In response to the supply and demand concerns associated with available equine veterinarians to meet the racing industry’s needs, in 2024, the Racing Medication & Testing Consortium (RMTC) created the Racing Industry Veterinary Student Externship Program.  This program provides a shared experience for veterinary students with racetrack practitioners and regulatory veterinarians. 2025 award recipients included five (5) 2026 graduates, ten (10) 2027 graduates, and ten (10) 2028 graduates who completed externships in nine racing jurisdictions across the US. The majority of these externships were completed between April through August, 2025.

The need for establishing such a program was two-fold:

1. To promote and provide exposure to and networking opportunities in equine veterinary medicine within the racing industry. The future of horseracing’s veterinary care requires fostering exposure and mentoring young veterinarians.
2. To establish a mechanism to identify, recruit, and retain young veterinarians and encourage professional pursuits relevant to horse racing needs for veterinary care and the promotion of enhanced safety and welfare for racehorses.

RMTC received a competitive group of applications from veterinary students across the US and Canada. The selection committee followed strict evaluation metrics to score and rank each applicant based on experience, a letter of intent, curriculum vitae, and letters of recommendation.

In 2025, this program gained significant industry support, with all 25 externships funded by program sponsors, including AVMA Trust, AAEP Foundation for the Horse, Breeders’ Cup Ltd, Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA), Petvetcare Centers, New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, Indiana HBPA, Oak Tree Racing Association, Del Mar Thoroughbred Club, 1S/T Racing, CDI, and The Jockey Club.

“The AVMA Trust (AVMA PLIT and AVMA LIFE) is proud to sponsor RMTC’s 2025 Racing Industry Veterinary Student Externship Program for the second year.  We look forward to seeing this program continue to grow”, said Tracey Gray-Walker, CEO, AVMA Trust.

NYTHA President, Tina Marie Bond added, “We’ve seen the early success of these veterinary externships and want to support the expansion of this program. Quality veterinary care is paramount in racing today. It is vital to introduce students to our sport and have them gain critical experience with both regulatory and private veterinarians in a racetrack environment.”

The RMTC has announced that the 2026 Application for the Racing Industry Veterinary Student Externship Program will be available beginning Monday, September 1, 2025.

IMPORTANT DATES

Application Deadline:
6 p.m. EST Friday, November 14th, 2025

Notification of award:
Monday, January 12th, 2026

Questions? Contact Dianne Oakes: doakes@rmtcnet.com

(NOTE: If you have requested updates in the past, you will automatically receive updates for any future programs)