Down Under

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I recently had a chance to make a quick trip to Australia. And I mean a QUICK trip. I had barely recovered from the jet lag before I had to return. However, I was able to learn some interesting bits and pieces while there. Certainly, the outbreak of influenza has greatly impacted equine activities, particularly in New South Wales. One of the veterinary clinics that I visited indicated that business for the season was about half of normal because of the inability to move animals during this outbreak. Lack of stringent import regulations appears to be one of the major reasons for the outbreak. It seems to be taking a while for governmental regulations to be put in place, as well as scaling up to have enough vaccine for all of the animals.

I was interested in visiting the area around Tamworth, because this is considered the Cutting Horse capital of Australia. The local and federal governments have made a tremendous investment in a first-class equestrian facility in Tamworth, scheduled for completion in August, which will be used to hold numerous horse shows and sales. The Quarter Horse industry in this area is similar to that in Texas, and the area is home to the Cutting Horse Futurity.

Similar to the United States, there appears to be a shortage of equine veterinarians in Australia. The number of veterinary schools is quite small compared with the United States and, just like the United States, the number of students that elect to become equine practitioners is a relatively small percentage of the students that are being graduated. Thus, there appears to be an opportunity for US vets to work a season in Australia, because their breeding season is the opposite of ours in the northern hemisphere. If you get a chance to visit Australia, you will find the veterinarians extremely hospitable and interested in what is happening in the United States.