The future of vetting

The veterinary world has evolved significantly over the past 20 years, but where is the industry heading? Stephanie Bateman speaks to vets to find out more

- Stephanie Bateman

THE equine industry is notorious for being slow moving, but one area that has undoubtedly moved on in the past decade is the veterinary sector. Alongside developments in medicine and diagnostic tools, we’ve also witnessed a change in the way vets are working and how clients are utilising the service.

One of the biggest areas of change is the replacement of small equine practices with larger corporate hospitals and the use of portable equipment.

“The introduction of portable equipment means that more is done on yards and there is less requirement for people to bring their horses to clinics,” says Chris Tufnell MRCVS, director of Coach House Vets Ltd. “We run a small practice in West Berkshire that has operating facilities and outpatient care, and we’ve been thoroughly disrupted over the past 20 years. With many procedures being carried out at clients’ yards, it’s now only higher referral and procedures requiring specific expertise that happen at centres, and nowadays they are more likely to take place at large equine hospitals than smaller practices.”

Chris believes that, from an operational standpoint, the industry will soon see more ambulatory vets, possibly with a small base for outpatient-type work and then larger centres of excellence for clinical treatment.

Another key change the industry has witnessed is the buying out of equine practices by big corporate companies.