Equine Veterinary Medicine

By: Allyse S.
Horses have been running on this earth for more than 50 million years. They have helped shape human history, although the exact place in time that marks the connection between humans and horses is unknown, it is estimated to be approximately 6000 years ago. Horses are just a small branch and the only species of the equine family that was once known as Equidae, that are still prevalent today. Over time, we have created more than 200 breeds to suit our need of them. From using big, stocky draft horses on the farm to fast, agile warmbloods on the battle field.

Chinese Equine medicine, like herbal remedies, were used thousands of years ago but there is no date linking it into the history of Veterinary medicine. In 1761, equine health care became part of the formal curriculum at the first veterinary school in the world, located in Lyon, France. Since then, 30 veterinary schools have been opened in the United States, all of which are AAVMC (Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges) members. To become a veterinarian you first have to complete a bachelors degree, which is four years of schooling. Next, you have to get accepted into vet school and then obtain you DVM. After you graduate with your DVM, you have to become licensed and gain experience.

Today, there are an abundance of different specialties you can go into if you wish to study equine veterinary medicine. You could go into sports medicine, which is similar to an athletic trainer for humans. The goal of these doctors is to rehabilitate and heal animals that have a pre-existing condition or injury. Some of these doctors even perform surgery on different parts of the body. Specializing in surgery is something that a lot of veterinarians decide not to do because of the complexity. Instead of focusing on surgeries in legs and muscles, they focus more on surgeries for colic and other deadly problems that can occur inside their large bodies. Specializing in horses in general is very common. These people typically either have their own practice or work for someone who does. A typical day would include giving vaccinations, drawing blood, and other fairly normal routine procedures. These veterinarians are licensed to do surgeries but most do not.

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