Many entry-level equine veterinarians begin their practice careers with the idea that they have to serve all who call because they need the income. Certainly most new veterinarians have significant debt to repay and the tendency is to feel that more clients will equal more money. This attitude can lead to a severe downward spiral of veterinary attitude and subsequent loss of quality in the care that is given to the animals that are owned by the clients served. This talk is designed to emphasize that client empathy, knowledge of basic anatomy and physiology, and the ability to perform physical examinations will allow new graduates to provide quality care that clients will recognize and pay for!

Establishing a clientele can be a daunting task for a new graduate. Ideas will be presented that have helped establish an ambulatory practice based out of a University hospital where no practice had existed. Information regarding methods of maintaining and increasing a knowledge base about various equine disciplines will be given.

A fact of life in equine practice is that the practitioner must like to deal with colicky horses. This is an unfortunate, but common occurrence in the every day life of an ambulatory clinician. Case-based presentations will be used to describe the on-farm workup and treatment of various types of colic, followed by a discussion of when and how to refer to a surgical facility. The interaction between the client, ambulatory clinician and the receiving veterinarian at the facility will be reviewed.