How to Become an Equine Veterinary Specialist

If you are a lover of horses, working to improve the health and lives of these spirited animals can be a highly rewarding career. Becoming a board certified veterinarian specializing in the treatment of horses requires years of study and practice, including college, veterinary school and a residency period, plus passing the board exam. At the end of this path of study, you will earn the title ABVP-boarded Diplomate, certified in equine practice. Here are a few tips for pursuing this promising career tract.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

1. Graduate from a four-year college or university program. This is a pre-requisite to admission to a veterinary school. A pre-med curriculum will provide the best preparation for acceptance into a veterinary school as well as give you a good foundation for the advanced course of study.

2. Contact the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) for a current list of accredited veterinary medical schools. Select a school and apply for admission. Complete the four-year program.

3. Pass the veterinary medical board examination. If you plan to practice in a state other than the one in which you graduated, you must also pass that state’s board exam.

4. Contact the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners (ABVP). This organization certifies practitioners in nine distinct veterinary specialties, including equine practice. The remainder of your career preparation will be guided by the ABVP.

5. Complete either: six years of acceptable experience in the equine veterinary practice as defined by the ABVP, or a two-year residency program, approved in advance by the ABVP Residency Committee, preceded by one year of active practice or a rotating internship.

6. Begin to assemble your application packet to the ABVP for approval. Sitting for the board exam is contingent upon approval of the packet by the ABVP board. The packet is an extensive collection of educational and professional materials that will take some time to collect. Begin the collection process as early as possible. Submit the package to the ABVP examination committee. It takes approximately five months for the board to review the packets. This time is best spent preparing for the exam. Register for the exam as soon as you are notified of the board’s acceptance of your application.

7. Take the four-day board exam to receive certification. There are two parts to the exam: The Specialty Exam tests the applicant’s knowledge with regard to equine veterinary practice. The Practical Exam tests the applicant’s clinical abilities. Upon passing the exam, the applicant will be an ABVP-boarded Diplomate, certified in Equine Practice.

Tips & Warnings

• The ABVP has a mentor program, which provides individual assistance with the application, credentialing and examination processes leading to certification in equine practice. Mentors are volunteer veterinarians who have completed the process and who are offering to assist veterinarians working to become Diplomates. A list of mentors is available on the ABVP website.
• See the ABVP Handbook for details on every facet of the equine veterinary specialist certification process. The handbook is online at the ABVP website.

Resources

• American Board of Veterinary Practitioners
• American Veterinary Medical Association