Campaign Aims To Save Equine Vets From Injury

Owners are encouraged to help vets avoid career-threatening accidents

- Eleanor Jones

“DON’T break your vet” is the plea from the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA), and the title of its new campaign.

The initiative involves the release of videos aimed at helping owners protect vets, who have one of the highest risks of injury of all civilian professions.

According to a paper published in Equine Veterinary Education, on average, an equine vet sustains seven to eight work-related injuries that affect their ability to do their job, in a 30-year career.

In an attempt to help reduce this risk, BEVA has created a series of videos featuring vet Gemma Pearson, an equine behaviour specialist, who demonstrates how to teach horses to be calm during procedures such as vaccination.

“Too many vets get injured,” Ms Pearson told H&H.

“There is a place for more protective equipment, but one of the biggest things is that if horses are trained and handled better, so don’t react, you don’t need it.”

Ms Pearson has been working on her low-stress horse handling techniques since she saw a number of injuries while on a work placement before vet school.

“There is a risk inherent in the job but I think you can dramatically reduce it,” she said.

The videos show how techniques such as clicker training can calm needle-shy equines.

“What vets do can be uncomfortable,” Ms Pearson said. “So there’s a chance the horse can react at any time.