The breadth of possible jobs within the equine industry astounds me. And then there are the niche areas within one particular career! Consider equine veterinarians. I was rapt to hear about a veterinarian from overseas who had come to Australia and was training to be a farrier. He told me about the Ride and Tie event that I’d never heard of before. I loved that a vet was undergoing further training so he could specialise in podiatry. (The main male character in my Thoroughbred Breeders series is doing this, by the way ;)). Did you know that there are specialist racing veterinarians? In fact, there is an International Group of Specialist Racing Veterinarians. Awesome!
So what is the IGSRV all about? This is an association that:
“unites regulatory racing veterinarians; advises authorities and encourages research on drugs, health and welfare of the horse. With the Association of Official Racing Chemists it organises the biennial International Conference of Racing Analysts and Veterinarians.”
It seems that the more that I learn about other horse careers, businesses and organisations, the more I realise are out there! (I’m making a note to now look into the Association of Official Racing Chemists for a future post ;)).
The IGSRV is made up of 86 members. These span across 32 racing nations. Now I know that the horse racing industry is one of our top employers within the nation of Australia. I have no doubt that could be true for other countries, too!
The International Group of Specialist Racing Veterinarians
What does the IGSRV do? It aims to:
- “act as an official association of veterinarians with similar interests
- advise authorities controlling horse racing/equine sports on veterinary matters relating…to:
- regulation/control of drugs/prohibited substances
- health and welfare of horses
- the control of disease
- act in collaboration with the Assoc. of Official Racing Chemists…to achieve effective regulation and control of drugs/prohibited substances in horses
- organize meetings of the International Conference of Racing Analysts and Veterinarians (ICRAV)
- promote:
- veterinary science re the rules of various controlling authorities
- research/knowledge on health, welfare, diseases, pharmacology and drug metabolism
- international goodwill.”
Membership is limited. Veterinarians need to be nominated by authorities that control racing and other equine sports. But I am sure there are a great many of these equine specialists out there! If your future career goal is to be an equine veterinarian, keep this association in mind.
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