ALL papers must be submitted online by March 1, 2026, MIDNIGHT. EST.

We invite submissions for the Business & Practice Lifestyle track, focused on the real-world, professional, and personal aspects of equine veterinary careers. Papers in  this category explore the operational, financial, cultural, and transitional elements of practice and career management.

Suggested Topics Include (but are not limited to):

  • Managing student debt and personal finance
  • Transitioning into or out of practice ownership
  • Retirement planning and exit strategies
  • Navigating corporate acquisitions or ownership shifts
  • Leading and managing through change
  • Healthy practice culture and team dynamics
  • Implementing AI in business operations
  • Practice growth, downsizing, or asset management
  • Staffing transitions (hiring, firing, and social media implications)
  • Promoting inclusion and diversity during career transitions

Additionally, we especially encourage submissions that address diversity, inclusion, or strategies to support healthy practice environments—particularly as they relate to the 2026 theme.

Presentation Format

Accepted papers will be presented in 20-minute sessions (15minutes presentation + 5minutes Q&A).

Submission Requirements

Business & Practice papersmust follow the General Guidelines in addition to the following track-specific instructions:

- Minimum length: 600 words (nomaximum)
- Format: Microsoft Word or PDF with clearly labeled section headings
- Blinded submission: Do not include author names, institutions, or other identifying information in the body of the paper or file metadata
- References: Must conform to Vancouver (JAVMA) style

Required Paper Sections

1. Title
* Concise, informative, and formatted as a headline using title case
* Avoid full sentences or punctuation
- Good: “Succession Planning for Equine Practice Owners”
- Not Ideal: “This paper explores how to plan for succession in equine practice”

2. Take-Home Message
* A 1–3 sentence summary of the primary conclusion (approx. 50 words)
* Should clearly express practical application for the equine practitioner.
* Take-Home Message Example:
In cases involving medical error, a thoughtful and transparent response by the veterinary team strengthens client trust and minimizes reputational harm. This paper  outlines communication strategies for these challenging situations.

3. Introduction
* Significant published work should be mentioned here.
* Define the problem or challenge and state the objective clearly
* The statement of objectives is usually found in the last sentence of the Introduction.

4. Solutions
* Detail strategies or approaches used to address the identified issue

5. Results
* Present outcomes, data, or metrics; use tables or figures where appropriate

6. Discussion
* Important findings documented in the results should be stated.
* Interpret results and describe relevance and differences to equine practitioners
* Reinforce your Take-Home Message with a clear final summary that should be similar in content to the take home message at the beginning of the paper.

7. Acknowledgments
* Include declaration of ethics, conflicts of interest, and any funding or support received (per General Guidelines)

8. References
* Follow Vancouver style, per JAVMA standards.
* Number references in-text using superscripts in the order of appearance.
* See General Guidelines for detailed formatting requirements.

Authors are responsible for ensuring formatting and accuracy of all citations.
* Authors are responsible for ensuring formatting and accuracy of all citations.

For help with reference formatting please google “Vancouver citation tutorial” or check this link with a roughly 3-minute video: Bing Videos.

Blinded Review Policy

To ensure an unbiased review process, all submitted papers must be blinded. See General Guidelines for detailed blinding requirements. Submissions will be reviewed  by a blinded team from the Scientific Review & Editorial Committee (SREC) for relevance, clarity, and value to equine practitioners.