Your veterinarian wants to be your partner in caring for the horses in your care and educating the owners of those horses. If that is not the case, then you need to find another veterinarian!
Vets are busy; that’s the nature of their business. They have farm/stable calls every day, sometimes seven days a week! They work long hours, and they expend their energy and education to keep horses healthy and make them well.
Veterinarians would much rather help you keep horses healthy than have to address a problem that could have been prevented. One way to do this is make sure you are educated in the latest health issues in your area and have best practices for general health management of individual animals and herds. Your equine veterinarian should be your partner in these efforts.
But if you aren’t asking your veterinarian to help you educate the owners in your stable, then you are ignoring a valuable resource for yourself and your clients.
Most veterinarians are happy to spend time educating horse owners, either as they are examining or treating their horses, or by giving educational talks to those at your facility.
If you ask your veterinarian to take a more active role in educating horse owners at your farm or stable, try to make it as easy and time-efficient as you can for the veterinarian by following these suggestions:
- Set a date and time that works for her/him.
- Start and end on time.
- Ensure your owners are notified so they can attend and the veterinarian isn’t just talking to two people from a 24-owner barn.
- Provide light refreshments.
- Thank the veterinarian.
Get your equine veterinarian involved in the care of your horses. You, your owners and the horses will be glad you did!
