Statement
At the start of my final year I boldly stated that I would NEVER be an equine vet, seeing no opportunity for my non horse-riding self to enter this seemingly terrifying sphere of veterinary medicine. Fast forward several years and I've been an equine vet for 12 years, spoken at BEVA Congresses, volunteered with BEVA Trust, been a part of working groups such as CANTER and ProtectMe Too and helped out with the Mumsvet initiatives. What changed my mind was a couple of lucky breaks and more importantly, time spent with qualified vets, mentors and organisations, that showed me the diverse opportunities an equine vet can have. If I am elected I will champion raising awareness of the richness an equine based career can bring amongst students and recent graduates and work with members to identify what they need to stay being happy equine vets and how BEVA can help.
Issues of particular interest:
After 7 years of mixed practice in the UK and New Zealand, volunteering abroad for working equid charities and over a decade with The Donkey Sanctuary, my background is very much first opinion horse work and, of course, donkeys. Although a niche area, this is still a role that sees me heavily involved in education, welfare, research opportunities and I have a keen interest in all things medicine related. Consequently I am enthusiastic about being involved in working groups exploring any of these topics.
I am a huge advocate for encouraging people to consider an equine career, including all those routes that are less 'mainstream clinical practice,' and working to identify barriers and solutions to staying within the profession.
As a Vet Sustain champion and a recent MSc in One Health graduate, those areas where equine, environmental and human health and welfare intersect are a major focus for me.