2 equine veterinarians named to hall of fame

COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS — Two equine veterinarians, one in academia and one in private practice, were inducted into the International Equine Veterinarians Hall of Fame, recognizing their contributions to the advancement of equine foot care.

G. Kent Carter, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVIM, chief of medicine at Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, was the 2008 inductee representing college and industry, and Jay Merriam, DVM, a Massachusetts practitioner, was the private-practice inductee.

With the two latest inductees, the hall of fame, established 10 years ago and sponsored by the Wisconsin-based American Farriers Journal and the Kentucky Derby Museum, has 33 members. Current members select each year's new inductees from a list of nominations from all hoof-care professionals.

Carter, a Utah native who has been at Texas A&M since 1984, started an instructional rotation there dedicated to equine lameness and hoof care and has worked with farriers more than 20 years to promote close ties between the two professions. He and other members of the equine veterinary staff hope to create a regional lameness center at Texas A&M.

Merriam, the first chairman of the American Association of Equine Practitioners Committee on the Welfare of the Horse, operates an Uxbridge, Mass., clinic specializing in equine podiatry and sports medicine. He also helped launch a nonprofit group, Project Samana, whose charitable work includes a twice-yearly visit to the Dominican Republic, where a team of veterinarians, farriers and other experts provide free equine podiatry care.