Lisa Hinder, president of the Student Chapter of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (SCAAEP), and approximately 20 other University of Florida veterinary students who belong to SCAAEP have had a regimen of activities that would make most people downright dizzy.

January through March had students volunteering their help with performance events such as horse trials, driving and dressage. Special lectures by UF faculty specializing in equine acupuncture, dentistry and reproduction are scheduled, along with day trips to Peterson & Smith equine practice specialists in Ocala. SCAAEP operated the pony rides that have become so popular at Open House, which was held on April 21.

Prime among the group’s upcoming activities was a trip to Calder Race Course in Miami in mid-April. The club’s watched horses at the track being exercised, toured facilities, and joined track veterinarians for morning rounds.

“The AAEP gave us $500 to help with our expenses this year,” Hinder said. “Last year, they gave $250 to each student chapter for one student to attend the national annual meeting.”

Yearly activities include attendance at the Ocala Equine conference and local seminars featuring speakers from the UF equine teaching hospital faculty. The SCAAEP also plans to hold its own conference this fall, consisting of a full day of lectures and a day of wet labs.

“SCAAEPs offer extraordinary opportunities for equine-oriented students to enrich their veterinary education with a myriad of experiences which otherwise might not be included in an already packed curriculum,” said Dr. Eleanor Green, chairman of the college’s department of large animal clinical sciences. She also is heading up the AAEP’s Internship and Student Relations Committee, a new group that will focus on enhancing veterinary student education and leadership capabilities of its future members through support of SCAAEPS.

In December, the college’s SCAAEP brought Scott King of Purina to Gainesville to speak to the club and local practitioners about the latest information on equine nutrition for breeding and performance horses—two of the group’s primary interests.

“It was really wonderful and we received a lot of positive feedback,” Hinder said. The college’s new equine extension veterinarian, Dr. Gen Fontaine, already has tapped the interests and creativity of the SCAAEP, inviting them to help her organize and participate in several upcoming conferences. In addition, she hopes the group will assist her in reaching out to local 4-H groups.

“Our goal really is to expose students as much as possible to what is going on in the equine industry,” Hinder said. “We also want to expand our community service through such venues as 4-H and the local Thoroughbred retirement farm.”

There’s no doubt the club has filled its calendar with more than everyone can always take advantage of—even willing veterinary students racing at breakneck speed.

“I figure we’re all so busy that there is never a time that is good for everybody,” Hinder explains. “So we try to put in as many activities as possible to increase the likelihood that people will be able to participate more often.”