AVMA guidelines for horse show veterinarians

Comment on this policy

The AVMA encourages members who serve as horse show veterinarians to recognize that the best interest of the horse should be their primary responsibility. Veterinarians who assume this responsibility should become familiar with the state and federal laws relating to equestrian competition and the rules of the governing body that oversees the equestrian discipline where they serve. Horse show veterinarians should be prepared to both practice within, and support enforcement of, these laws and rules. (A list of the organizations that oversee equestrian sports is available below)

The AVMA supports education for horse show veterinarians by encouraging scheduling of pertinent educational subjects at veterinary meetings and conventions and encouraging the publication and dissemination of educational material to veterinarians who are interested in horse show medicine.

The AVMA recognizes the role of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) related to oversight of veterinary conduct of horse show veterinarians, and supports the Veterinarian's Guide to Equestrian Competition Official Duties document adopted in 2020.

Areas of responsibility

Horse show veterinarians commonly fill one or more of three distinct roles:

  1. Official veterinarian employed by competition management, governing body, or state/local government with the primary functions of acting as a professional consultant to management and/or overseeing that rules related to veterinary care of horses are followed, including those related to drug testing and biosecurity.
  2. On-site veterinarian providing care for horses participating in the competition, including provision of emergency care when necessary. This role may be carried out by official veterinarians, or by private veterinarians working on the competition grounds at the individual request of horse owners or trainers. It is common for a veterinarian who is employed by competition management as an official veterinarian to be called upon by owners and trainers to act as a private veterinarian. These situations can present a conflict-of-interest. The veterinarian should recognize this conflict and be prepared to uphold their primary responsibility to the best interest of the horse, and to respect the laws and rules governing the sport.
  3. On-call private veterinarians. These veterinarians have agreed to be listed by competition management to provide emergency care for participating horses. As with all other roles, on-call veterinarians must be familiar with laws and rules governing the specific equestrian discipline where they are asked to serve and recognize that their primary responsibility is to the welfare of the horse. On-call veterinarians must also be committed to responding to all emergency calls from the competition.

Additional resources

The following organizations are responsible for oversight of competition for the majority of equestrian competitions:

American Cutting Horse Association
American Endurance Ride Conference
American Paint Horse Association
American Quarter Horse Association
Appaloosa Horse Club
Canadian Equestrian Federation
Federation Equestrian Internationale
National Cutting Horse Association
National Reined Cow Horse Association
National Snaffle Bit Association
Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association
United States Equestrian Federation (Note: many breed and sports associations are members of the USEF with rules and regulations under the USEF umbrella)
United States Polo Association
Women's Professional Rodeo Association