YMG Report | EQUINE
Student Reflection number 1:
What an absolute great experience and opportunity to learn!!
We arrived on Wednesday morning, 2nd of October 2019 at Kyalami Equestrian Park to assist with the SA Derby vet
checks. Dr Mike Ross introduced himself to us and what a nice guy. He gladly explained everything and how it is going
to work and why they do vet checks. It is more like a fitness test rather than a lameness test to make sure the horses
are fit to compete and complete the entire show.
After the explanation the first horse arrived, and Dr Mike examined the horse. After his examination he asked us our
opinion on the horse and corrected us if were missed something. This happened with every horse we examined the
morning. I can say that we learn a lot from Dr Mike and even the rest of the staff there. I would highly recommend that
this should be an annual SAEVA event. It is so nice to be reminded about our goal and why we started in the first place.
Thank you SAEVA for always taking the extra mile!
Student Reflection number 2:
Even though it was a short period (1 and a half hours), it was a useful venture. The examination performed on
Wednesday was merely a fitness to compete examination, where horses would do a standard trot up in the arena.
The students at the event received practical experience in evaluating trot ups, something which one must develop an
eye for in order to reliably examine. The vets in charge were helpful and enthusiastic, pointing out (discretely) to the
students when they saw little indiscrepancies in horses’ gaits,. The in-arena admin was also made smoother through
the added numbers of the students attending, as they also helped deliver passports and check off horses’ names. I
think that all the students whom attended would recommend it as a good training experience for others in future.
Student Reflection number 3:
To whom it may concern
I was one on the students who assisted the vets at the 2019 SA Derby on 6 October. I thoroughly enjoyed it and really
learned a lot. It was a wonderful experience for me, who has been watching the Derby since I was a child, to meet
all the biggest names in the industry and to witness the behind-the-scenes happenings of this prestigious event.
On the Sunday, which I attended, we did boot checks for every rider completing their round, and the vets were very
helpful and willing to answer all our questions. We also did the urine sampling for drug tests and learned all about the
procedures and protocols.I would definitely encourage the SAEVA YMG to continue hosting this event in the future,
as it is a great experience for all budding equine veterinarians.
• Volume 22 Issue 01 | March 2020 •
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