10/03/2026
Many of you will have seen posts shared about the reform of the veterinary surgeons act and the possibility of regulating allied professionals under the new, updated version. Please would you take a moment to read the following and use the link to respond to defra before the consultation period ends on the 25th March? There's a picture of a very muddy Barny Horse to lure you to the end of this post ๐คฃ
https://consult.defra.gov.uk/reform-of-the-veterinary-surgeons-act/consultation/
Proposed Changes to the Veterinary Surgeons Act - Your Voice as a horse owner matters
The Veterinary Surgeons Act is currently in the process of being amended and updated. The proposals will change the way Allied Veterinary Professionals (AVPs) are recognised and regulated in future. Your regular equine care providers, including Farriers, Equine Podiatry Association Members and Equine Dental Technicians and Musculo-skeletal practitioners all fall within the allied professionals definition.
A public consultation is currently accepting responses from members of the public, and your views as a horse owner could help to shape the way our professions are defined, and how the services we provide are overseen and organised.
The proposed changes in summary:
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A broadening of the scope of the Act, placing those who own or work in veterinary practices within the scope of the act, even if they are not veterinarians themselves.
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Regulation of Allied Veterinary Professionals, potentially under the umbrellaof the Royal College of Veterinary surgeons (potentially replacing the farriers registration council and the self-regulating professional bodies which already exist)
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A new requirement for Allied Veterinary Professionals to meet certain criteria (such a qualifications and insurance requirements), which we feel represents a positive change which has the potential to improve equine welfare
We are confident that our qualified, insured and self-regulated Equine Podiatry Members will meet the new competency criteria and are well placed to meet the requirements which are likely to result from the proposed changes.
However, we, and other allied professionals affected by these changes, share some concerns over possible approaches to governance outlined in the consultation and whether they will ultimately represent the same level of freedom to choose
who you use to provide your horse's non veterinary healthcare.
As a horse owner who benefits from the services provided by allied professionals, we would encourage you to take the time to respond to the consultation with your views.
Particularly helpful to your Equine Podiatrist will be responses which include the following points:
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That you value having a Qualified Equine Podiatrist to help you to care for your equine's welfare, and why
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That a Regulated Equine Healthcare Industry which recognises different professionals with different qualifications who meet similar standards will improve equine welfare, provided that regulation is fair, independently overseen by an appropriate independent body, and allows for incorporation of the existing qualified professionals who you trust and rely upon
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That you recognise that your Equine Podiatry Association Equine Podiatrist holds a recognised and comprehensive qualification and is a member of a professional body with membership requirements which have been benchmarked against the government's existing requirements for self-regulating professional bodies
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That you value your ability to choose between a range of allied professionals so can you utilise the services of the most appropriate professional for your horse's individual needs
This consultation may provoke strong responses, but we would ask you to try and keep your responses as unemotional and factual as possible, in order that the systems used to scan the picks them up and counts your views. The words and phrases which are in bold above are those which we feel are most likely to
be considered relevant by the intelligence systems which review public consultation responses.
We love being able to provide your regular hoofcare services, and we value your ability to choose who you use to assist you with your horse's care. Any move towards a more regulated industry is positive, provided that the individual obligations on different providers represent fairness and clear standards.
Thank you for supporting your Equine Podiatrist to continue our work, understanding, and contribution to improving the standards of hoofcare in the UK.
Consultation closes on Weds 25 March 2026
