Doug Byars, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, of Georgetown, Ky., was the first private equine veterinarian to receive the Robert W. Kirk Award for Professional Excellence in the award’s 18-year history. Byars received the award at the 25th annual American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) Forum in June. The Kirk Award “honors individuals who have provided meritorious contributions to the veterinary profession.”

“The 2007 recipient of the Kirk Award is a pioneer, a visionary, and has been an important voice for veterinary medicine, particularly equine medicine and the horse industry, for 33 years,” said Thomas Divers, DVM, Dipl. ACECC, ACVIM, a professor of medicine at Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, before presenting Byars with the award. “His pioneering success in establishing a valued role for equine internist in private practice opened the door for the many equine internists in private practice today.”

COURTESY ACVIM Dr. Doug Byars (center) was named the 2007 Robert W. Kirk Award for Professional Excellence winner. Dr. Tom Divers (right) and Dr. Wendy Ware, ACVIM Board Chair Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content. TheHorse.com is home to thousands of free articles about horse health care. In order to access some of our exclusive free content, you must be signed into TheHorse.com. Start your free account today! SIGN UP Already have an account? Login and continue reading. Share Kimberly S. Brown Kimberly S. Brown is the editor of EquiManagement/EquiManagement.com and the group publisher of the Equine Health Network at Equine Network LLC. MORE ARTICLES BY THIS AUTHOR PrevPreviousAHC: Horse Show Industry has Significant Economic Impact NextNew Respiratory Ailment Identified; Progressive Disease Might Have Link to EHV-5Next Related Articles Case Study: Rehabilitating the Neurologic EPM Horse Mare Colostrum Quality Effects on Foal IgG Levels and Weight Dysphagia in Newborn Foals Large Colon Volvulus in the Postpartum Mare Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with FREE weekly newsletters from TheHorse.com Learn More Sponsored Content Feeding Young Growing Horses to Reduce the Risk of Developmental Orthopedic Disease  A Challenging Laminitis Case in a PPID Pony Wound Care Strategies for Healing Wounds in Horses No posts found Weekly Poll sponsored by: Has your horse started shedding his winter coat? Yes, he sheds effectively on his own. Yes, and I help him lose it with regular grooming. No, he still has his winter coat. No, I body clipped him this year. 269 votes · 269 answers VOTEView poll resultsBack to vote View All Polls Readers’ Most Popular 10 Scientific Principles of Horse Training—the ‘Future of Horse Sport’?  Study: Shoe Types and Combinations Modify Neck and Back Movement 5 Management Changes for Horses With Equine Metabolic Syndrome Understanding, Recognizing, and Managing Pain in Horses No posts found Top Categories Breeding and Reproduction Nutrition Horse Care Hoof Care Diseases and Conditions Vet and Professional Partners in Equine Health Seek the advice of a qualified veterinarian before proceeding with any diagnosis, treatment, or therapy. Follow us Youtube Instagram Pinterest Facebook Twitter Our Sites Resources Company Your Privacy Choices Data Subject Access Request Cookie Consent Privacy Policy Seek the advice of a qualified veterinarian before proceeding with any diagnosis, treatment, or therapy. Copyright ©2025 Equine Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without written permission of Equine Network, LLC is prohibited. THE HORSE, THE HORSE logo, THEHORSE.com and THEHORSE.com logo are trademarks of Equine Network, LLC. Sign In Username Password Remember Me Log In Lost your password? Don’t have an account? Register for a FREE account here. Create a free account with TheHorse.com! "*" indicates required fields Name* First Last Email* Mobile Phone Password* Enter Password Confirm Password Country* United StatesCanadaAfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAmerican SamoaAndorraAngolaAnguillaAntarcticaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaArmeniaArubaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelgiumBelizeBeninBermudaBhutanBoliviaBonaire, Sint Eustatius and SabaBosnia and HerzegovinaBotswanaBouvet IslandBrazilBritish Indian Ocean TerritoryBrunei DarussalamBulgariaBurkina FasoBurundiCambodiaCameroonCape VerdeCayman IslandsCentral African RepublicChadChileChinaChristmas IslandCocos IslandsColombiaComorosCongo, Democratic Republic of theCongo, Republic of theCook IslandsCosta RicaCroatiaCubaCuraçaoCyprusCzech RepublicCôte d'IvoireDenmarkDjiboutiDominicaDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEquatorial GuineaEritreaEstoniaEswatini (Swaziland)EthiopiaFalkland IslandsFaroe IslandsFijiFinlandFranceFrench GuianaFrench PolynesiaFrench Southern TerritoriesGabonGambiaGeorgiaGermanyGhanaGibraltarGreeceGreenlandGrenadaGuadeloupeGuamGuatemalaGuernseyGuineaGuinea-BissauGuyanaHaitiHeard and McDonald IslandsHoly SeeHondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIranIraqIrelandIsle of ManIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJerseyJordanKazakhstanKenyaKiribatiKuwaitKyrgyzstanLao People's Democratic RepublicLatviaLebanonLesothoLiberiaLibyaLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacauMacedoniaMadagascarMalawiMalaysiaMaldivesMaliMaltaMarshall IslandsMartiniqueMauritaniaMauritiusMayotteMexicoMicronesiaMoldovaMonacoMongoliaMontenegroMontserratMoroccoMozambiqueMyanmarNamibiaNauruNepalNetherlandsNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNicaraguaNigerNigeriaNiueNorfolk IslandNorth KoreaNorthern Mariana IslandsNorwayOmanPakistanPalauPalestine, State ofPanamaPapua New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPitcairnPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarRomaniaRussiaRwandaRéunionSaint BarthélemySaint HelenaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint MartinSaint Pierre and MiquelonSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSamoaSan MarinoSao Tome and PrincipeSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSeychellesSierra LeoneSingaporeSint MaartenSlovakiaSloveniaSolomon IslandsSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth GeorgiaSouth KoreaSouth SudanSpainSri LankaSudanSurinameSvalbard and Jan Mayen IslandsSwedenSwitzerlandSyriaTaiwanTajikistanTanzaniaThailandTimor-LesteTogoTokelauTongaTrinidad and TobagoTunisiaTurkeyTurkmenistanTurks and Caicos IslandsTuvaluUS Minor Outlying IslandsUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUruguayUzbekistanVanuatuVenezuelaVietnamVirgin Islands, BritishVirgin Islands, U.S.Wallis and FutunaWestern SaharaYemenZambiaZimbabweÅland Islands Profile Do you own a horse? Yes No How many horses do you own? Do you own a horse trailer? Yes No Do you own a horse farm? Yes No What is your primary involvement in the horse industry? Horse OwnerRiderTrainerFarrierVeterinarian or Vet StudentVet Technician or Vet Tech StudentOther (Please Specify) Other Involvement In which equestrian disciplines do you ride, show, or participate? Western English Newsletter Offers Weekly Newsletters Horse Health - the latest in horse health care, disease, and equine research, delivered to your inbox once a week. Nutrition - Equine nutrition and feeding strategies Soundness & Lameness - Recognizing, treating, and preventing injuries to keep your horse sound Welfare & Industry - Equine welfare and rescue, and news of the worldwide horse industry Reader Favorites - The most viewed content from TheHorse.com delivered in a convenient weekly digest Monthly Newsletters Equine Behavior - How and why horses act the way they do and how to correct problem behaviors Breeding - Breed and raise the healthier horses with help from the world's foremost breeding experts Older Horse Care - How to take the best possible care of your senior equine friends Sports Medicine - All aspects of caring for performance horses Vet & Professional - News and issues for equine health professionals Other Newsletters In-Depth - News, in-depth information, and timeless tips on a particular health problem or aspect of horse care Equine Innovators - Stay updated with insightful interviews featuring leading equine researchers from top universities and institutions in this podcast series. TheHorse.com Announcements - Event notifications and special promotions from TheHorse.com TheHorse.com Partners and Special Offers - Special offers from TheHorse.com's partners SMS Notifications - I would like to receive text messages with special offers and more from Equine Network and its affiliates. Data rates may apply. By clicking "subscribe", I consent to Equine Network’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service and I represent that I am over 16 years old. Close GDPR Cookie Settings Privacy Overview Strictly Necessary Cookies Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance Privacy Overview This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful. Strictly Necessary Cookies Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings. Enable or Disable Cookies Enabled Disabled If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again. Enable All Save Settings