Volunteering as means to acquire equine veterinary practice associated competitions based on The American Association of Equine Practitioners

Introduction: There are minimum skills associated to equine management that are expected from recently graduated veterinarians. Students can acquire these skills through the “formal” route, during their classes, or through de “informal” route, for example through volunteering. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate that volunteering in a University equine breeding farm can facilitate the acquisition of basic equine management skills.

Materials and methods: The equine breeding farm has 5 mares, of which 3 were pregnant during 2022. Around 15 volunteers, from different levels of the career, participate in it by doing husbandry activities, with more experienced students helping those less experienced. After a semester, what was learned during these activities was compared with the basic skills proposed by the AAEP.

Results: Volunteers had the opportunity to put in practice skills associated to “Medical knowledge” such as estimating weight, recognizing pain, estimating the degree of dehydration, analyzing the basic components of a feed ration and making general recommendations based on caloric needs. Skills associated to examination such as performing a physical examination in foals and adults, auscultating and interpreting respiratory and gastrointestinal sounds, performing a neonatal examination, administration of oral medications and jugular vein puncture. In relation to the “Reproductive issues skills” they learned to place a tail bandage, palpate and discuss aspects of a failed reproductive cycle. From the “Daily management” skills they learned how to approach, capture and place a halter, lift and examine fore and hind limbs, tie a quick release knot and contention of a foal. Finally, for the “Locomotor system” they were able to carry out a musculoskeletal examination, perform a lameness examination and identify the affected limb, and identify angular limb/ flexion deformities in foals.

Conclusion: Informal activities such as volunteering allows the acquisition of competencies established by the AAEP.

References: American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP). 2022. Basic competencies for new graduates of the veterinary school. Available at: https://aaep.org/core-competencies