horses, including 57 Thoroughbreds.

“Thoroughbreds have very specific characteristics that make them interesting for equine assisted services. The first one is reactivity. Practitioners like horses to be reactive because when the horse reacts, he interacts with the person, and this is very helpful in the work to benefit people. According to all respondents, experience is also very important, and they said that some of their clients relate to the past experience of Thoroughbreds. Another characteristic that was cited by correspondents is their sensitivity. We don't yet know what is behind this yet, and that's something we want to explore in phase two.”

Meanwhile, case studies in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States have also found former racehorses to be an outstanding breed of horse in terms of equine assisted services.

Racing Hearts is an equine assisted psychology and counseling practice based in Melbourne, and it also runs programmes in other Australian states. Its mental health practitioners see anywhere between 200-300 clients per week, mainly people in the local communities who are struggling with the challenges of mental health and stress.

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“Probably about 99% of our therapy team are retired racehorses, and we find that the retired racehorses in comparison to the two small ponies we have are absolutely the best breed for equine assisted therapy,” said Lisa Coffey, founder of Racing Hearts and an equine assisted services practitioner. “Our youngest clients are between six and seven years of age, and our eldest clients are in their 70s. So, we see people with a whole range of challenges. Thoroughbreds are so sensitive and they're so in-tune with humans because they've seen so much in their racing career.”

Jock Hutchison founded the Aberdeen-based HorseBack UK in 2009 with the aim of helping wounded military veterans by introducing them to horses.

“When we started HorseBack, we were going to use American western horses because we were very focussed on the physically injured and on giving people mobility with dignity,” said Hutchison. “However, we very quickly understood that what was really making a difference was the forming of a bond with the horses. We saw that the sensitivity and intelligence of former racehorses made them fantastic horses for groundwork. The level of interaction you get from a Thoroughbred is way higher than any other horse.

“Furthermore, many of these horses share the same journey as the individuals that we are helping. The horses were in a yard, part of a team, with a routine and every so often they had to go and do something really intense, which they loved. And that was very similar to the life of the military people, which is the first group that we engaged with.”

Another example of the benefits of working with former racehorses has come from projects involving prisoners, and there have been encouraging results in Ireland and the USA. The Wallkill Correctional Facility in New York is a medium security prison from which the TRF delivers a program bringing together racehorses and prisoners.

“I feel like they actually relate to me,” said inmate Joel Kuck. “And the same second chance that they're given, I feel like I'm getting.”

The following video is part of IFAR's video magazine:

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No Sweat: Study Suggests Anhidrosis May Be Heritable Condition

A horse that cannot sweat at all or that doesn't sweat enough is suffering from a condition called anhidrosis. This condition occurs more frequently in some breeds and among horses with a familial history of the disease.

The inability to sweat is a welfare concern as the horse is often not able to cool itself effectively in hot and humid environments. Research out of the University of Florida suggests that there may be a heritable component to the disease.

Drs. Samantha Brooks and Laura Patterson Rosa used the Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) to look for genomic associations with anhidrosis. Using information from 200 horses, they discovered a strongly supported candidate region containing the KCNE4 gene.

Sequence analysis showed a single variation on the gene that encodes a portion of a potassium channel protein with possible sweat gland outflow may alter KCNE4 function.

This research suggests that there is some heritability to the condition, though many more studies are needed to determine whether breeding a mare with anhidrosis to a stallion that doesn't have the condition would “cancel out” the anhidrosis susceptibility.