Ever felt lost when someone describes a horse as a "poor doer" or "hot blooded"? For those who've grown up around horses, these phrases roll off the tongue. But for veterinary students who are new to the equine world, the jargon can feel like a whole new language.
To help bridge the gap, Charlotte Maile and Alison Prutton from the University of Surrey have just published the second edition of Horse Talk - A vet student's guide to Equine Industry Specific Language. Designed as a glossary of "horsey" terms, the guide is intended to familiarise students with the kinds of expressions they're likely to hear in practice.
As senior lecturers at Surrey Vet School, Charlotte and Alison recognised the need for a guide to help students feel more confident in the field.
“We want to stress that [this terminology] can be learnt, just like everything else in the curriculum! Putting the effort in to become familiar with industry-specific terminology will help students both on clinical placements and in practice in the future,” they said.
They hope that students won’t feel put off from considering a career in equine veterinary medicine just because they don’t yet “talk the talk.”
"Equine veterinary language is packed with colloquialisms and shorthand that can feel second nature to those in the horse world, but it can be intimidating to newcomers," says Lucy Grieve, Veterinary Projects Officer at BEVA. "This glossary is a fantastic resource to help make equine practice more accessible and less daunting for students who haven’t grown up around horses."
The glossary covers a wide range of common and colloquial terms, arranged into easy-to-navigate chapters, including:
• Types and identification
• Anatomy and conformation
• Veterinary conditions
• Equipment and husbandry
• Horses in sport
• Behaviour
Download the guide
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