AAEP Convention Highlights

A review of the 54th annual AAEP convention

by Dave Sauter, DVM, Kulshan Veterinary Hospital

The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) is a non-profit organization for equine veterinarians.  Founded in 1954 in the basement of a Louisville, Kentucky hotel with eleven charter members, the AAEP has expanded to over 9,000 veterinarian and student members in 64 countries.  The mission of the AAEP is to protect the health and welfare of the horse through equine research, public education programs, involvement with animal welfare affairs and ethics, and professional development programs for its members.  

2008 Convention Highlights

This year over 3200 veterinarians, students and veterinary technicians from around the globe gathered in San Diego, California from December 6-10 for the annual AAEP convention.  Total attendance exceeded 6500, representing the third-largest turnout in the convention's history.  Over 100 scientific papers were presented along with a huge selection of less formal “Table Topic” meetings on myriad subjects including lameness, an in-depth focus on laminitis, neurology, reproduction, dentistry, internal medicine, imaging, neonatology, emergency care at equine events and more.  

The “Kester News Hour,” designed to present topics either too recent or too brief to be included in the regular meeting, was one of the highlights. The late General Wayne “Sage” Kester, a native of Nebraska, helped form the AAEP in 1954 and was instrumental in forming the American Horse Council and numerous specialty groups within veterinary medicine.  Dr. Kester was an avid horseman who remarked at age 90 that little had changed for him as he got older except life insurance salesman didn’t pursue him anymore and he no longer purchased green bananas.  

Another highlight was the Frank Milne State of the Art lecture. This year’s speaker was Dr. Stephen Reed, a 1976 graduate of The Ohio State University who is considered an expert in the field of equine neurology.  He is the author of over 150 published articles, editor of Equine Internal Medicine (a textbook for veterinarians) and co-editor of the book Equine Neurology.  He lectured on many aspects of equine neurology, including the neurological examination of the horse, wobblers syndrome, equine protozoal myelitis (EPM), and herpes (Rhino).  Dr. Reed reviewed many advances in equine neurological diagnostics and treatments that are helping horses survive, commenting that “neurological disease is no longer a euphemism for necropsy.”

Scholarships and Charity

The AAEP Foundation is the charitable arm of the AAEP, founded in 1994 to unite individuals and organizations dedicated to improving horse health and well being.  The foundation supports research in equine lameness, laminitis, colic and other areas. This year, the foundation's live and silent auctions raised over $118,000.  In 2008 alone, the foundation awarded 48 scholarships totaling $190,000 to help fund the education of veterinary students committed to equine careers, assisting them with the estimated $106,000 of debt the average new veterinary graduate faces.

Horse Owner Highlights

Veterinarians aren't the only ones who benefit from attending the convention. The Healthy Horses Workshop, an educational day designed just for horse owners, featured seminars on subjects such as eye diseases, training and control from the ground, pain-free saddle fitting and nutrition.  Also, Gina Miles spoke about her experiences as a silver medalist in eventing at the Olympics.  

Recognizing the vital role of farriery and podiatry to the health and welfare of the horse, the AAEP once again organized a Farrier Program at this year’s convention.  Farriers were invited to participate in this day-long session on issues such as management of hoof wall separations and quarter cracks, the use of composites, foot and limb deformities in foals, breakover enhancement and other issues surrounding the prevention and treatment of lameness. Having farriers and veterinarians come together was informative and a lot of fun, too!

The trade show was another enjoyable aspect of the convention.  Watching veterinarians and technicians wander the huge trade show hall to view the hundreds of exhibits was like watching kids in a candy store.  It was a great opportunity to shop and compare equipment and supplies.  

If the Healthy Horses Expo or the Farrier Program sound interesting, mark your calendar for the 55th annual convention, to be held in Las Vegas, Nevada the first week of December. This is the same week as the National Finals Rodeo, so the trip should be both informative and fun.

Check out the AAEP web site at www.aaep.org to learn more about horse health, unwanted horses, and other topics of interest to horse owners.