The 2014 American Association of Equine Practitioners’ Convention kicked off Saturday, Dec. 6, and runs through Wednesday, Dec. 10, in Salt Lake City. This conference brings together thousands of equine veterinarians and industry leaders for continuing education, networking, commerce, and camaraderie.

The actual scientific sessions and meetings start on Sunday, but many of your equine veterinarians—including myself—are here a day early to collaborate on numerous pertinent horse industry topics. AAEP holds committee meetings and forums all day on Saturday, and these closed sessions are conducted and attended by equine veterinarians.

Discussion topics during Saturday’s meetings and forums include equine welfare, public policy on horses and horse activities, ethics and professional conduct, sport horse care, podiatry and prepurchase exams, just to name a few. As equine practitioners, we are passionate about the horse and about anything to do with the horse, so your own equine veterinarian might be attending some of these meetings to volunteer their time to help investigate and solve some of the concerns of the horse, such as the wild mustang populations or legislature that concerns horse health or horse shows. We come together at the AAEP Convention for a common goal at a national and international level.

The meetings are one of the many times that committee members meet. As a volunteer, the committee may also communicate via list serve, conference calls, or even webinars throughout the year. We veterinarians try to find the time to fit this into our already packed schedule of seeing patients, spending time with family, and pursing personal hobbies. I find the talents of my colleagues to “change hats” impressive and the accomplishments achieved by a group of volunteers amazing