The 54th Annual Convention of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) will be held in San Diego, CA, December 6-10, continuing its long history of providing unsurpassed professional development for equine veterinarians. 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 Diego Convention Center will be the primary location for convention events.

Program Chair Harry W. Werner, VMD, and the Educational Programs Committee have developed a line-up of the most relevant veterinary issues and renowned experts. The convention will feature in-depth sessions covering a broad range of topics, such as infectious disease, lameness and theriogenology. Current equine industry health and safety issues will be addressed, with an entire session devoted to emergency care at equine events and an interactive discussion about medication use in racing and performance horses.

This year’s featured speakers include Stephen M. Reed, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM. He will deliver the Frank J. Milne State-of-the-Art Lecture, “A Review of Selected Neurological Diseases Affecting Horses.” The popular Kester News Hour will feature Drs. Margo Macpherson, Scott Palmer and Bonnie Rush, who will review current equine literature in reproduction, medicine, lameness and surgery. The keynote speaker is economist and futurist Lowell Catlett. Other convention highlights include:

Healthy Horses Workshop—Designed for horse owners and equine caregivers, the Healthy Horses Workshop features veterinary experts discussing the latest advances in horse health. Topics this year include behavior, nutrition, saddle-fitting, ophthalmology and Olympic equine medicine. The Olympic Individual Silver medallist in eventing—Gina Miles—will share her experiences from the Hong Kong Games. The workshop will be held Saturday, December 6 from 8:00 a.m.–5:30 p.m. at the Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel Douglas Pavilion A. For more information or to register, visit www.aaep.org/horseowner.

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 anesthesia, pain management and colic triage.

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 with live entertainment from cowboy, poet and humorist Baxter Black and music from Grammy Award-winning artist Lyle Lovett. Tickets are $90 per person and can be purchased in advance or at the convention.

In addition, the convention will feature a sold-out trade show with over 392 exhibitors and optional case-based dry 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.