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Equine practice 'must adapt to family life'
equine vet
"Choosing to be an equine vet shouldn't go hand in hand with giving up the rest of your life."
Majority of voters want better work-life balance

Equine practice needs to become more compatible with family life, according to BEVA members who took part in a 'moral maze' debate.

During the recent BEVA Congress, 92 per cent of members said the profession should adapt to offer better work-life balance.

BEVA believes this shift in attitudes could be due in part to the changing demographics of the profession - female vets now account for 76 per cent of new graduate intakes.

New president Mark Bowen said: "I'm not surprised that 92 per cent of voters supported the motion, given the fact that the recent VetFutures survey has shown a high rate of job dissatisfaction in equine practice.

"It reiterates the importance of moving with the times to evaluate the needs of working parents and make the equine veterinary workplace more adaptable to family life."

Delegates contended that by working smarter rather than harder, it is possible to have good work-life balance and be an effective vet in a successful equine practice.

Carolyne Crowe, a veterinary coach and mentor, said: "Choosing to be an equine vet shouldn't go hand in hand with giving up the rest of your life. Allowing flexibility within job roles should result in more engagement, productivity and thus economic benefit for the practice."

Job share was cited as a possible solution. In order to meet the level of consistency demanded by clients, it was suggested two vets of equal calibre could be introduced to the client from the outset.

Members of the audience offered examples of successful job sharing, concluding that the turnover generated by part time, job share employees is often higher than their full time equivalents.

BEVA says it is working on various projects to help address the needs of members seeking a better work-life balance. Further information on other initiatives will be announced towards the end of the year.

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Submissions open for BSAVA Clinical Research Abstracts 2026

News Story 1
 The BSAVA has opened submissions for the BSAVA Clinical Research Abstracts 2026.

It is an opportunity for applicants to present new research on any veterinary subject, such as the preliminary results of a study, discussion of a new technique or a description of an interesting case.

They must be based on high-quality clinical research conducted in industry, practice or academia, and summarised in 250 words.

Applications are welcome from vets, vet nurses, practice managers, and students.

Submissions are open until 6 March 2026. 

Click here for more...
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Survey seeks ruminant sector views on antimicrobial stewardship

A new survey is seeking views of people working in the UK ruminant sector on how to tackle the challenge of demonstrating responsible antibiotic stewardship.

Forming part of a wider, collaborative initiative, the results will help identify the types of data available so that challenges with data collection can be better understood and addressed.

Anyone working in the UK farming sector, including vets and farmers,is encouraged to complete the survey, which is available at app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk