The equestrian world is in a global crisis that has been getting worse in the last couple of years. The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) has recorded a steady decline in the number of equine medicine practitioners. Even the executive director of the AAEP is concerned about the “lesser percentage” of veterinarians joining the association each year.

The recently appointed president of the British Equine Veterinary Association, Roger Smith, repeated Foley’s concern for the equestrian industry in the UK. He has some bold plans for 2023-24 to address the issue. There are many obstacles in his path, but he is ready to face them head-on.

Roger Smith’s vision for the British equestrian world

Roger Smith has some big shoes to fill. David Rendle, the outgoing president, made significant strides in advancing the equestrian industry during his time in office. Now, it is Smith’s turn to make an impact. His priority is to tackle the declining rate of equine vets in the association. As a passionate vet himself, Smith feels it was a wrong decision to cancel out the requirement for the students to watch the trained vets work. Speaking to horsetalk.co.nz, he set forth his proposal.

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“I want to work on introducing initiatives to advertise our profession to young students but also provide ways of improving job satisfaction,” he said. Smith has asked BEVA to pool all of its resources into creating an intern toolkit that will revamp the career structure for the vets-in-training.

The toolkit will help make the first few years of the student’s journey more meaningful. Smith has also advised that the toolkit be used to retrain the junior vets and the residents in the association. To make it more exciting, he suggested that the practicing vets try their hands in different associated fields. Smith did not restrict himself to just the veterinarians. He went on to bring in the entire spectrum of horse healthcare professionals under one directive.

Roger Smith expanding his focus

The new BEVA president wants to empower the nurses and give them more responsibilities. He praised the nurses for their passion and was confident that they would rise to the challenge. Also, he is looking forward to expanding the BEVA’s CPD program, impressed by what it has achieved.

“The range of opportunities provided are amazing – from clinical catch-ups and the transatlantic clinics on-line to a full set of ‘Fundamentals’ courses and more advanced in-person practical courses,” he said.

Roger Smith is keen to share his learnings with other equestrian associations from other countries. He believes the back and forth of information will truly be instrumental in reviving the equine medicine field. Will America take a page out of Smith’s book and implement similar strategies to attract more veterinarians to the industry? Comment below with your thoughts.

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