AAEP Annual Convention to Offer Quality Education for Veterinarians and Horse Owners
RELEASE: September 13, 2007
AUTHOR/ADMINISTRATOR: By Sally J. Baker
The 53rd Annual Convention of the American Association of Equine Practitioners will be held in Orlando, FL, December 1-5, continuing its long history of providing premier continuing education for equine veterinarians, veterinary technicians and horse owners. More than 3,000 practitioners, students and technicians attend the convention each year, making it the largest equine veterinary meeting in the world. The Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center will be the primary location for convention events.
Program Chair Eleanor M. Green, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, Dipl. ABVP, and the Educational Programs Committee have developed a line-up of the most relevant veterinary issues for today’s practitioner. The convention will feature in-depth sessions covering a broad range of topics such as infectious disease, lameness and perinatology. Twenty-seven “How To” presentations will focus on techniques that can be applied immediately to the daily care of the horse, and seven sessions of Table Topics will allow participants to engage in dialogue with colleagues on a variety of veterinary issues.
This year’s featured speakers include Dickson D. Varner, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACT. He will deliver the Frank J. Milne State-of-the-Art Lecture, “From a Sperm’s Eye View—Revisiting Our Perception of This Intriguing Cell.” The State-of-the-Art Lecture is produced by the AAEP Foundation, Inc., with support from Platinum Performance, an AAEP Educational Partner. The popular Kester News Hour will feature new presenters Margo Macpherson, DVM; Scott Palmer, VMD; and Bonnie Rush, DVM. They will review current equine literature in reproduction, medicine, lameness and surgery. This year’s keynote speech will be delivered by motivational speaker Connie Podesta. The keynote session is sponsored by Bayer HealthCare—Animal Health Division.
Other convention highlights include:
Healthy Horses Workshop, designed for horse owners and equine caregivers, features veterinary experts delivering the latest advances in horse health. Topics are equine dental care, acupuncture and chiropractic, how horses learn and one-step horsemanship. This year’s afternoon live-horse demonstration, titled “David O’Connor: A Revealing Look Into the Makings of a Champion” featuring Olympian David O’Connor, will give attendees a look into his past experiences and amazing accomplishments while he demonstrates the horsemanship skills needed to handle the green horse as well as the experienced horse. David O’ Connor is sponsored by EQUUS.
The Healthy Horses Workshop, made possible by the AAEP’s educational and media partners, will be held Saturday, December 1 from 8 a.m.–6 p.m. at the Osceola Heritage Park, Kissimmee Valley Livestock Show Pavilion. The pre-registration fee through November 7 is $75; on-site registration is $90. Lunch is included with registration. For more information or to register, visit the Horse Owner section of
www.aaep.org.
Veterinary Technician Program—The American Association of Equine Veterinary Technicians, in conjunction with the AAEP, will offer a two-day education program and optional wet labs. Sessions for veterinary technicians include anesthesia, sample handling for infectious disease and controlled substances. The program is sponsored by Merial Ltd.
AAEP Foundation Celebration and Auction—As the largest annual fundraiser for the AAEP Foundation, the Celebration promises a night of fun and philanthropy. Attendees will enjoy dinner, dancing and live and silent auctions and a special performance featuring Shamu. Tickets are $85 per person and can be purchased in advance or at the convention. The Celebration is produced with the support of Fort Dodge Animal Health, an AAEP Educational Partner.
In addition, the convention will feature a sold-out trade show with over 375 exhibitors and optional case-based dry l