Equine vet

I have started some work experience at a stables and have fallen in love with horses and have decided i want to be an equine vet.

I know all the things to get into vet med but am wondering if you hve to do anything additional to become an equine vet?? any advice????????

Reply 1

dizzeedollee

i think before i give you any advice on becoming an equine vet that you should explore the equine side of profession more :3 before making up your mind it's probably best to talk to/see practice with equine vets because i assure you it can be tiring being an equine vet, being called out at all hours of the day, having to wrestle around with flighty horses who could easily trample you to bits, lugging around equipment (after all there's going to be a /lot/ of lameness diagnosis) etc, etc.

but as far as specialising goes (correct me anyone if i'm wrong) after you graduate, one of the things you /can/ do is 'intern' (if that's the right word) with an equine practice. these usually last for a year or two and basically you see practice, learning more about equine diagnostics, assist with surgery on horses/ponies, etc. as time goes by, obviously since you are working at an equine practice your knowledge will eventually become centred around equine medicine. you can study towards certificates but (and again correct me if i'm wrong) you don't have to. hope that helps ^__^

Reply 2

tigercallie

you dont need to intern specifically i dont think, just get a job in a practice that does equine work and you will slowly start to specialise. However, one thing i will say is, in addition to loving horses, obviously you have to be prepared to do the whole vet degree meaning dogs, cats, guinea pigs, hamsters, sheep, cows, goats you name it! So make sure you like other vet work too or you will HATE your degree!

Reply 3

danoo

Thanks for the advice. I did want to be a small animal vet at first but now I realy want to work with horses they're amazing animals!!!!

Reply 4

danoo

What is the salary for an equine vet?

Reply 5

dizzeedollee

Original post by tigercallie

^
yup, i think you can go directly into employment at an equine practice after graduation, that's why i said interning is /one/ way of doing it :P
but i do agree with that second bit, you've got to love most of it if not all :P

as for salary it really does depend on your experience, the company employing you, your role exactly (i.e are you a partner?) etc, etc :3

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 6

danoo

thank for the help :smile:

Reply 7

tigercallie

equine vets have quite a good salary i think, there's a lot of money in horses. It'll depend on what you do, how high you get etc, but im sure its a good salary and i doubt it will be less than other vets.

Reply 8

Aaargh

Buy a shotgun and get practicing.

Reply 9

Tarnia

In terms of things you can do now to prepare:
* try and see if you can get some experience on a breeding farm, or a farm that has mares that are foaling. It is getting a *bit* late in the year now for this year, but even for next. Foaling is a lot of work but is amazing! Similarly if there is an equine practice or even better an equine hospital that has a neonatal ward, see if you can help out there. Foals tend to arrive overnight, so this will help you get some idea of the 'all hours' aspects.

Spend some time at the track and see if you can follow a track vet. Similarly for other competition/show venues. This potentially exposes you to some of the 'less nice' areas of the equine industry and equine medicine although there are definitely good tracks and good people in racing! You will most likely see some injuries though and again, see if you can handle it.

Shadowing at an equine practice in general.

Most equine vets I've talked to (actually, all I think) have said if you love riding horses, being with horses, etc. DON'T be an equine vet-you will NOT have time for your own! However if you love horses in the abstract, and love vet medicine, it can work. It is very long hours-the track vet I will be working for this summer says she hardly sees her family and her daughter is going to hate her by the time she's 13, she knows it (but isn't that kind of a given anyways? :tongue:

) In addition to the long hours etc., you need to be a good business person and prepared to do a lot of commuting between barns. Unfortunately many people that keep horses don't necessarily budget for emerg vet care (or regular vet care) for their horses, so you need to keep good records and keep on top of your finances.

I'm sure there is more, but what i can think of right now. Good luck!