Vet med students help Equine Expo gallop along

When it comes to the equine care available at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM), clinicians have access to many advanced technologies and tools that allow them to provide cutting edge care.

By Jeanette Neufeld

While those who work with them daily are familiar with them, many horse owners don’t get a chance to see these tools in action unless their animal is sick. Each year the Saskatchewan Equine Expo presents a chance to take some of these tools out of the college’s Veterinary Medical Centre (VMC), allowing faculty, staff and students to share what makes the WCVM such a valuable resource to Western Canada’s equine industry.

“People really want to learn about the best way of helping their horse stay healthy,” said Samantha Deamel, a third-year Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) student and president of the WCVM Equine Club. “Education is really ingrained in the horse community.”

Horse owners and enthusiasts of all ages get to see what the WCVM’s equine program is all about through demonstrations, talks and displays—providing valuable information for those who are seasoned veterans of the horse industry or for those who are considering their first horse.

“In general, it’s an opportunity for horse people to get together. It promotes the horse industry within Saskatchewan, and as a college, it’s a chance to connect with the people who own horses or who might own horses,” says Dr. Stephen Manning, head of the VMC’s field service section and an associate professor in the WCVM’s Department of Large Animal Clinical Sciences.

Now in its sixth year, the Saskatchewan Equine Expo will run from Feb. 16 to 19 at Prairieland Park in Saskatoon. This four-day event attracts more than 9,000 visitors who are eager to learn more about horses.

Each year WCVM veterinary students are an important part of the event. They help set up events and demonstrations, and spend time answering questions at the equine education area that’s shared by the WCVM and the Saskatchewan Horse Federation (SHF). This is the second year of the partnership, and this year, the theme will focus on travelling with your horse.

“Where the students really shine is in the booth, interacting with kids and the public,” said Manning. “They’re very good ambassadors.”

Read more at WCVM Today.