AYou say you are planning your summer vacation. You have hit upon the key to answering your own question. No matter if you are going on vacation with your horse or trailering your horse to a show or competition, the first and foremost thing that you can do to find a veterinarian when you are away from your local practitioner is plan ahead. Have a conversation with your veterinarian. Let him or her know where you are going. Your veterinarian might know someone in that location you can contact in the event of an emergency. The key is networking. By attending continuing education programs offered by the American Association of Equine Practitioners and other institutions, your veterinarian might be familiar with someone in that area, or at least know someone who knows someone who is a good equine practitioner.

Second, interacting with fellow horse owners is a good way to find information. Ask them if they have traveled to your planned destination and if they had to find a veterinarian away from home. Their experiences can be a great asset to you. Word of mouth is an excellent resource for information about equine practitioners.

A third way to find a veterinarian who specializes in equine practice is through the American Association of Equine Practitioners. The AAEP, in conjunction with the Bayer Corporation, has developed a national locator service for participating AAEP veterinarians. The sole objective of this program is to help horse owners locate participating AAEP member equine veterinarians anywhere in the United States and Canada. All you have to do is to dial 1-800-GET-A-DVM (1/800/438-2386). When a horse owner calls this number, an operator will ask for the caller’s location or zip code. Then from a computer, the operator pulls up that area and finds the name, address, and phone number of the AAEP veterinarians who have agreed to participate. The operator will generate a personalized letter to the caller listing the veterinarian chosen by the horse owner. This service also sends a letter to the AAEP veterinarian whose name was provided to the caller along with the caller’s name, address, and phone number. Knowing where you are going and planning ahead using this feature will help you be able to contact that veterinarian ahead of time. Doing your homework before you go can save a great deal of frustration if something bad should occur on your trip. This is a free service to both horse owners and to the AAEP equine veterinarians who participate in this program.

By using the AAEP and their member veterinarians, you are going to get someone who is familiar with the horse. You might not get a man or woman with all the answers, but you will get someone with equine knowledge. A small animal practitioner might be wonderful with dogs and cats, but might not be familiar with horse problems