Some of you may recall from last year’s State of the Equine Veterinary Industry blog post that I was asked to be part of the team that puts together and presents the Business News Hour at the annual AAEP convention. A quick refresher if you don’t remember what the Business News Hour is: AAEP (American Association of Equine Practitioners) puts on an annual conference hosting equine veterinarians from around the world – usually between 4,000 and 5,000 attendees. The Business News Hour presentation is just what it sounds like – a collection of things in the news over the previous year, specific to the equine veterinary community, that affect the equine and/or veterinary world. It is presented by 3 veterinarians.
I think it’s worth discussing some of the highlights of the News Hour to give our clients and readers insight into what the equine veterinary community is talking and worried about.
State of the Horse Industry
American Horse Publications did a big survey data release in 2025. In that data, there are a couple of interesting tidbits that led to great conversations at and around the convention.
The first is the fact that respondents (horse owners) believe that the current important issues facing the horse industry are a) cost of horse keeping, b) land use, and c) access to equine care. This is the first time that horse keeping costs has been number 1 on this list. Also, the recognition by the horse owning population that access to equine care is an issue. The fact of the matter is that there are less equine veterinarians available and that number continues to decline.
Another hot discussion point centered around telemedicine and telehealth. In the survey, the majority of horse owners were willing to pay at least something for a telemedicine consult. Most equine veterinarians want to make sure they provide the best care possible, and in that, they begin to sacrifice personal time. The line between work and regular life begins to blur as email, text, voicemails barrage the veterinarian. If that veterinarian is a solo or small practice, they may or may not have non-medical staff to help with that communication control. With the advancements in technology/AI, some of these things certainly become more efficient, but that itself requires time for the busy veterinarian to understand and implement such things.
State of the Equine Veterinary Profession
According to the AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association), equine veterinarians are just 3.4% of the practicing veterinarians in the United States. Age wise, 48% of those are over 50 years old, and 27% is over 60 years old. As retirement looms for these individuals, the shortage of services will become far more prevalent. Also in the data, 60% of equine vets aren’t looking to increase their workload… which I translate into, “I don’t want to take on new clients.”
From a legislative standpoint, there were some significant changes in 2025 for the veterinary community. On the equine side, many of these practices are small businesses and the changes brought about by the “One Big Beautiful Bill” have significant effect. These can potentially help practices leverage tax benefits to be able to purchase relatively expensive equipment such as x rays and ultrasounds. The OBBB also extended the student loan repayment benefit, where business owners can help a new graduate veterinarian with their student loan repayment without tax ramifications.
Another important piece of news came from the Federal Trade Commission. Many veterinarians sign a “non-compete” when they take a job with a company. Right or wrong, non-competes are a thing. There are arguments for both sides of the coin for sure. As of the end of last year, the FTC was forced to let go of their assertion that ALL non-competes were to be prohibited. Now, we are left with state to state and case by case determination of legality of any given non-compete.
At a state level, Colorado continues to be at the forefront of veterinary news with the “veterinary professional associate” profession. With very little support from the veterinary community (virtually all of the professional organizations within veterinary medicine), Prop 129 in Colorado created a “Mid-Level Practitioner,” who will theoretically be allowed to practice veterinary medicine – able to diagnose, create a treatment plan, and perform surgery. This, with an educational experience of 53 credit hours. 40 of which would be online and only 13 hours of in-person training. Put plainly, this is dangerous for animals, consumers, and our food supply. It is honestly an insult to the veterinary students putting in time and money to become veterinarians. Over a year since the prop was passed there are still more questions than answers, but CSU continues to tout that they will begin educating these students in the fall of this year. I could write tomes regarding the pitfalls of this position, but that then becomes opinion!
I could write pages more from the Business News Hour, but we will call these the highlights and pertinent things for Colorado in particular. I could also write a tome regarding the state of the equine veterinary industry… it’s a passion of mine, and our industry is changing at so many levels. The economics, the shrinkage, and the technological changes are just a few of the vital ones. As these times change, I believe the interaction and the exchange of care for our equine patients will change as well. The level of accountability of the horse owner (or an agent of that owner), will have to increase. Cost of equine veterinary care is on the rise and without action by the horse owning community, there will be fewer equine veterinarians, which will lead to a supply and demand issue, driving prices higher. Helping and understanding the conditions and nuances that are happening with equine vets will at some level allow horse owners to control their own destiny.
