It took a while for UK-Vet Equine to find its place as a stand-alone journal, but a look back at the articles and downloads over the last year suggests it has found its niche. Even I was sceptical whether an independent equine title could succeed, but it has not only survived but thrived. Since the first year of publishing, annual web traffic has increased 10-fold and the number of articles downloaded has more than tripled. Most of the UK's biggest veterinary groups and educational institutions subscribe and the journal is read all over the world.
Opinion-based educational articles sometimes get a bad rap as we become increasingly (and rightly) obsessed with evidence-based medicine. However, evidence-based medicine is far more than just original peer reviewed research studies, relying upon the experience of the veterinary surgeon, the needs and circumstances of the patient and owner, as well as the best available scientific evidence. In the equine sector, we are woefully short of evidence regarding the clinical questions we pose ourselves on a daily basis, so we are forced to rely on our own experiences and those of our peers and experts. UK-Vet Equine has aimed to take that a step further and disseminate the knowledge of some of the most experienced clinicians and their understanding of the evidence that is available.
Some of the most downloaded articles across the whole of the Mark Allen publishing group are the UK-Vet Equine panel discussions, which were designed to reflect the sometimes varying views of the authors. The immense popularity of the roundtable discussion documents, and the way in which they have become important points of reference, is testament to the value of this format. For example, the parasite control roundtable was cited in recent Veterinary Medicines Directorate discussions as being as the major point of reference for vets and suitably qualified persons dispensing anthelmintics. The obesity roundtable remains at the top of the download charts years after it was published, and the glandular gastric disease article that sparked early controversy and challenged established thinking is now cited widely in publications and presentations on the subject.
It is testament to the changes in equine practice and our increasing specialty that UK-Vet Equine exists as its own title. This anniversary edition reflects on how the profession is moving forward, with newly appointed editorial board member Pippa Bond outlining how the equine nursing profession has evolved over the last 5 years. The edition also features some of the most read articles of the past 5 years, including a review of environmental management for equine asthma by Joel Hotchkiss that was first published in 2019, and a ‘how to’ article on imaging of the equine neck by Jonathon Dixon, first published in 2018.
It is important to acknowledge that the publication relies on the generous contributions of authors and reviewers. Publishing can be a thankless task when you are struggling to meet deadlines or being harangued for missing them, but I know the editorial and publishing teams are extremely grateful for the support of all authors and reviewers. If you are reading this and wondering how you can contribute to future editions then please do get in touch, as we are always looking to increase our pool of authors and reviewers. Finally, I would like to extend a personal thank you to Chloe, Georgina, Ella, Colin and the whole of the publishing team at Mark Allen who backed the production of an equine-specific journal and made it the success it has become. There can be no doubt that what has been published over the past 5 years will have alleviated the suffering and improved the clinical outcomes of some, and I suspect many, of our readers’ patients and more widely, the knowledge disseminated will have contributed to the advancement of equine health and welfare. Well done team.