The Business of Practice: 2025 AAEP Convention Highlights

In this episode of The Business of Practice podcast, I discussed highlights from the 2025 American Association of Equine Practitioners Convention, held Dec. 6-10 in Denver, Colorado. As always, the meeting was full of interesting presentations. After the opening session introducing the new AAEP president, Sarah Reuss, VMD, DACVIM, the program continued with the keynote speaker, Temple Grandin, PhD. Grandin, who thinks in pictures, explained that animals are visual thinkers, as well. She said animals live in a sensory-based world that does not require language. One of memorable pieces of advice from her presentation was to never allow bad to become normal.  

A panel of veterinarians presented interesting data during the Business News Hour. Highlights included results from the 2025 American Horse Publications survey sponsored by Zoetis, updates on disease outbreaks, global and equine industry economic data, legislative updates, and results from the 2024 Merck Wellness study.  

Barb Crabbe, DVM, MA, and Cara Wright, DVM, MS, IVCA, presented on moral distress in equine practice. Moral distress occurs when a person is forced to act in a way they believe is morally wrong. Unfortunately, episodes of moral distress are cumulative and can lead to numbness, conscientious objection, or burnout. This is one of the factors driving practitioners to other fields.  

Tim Scerba and Michelle Sinning gave a presentation about managing your online reputation. They gave detailed recommendations for various scenarios in which a practice reputation could be destroyed and answered questions from the audience.  

In the episode, I also mentioned an early-morning case-based panel discussion called Practical Performance Horse Ethics. The six panel members responded to various ethical scenariosand then opened the discussion to the audience. After covering each scenario in detail, the panel projected the AAEP ethical guideline to further support ethical practices.  

In closing, I encouraged listeners to use the AAEP Anywhere platform to explore the sessions they missed. Almost all sessions are available for registrants online after the convention. 

About Dr. Amy Grice 

Amy Grice, VMD, MBA, received her BA in biology from Wellesley College in Massachusetts and completed her veterinary education at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine in 1990. She earned her MBA with a concentration in Ethical Leadership from Marist College School of Management in 2014. 

Grice was an ambulatory equine practitioner in the Hudson Valley of New York for over 25 years, serving as the managing partner of the 13-doctor equine referral hospital in Rhinebeck, New York. At the end of 2014, she retired from clinical practice to concentrate on veterinary business consulting and moved her residence to Virginia City, Montana. 

Grice is a member of the American Association of Equine Practitioners, where she served on the Board of Directors from 2015-2018 and as treasurer from 2021-2023. She has also servedas a member of the AVMA Economic Strategy Committee since 2018. Grice is a frequent speaker at educational seminars for veterinarians across the country, as well as the founder of Decade One, which offers networking groups for equine veterinarians early in their careers. In addition, she consults with a diverse range of veterinary businesses and collaborates with industry partners to bring business education to veterinarians. Grice aids with transitions of ownership, strategic planning, financial projections, and other solutions for private practitioners. 

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