Advances in Equine Veterinary Education: Clinical Training, Competency Development, and Global Perspectives

Dear Colleagues,

Equine veterinary education is undergoing substantial change as veterinary schools and professional bodies respond to advances in clinical practice, evolving animal welfare expectations, workforce challenges, and increasing demands for practice-ready graduates. The focus of this Special Issue is on educational approaches that strengthen the clinical competence, professional preparedness, and long-term development of veterinarians working with horses. Particular attention will be given to the integration of theoretical knowledge, practical skills, clinical reasoning, communication, ethical decision-making, and professional responsibility within equine veterinary training.

The scope of the Special Issue includes undergraduate, postgraduate, internship, residency, and continuing professional education. Relevant topics include competency-based veterinary education, clinical skills training, workplace-based learning, simulation, digital and virtual teaching tools, curriculum design, assessment and feedback, entrustable professional activities, student confidence and preparedness, faculty development, mentoring, professional identity formation, and the transition from veterinary school to clinical practice. Contributions addressing animal welfare in teaching, access to appropriate clinical cases, occupational wellbeing, recruitment and retention within the equine veterinary workforce, and differences in educational resources and training systems across countries are also encouraged.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to bring together evidence-based research, educational innovations, comparative studies, and informed perspectives that can support the improvement of equine veterinary education. By providing a dedicated platform for educators, clinicians, researchers, students, professional associations, and accreditation bodies, the Issue aims to identify effective training models, promote meaningful discussion on competency development, and encourage educational practices that are adaptable to different institutional and regional contexts.

Existing literature on veterinary education has extensively addressed competency-based education, clinical skills assessment, simulation, professional identity, and graduate preparedness. However, much of this work considers veterinary education broadly or focuses predominantly on companion-animal and general clinical training. Equine veterinary education presents distinct challenges, including limited access to suitable teaching cases, safety risks associated with handling large animals, variability in clinical exposure, geographic differences in equine industries, and concerns regarding workforce sustainability.

This Special Issue will therefore supplement the existing literature by providing a focused examination of how established and emerging educational principles can be applied specifically within equine veterinary settings. It will connect general veterinary education research with the practical realities of equine clinical training, consolidate evidence that is currently dispersed across educational and clinical publications, and highlight areas where equine-specific evidence remains limited. The inclusion of global and comparative perspectives will further clarify how educational models, competency expectations, accreditation systems, and resource availability differ across regions. Collectively, the contributions are expected to provide a more coherent evidence base for curriculum development, educational policy, competency assessment, and future research in equine veterinary education.

Prof. Dr. Jing Li
Dr. Rebecca Sarah Victoria Parkes
Dr. Aree Laikul
Guest Editors

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• equine veterinary education
• clinical skills training
• competency-based education
• clinical competency assessment
• veterinary curriculum development
• workplace-based learning
• simulation-based education
• professional skills development
• equine veterinary workforce
• global veterinary education