The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) will continue its long history of providing premier continuing education for equine veterinarians when it sponsors its 52nd Annual Convention in San Antonio, TX, December 2-6. More than 4,000 practitioners, veterinary students and technicians attend the convention each year, making it the largest equine veterinary meeting in the world. The San Antonio Convention Facilities, located along San Antonio's famous River Walk, will be the primary location for convention events.

Program Chair Douglas G. Corey, DVM, and the Educational Programs Committee have developed a lineup of the most relevant veterinary issues and renowned experts. The convention will feature in-depth sessions covering a broad range of topics, such as hocks, palmar foot pain, wound management, muscle disorders and dermatology. Twenty-seven "How To" presentations will be
focused on techniques that can be applied immediately to the daily care of the horse, and four full afternoons of Table Topics will allow participants to engage in dialogue with colleagues on a variety of veterinary issues.

This year's featured speakers include distinguished colic researcher Nat A. White II, DVM, MS, DACVS. He will deliver the Frank J. Milne State-of-the-Art Lecture, "Equine Colic: A Real Pain in the Gut." The State-of-the-Art Lecture is produced by the AAEP Foundation, Inc., with support from Platinum Performance, an AAEP Educational Partner. Larry Bramlage, DVM, MS, DACVS and John Madigan, DVM, again will present the popular Kester News Hour, featuring a summary of newsworthy topics from the past year. The keynote speaker will be hall of fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas. 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, the Healthy Horses Workshop features veterinary experts delivering the latest advances in horse health. Topics this year include the geriatric horse, first aid, disease and lameness, colic and lameness. New this year will be an afternoon live horse demonstration on the problem horse featuring Dr. Mark Fitch and world-renowned trainer John Lyons. John Lyons is sponsored by Nutrena. The Healthy Horses Workshop, made possible by the AAEP's Educational Partners, will be held Saturday, December 2 from 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m. at the Freeman Coliseum Grounds. The pre-registration fee through Nov. 6 is $75; on-site registration is $90. Lunch is included with registration. For more information or to register, visit the AAEP's horse-health website, www.myHorseMatters.com.

· 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 lab. Sessions for veterinary technicians include neurological disease, equine vision and radiology. 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 enjoy dinner, dancing and live and silent auctions. Tickets are $70 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 330 exhibitors and optional Case-Based Dry Labs and wet labs. Several career programs for veterinary students also are planned. To learn more about the convention or to register online, visit www.aaep.org/convention.htm. For assistance, please contact the AAEP office at (859) 233-0147.~~~