I REGULARLY attend equine vets’ meetings, where the hoary old chestnut of the future provision of equine veterinary services is discussed in depth. Commonly, equine practitioners speak of:

  • a ‘crisis’ in recruitment and retention; that
  • we are not attracting enough new vets (and indeed vet nurses, but let’s park that for now!) to our ranks; and that
  • we are failing to hold on to those we have.

    • In future, we may not have sufficient resources to service the needs of our horses and those who own them – to the obvious detriment of the industries/sports of which we are part, but also the welfare of the horses at their heart.