AAEP Salutes Nat Messer for Lifetime Service to the Equine Veterinary Profession and the Horse

The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) has honored Nat T. Messer, DVM, ABVP, with the Distinguished Life Member Award for his commitment to leadership, education and welfare advocacy during his 38 years of voluntary service to the association.

Dr. Messer was recognized at the Dec. 4 President’s Luncheon during the 58^th Annual Convention in Anaheim, Calif. The Distinguished Life Member Award recognizes a member who throughout their career has demonstrated a commitment to the AAEP, the professional development of its members and its initiatives to protect the welfare of the horse.

A professor of equine medicine and surgery at the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine where he serves as AAEP chapter student faculty adviser, Dr. Messer was elected to the AAEP’s board of directors in 1996 and has served as a member of the association’s Equine Welfare, Abstract Review, Biologic and Therapeutic Agents, Nominating and Research committees. Additionally, he has chaired the Equine Insurance Committee, presented at continuing education events and participated on the task force that drafted a white paper addressing the soring of the Tennessee Walking Horse.

Dr. Messer’s legacy of service on behalf of the association and equine welfare also includes representing the AAEP as a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Welfare Committee, the Unwanted Horse Coalition and the American Horse Council.

In 2001, he received the AAEP’s Distinguished Service Award for exemplary work on behalf of the veterinary profession, the welfare of the horse and the equine industry. Dr. Messer is also a life member of the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) and has served on the AQHA Equine Research Committee. He is a member of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners, certified in equine practice.

The American Association of Equine Practitioners, headquartered in Lexington, Ky., was founded in 1954 as a non-profit organization dedicated to the health and welfare of the horse. Currently, the AAEP reaches more than 5 million horse owners through its nearly 10,000 members worldwide and is actively involved in ethics issues, practice management, research and continuing education in the equine veterinary profession and horse industry.