For most of us, our formal education might have ended upon graduation from high school or college. With our trusty sheepskin, we entered bravely into the world of the gainfully employed, with only the occasional nightmare of imagining having enrolled in a class we never attended or showing up clad only in books and boxers reminding us of classroom days. For your equine veterinarian, however, school is never out.

Case in point is the annual convention of the American Association of Equine Practitioners. Should you attempt to ring your veterinarian during December, it is very likely that your veterinarian, or one of his or her associates, is attending this convention. Nearly half of all veterinarians whose practices focus on the horse attend the meeting, which this year is being held in Phoenix, Ariz. This is just one of several opportunities veterinarians have to receive required “continuing education” credits.

In most states, your veterinarian is required to document these continuing education credits–much like the hours per semester you earned–to the state licensing agency in order to retain his or her license and continue performing as a veterinarian in that state. In some cases, veterinarians carry licenses in multiple states and are therefore required to fulfill each state’s licensing requirements.

While the benefit to the veterinarian might be obvious, the benefit to you as a horse owner is even greater. For example, while attending the AAEP convention in Phoenix this month, your veterinarian will be able to learn more about what makes a test for equine protozoal myelitis (EPM) a “false positive” or “false negative;” how new treatments for EPM can be effective; whether or not riding a horse while it has the flu is a good idea; whether or not foal vaccinations are effective and what kind of vaccinations work best; how to work with problem pregnancies; and ways to better handle injuries, like fractures or joint problems, as well as approximately 90 other choices