This article has appeared previously with Equestrian Life. To see what's in our latest digital issue, click here.

The ultimate goal of everyone should be the health and happiness of our horses.

Working together for best outcomes

By Dr Maxine Brain

As an equine vet, I feel it is important to for owners to promote a good relationship between their vet and all other healthcare professionals who provide a service to your horse.

I have worked with and conversed with many individuals in the equine world, and never once have I found anyone who has been 100% right, 100% of the time. In times gone by, it was not uncommon for vets to bang heads with other health providers involved in the care of the same horse, such as farriers, physiotherapists or dentists.

In my experience, it wasn’t necessarily just the vet that instigated the disagreement regarding how an owner should proceed with their horse, as farriers would dispute hoof care and physios would differ on management programs and the fallout was a confused owner and an unhappy horse. Thus, in the best interest of the horse, it is important that everyone is open-minded, communicative and works together as a team.

As an owner, you should take a proactive role and encourage a good relationship between all healthcare providers, and not be responsible for, or propagate, any bad blood between them. For example, if the horse is lame and the vet believes the lameness comes from the foot, don’t say to the farrier: “The vet said it is footsore, so it must be your fault.” Similarly, the vet should refrain from making those sorts of comments, and if he or she inadvertently does, then don’t be so quick to pass on the negative comments, but rather exercise some tact in the interest of better relationships...

Click here to read the full article FREE in the August 2022 issue of Equestrian Life magazine.

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