Performance Horse Ethics for Early-Career Veterinarians

At the 2025 American Association of Equine Practitioners convention, members of the Early Career, Performance Horse, and Professional Conduct and Ethics committees led a dynamic case-based panel discussion about Practical Performance Horse Ethics: Guiding the Next Generation. The six panel members included Sarah Cohen, DVM; Rachel Buchholz, DVM; Allison Marshall, DVM; Sam Parkinson, DVM, DABVP; Katy White, DVM, CVMMP; and Matt Klotz, DVM.  

Buchholz described sport horse medicine as “super high pressure, ethically challenging, and at times, morally ambiguous,” noting that those challenges are sure to be more difficult early in a veterinarian’s career. The session was billed as an interactive discussion where questions and different viewpoints were welcomed and encouraged. 

The panel responded to various scenarios and then opened the discussion to the audience. After each scenario was complete, the corresponding AAEP ethical guideline was revealed to further support ethical practices. 

Scenario 1: Transparency in PPEs 

The first scenario was a prepurchase exam (PPE) where the veterinarian had prior familiarity with the horse being examined, and there were no options for an alternative doctor to perform the service. How does the veterinarian move forward while providing excellent and ethical service to all parties involved?  

White recommended always trying to avoid this scenario but agreed that sometimes it is impossible. In those cases, she advised following the ethical frameworks put forth by the AVMA and the AAEP, where you have access to the horse’s complete medical records and all parties are transparently informed of your potential conflict of interest. When an associate feels pressure from the practice owner to please a high-profile client, she encouraged proceeding with “ethical and moral purity.”  

“There is a path forward to do this ethically,” said Cohen, even in an area that is horse dense and veterinarian dense. Sometimes, you know the horse and its current owner very well, and in those cases, “you have to know who you are working for and do it with purity.”  

In these cases, it’s very important to have all the horse’s medical records available to the purchaser, she said. She recommended having both the potential buyer as well as the seller present for the exam, and keeping the potential buyer’s primary veterinarian well informed. Both doctors emphasized identifying the horse carefully by microchip or other means prior to the exam to confirm whether you have seen the horse previously. Avoid miscommunications by using seller disclosure forms and buyer exam request forms.  

The panel then presented the AAEP prepurchase examination ethical code, which prioritizes transparency, integrity, and the duty of loyalty to the buyer. Key guidelines require disclosing any existing relationship with the seller, obtaining informed consent, providing full, accurate reports, and avoiding conflicts of interest. 

Scenario 2: Situations You Don’t Agree With 

The second scenario involved an associate whose boss is comfortable doing things that don’t align with her ethical values and who is experiencing pressure to practice and behave in the same way. Parkinson described her early career experience of going to a call she thought was a lameness exam, only to learn she was supposed to block a Standardbred. Her recommendations included saying, “Let me think about this for a minute,” to gain time and then telling the boss in private, “I’m not comfortable doing that.”  

If you are working at a practice that is not in alignment with your values, considering employment elsewhere might be best, she said, and “if you feel alone, always remember your mentors.” 

“Take the highest ethical road,” Marshall advised early-career veterinarians. When speaking to clients, don’t be afraid to say, “I’m not comfortable with this and here’s why.”  

“Tap into what you feel is right,” she said, while you build a reputation for taking the highest ethical calling. “Develop an ethical compass,” she concluded, reminding the audience that people’s decisions are usually guided by one of three things: ethics, ego, or money. 

The AAEP ethical code that applied to this scenario was, “Veterinarians have an ethical responsibility to alleviate suffering and protect the interests of their patients, the environment, and society as a whole.” 

Scenario 3: Handling Second Opinions 

The third scenario involved managing a second opinion ethically without throwing the primary opinion-giver under the bus. Buchholz said she generally approaches this scenario by noting that horses can present differently on different days, and problems are often multifactorial.  

Klotz shared wise advice he received from a clinician in veterinary school: “Remember, you weren’t there, and nobody really knows what was said.” He advised early-career practitioners to offer a referral or second opinion if you or the clients feel uneasy. Make the referral arrangements yourself, send your medical records, and ask to be kept in the loop. By taking control of the situation, you often build trust and respect, he said.  

Buchholz agreed, noting that working as a team is often the best way to serve the horse most effectively. Commenting from the audience, Jackie Christakos, DVM, suggested those providing the second opinion “tell the truth” by saying, “This is complicated. And hard things are hard.” She said you shouldn’t be thinking, “This is so simple,” because “in our hearts we know that’s not true.” 

The AAEP ethical code that applied to this scenario was, “Veterinarians have an ethical responsibility to demonstrate respect to all patients, clients, and members of their community, including self and professional colleagues.” 

Scenario 4: Inability to Provide Emergency Coverage  

The fourth scenario involved the veterinarian who goes to an area to perform joint injections and lameness evaluations, but is not available for emergency coverage, even if complications occur after treatment they have provided. Who is ethically responsible for emergencies?  

Buchholz shared her approach as a sports-medicine-only practitioner, where she communicates to clients about the need to arrange for emergency coverage through another veterinary practice and makes an effort to foster good relationships with the veterinarian who will provide that coverage. She shares medical records and tries to avoid any sense of competition with other veterinarians. “I try to stay in my lane” she said. 

“The challenges happen when the clients don’t have that regular veterinarian,” said Parkinson, and the only veterinary work the horse receives is at a show away from home. In these situations, the one that suffers is the horse. Because so many veterinarians are transitioning to “clients only” emergency service, it is important to emphasize the need for an emergency practice plan to the clients.  

Ethically, the AAEP’s stance is that “the veterinarian should make their best effort to ensure that emergency care is available to manage an adverse event related to a treatment or procedure performed on a patient under their care.” 

Take-Home Message 

This session was an opportunity for a diverse group of equine veterinarians of different ages and experience levels to have thoughtful, transparent, and undeniably real discussions about ethical challenges. The attendees had differences of opinion but a great deal of respect and consideration of those viewpoints. Importantly, the AAEP ethical stances are in line with keeping the welfare of the horse as the primary objective, and practitioners can always return to that mantra to guide their decisions.  

As one panel member said, quoting AAEP Convention keynote speaker Dr. Temple Grandin, “Don’t let the bad become the normal.” 

Business coverage from the 2025 AAEP Convention is brought to you by CareCredit.

Related Reading

• The Legal and Ethical Implications of the VCPR
• Ethics of Emergency Care in Equine Practice
• Considerations for Conducting Equine Prepurchase Exams

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