Does anyone know anything about...

Does anyone know anything about how to become an equine veterinarian? I.e., what sort of qualifications does one need to get into a good vet school? Where does one go after vet school? How many years would one spend at vet school?

I really don't know, but that's what I'm aiming for right now. I'm going to go to the local community college for now, and get all the mandatory classes out of the way, then transfer to a school with a vet program. I'm assuming once I start at the community college I will have a better idea, but I don't start until the fall, lol.

Look at the vet school websites.
NC State has an execellent vet school and you can see their admission requirements at Student Services Office :: North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine

You need to contact different vet schools and find out! You need GOOD grades in high school, and then GOOD grains in whatever Bachelors Degree you'll need before Vet school.

UC Davis is a good one for West Coast:
UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine - Student Programs - Admissions Information
CalPoly Pamona is a feeder school for UC Davis if you can't get in there:
Cal Poly Pomona

Oklahoma State is a good one too:
OSU Center for Veterinary Health Sciences - OSU-CVHS Home

As is Texas A&M:
Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences

I may be wrong about this but you need to take a pre-vet program (I think it's 3-4 years) and get a 4.0 (out of 4.0) along with a ton of volunteer hours and experience. It is best to enroll in the pre-vet program directly out of high school because many times the vet schools also look at age when selecting students.

Pre-vet program at a college is usually 4 years.
I'm not sure about the 4.0 gpa thing, but you have to have phenomenal grades.
Then you have to go to a vet school (like Bel-Ray in Colorado). I'm pretty sure that's something like 3 years.
Then a load of volunteering, intern work, etc. etc.

That's where I'm headed, too. =)

Not quite right, anebel! I'm currently a third year vet student and the undergrad college I went to doesn't even OFFER pre-vet! I have a BA in Asian Studies. Some of my classmates have PhDs, other BA's in just about everything you can think of. Well over half my class DID NOT go to undergrad right out of high school, and most took a few years off between undergrad and vet school. This is a second career for some of my classmates and the average age for incoming first-year vet students is usually 27 or 28, not 22 like I was. Vet schools do not care how old you are when you apply. They care that you'll be able to survive the training process and have the passion to be a good vet.

To get into vet school you need to attend undergrad and do a three or four year degree program including lots of prerequisites in Math, Chemistry, Biology. It does NOT matter what you get your BA/BS in, but it's a lot easier to get your degree in one of the sciences than the humanities because you've got to take a ton of science classes anyway. You DO NOT need to get a 4.0!!!! You DO NEED to do well, usually 3.5 or better in your sciences, but major in whatever makes you happy. Most of us vet students actually recommend against doing pre-vet in undergrad...I mean, you're going to be a vet for your entire LIFE, being pre-vet doesn't actually improve your chances of getting into vet school, so why not major in something else that might be useful if you change your mind?

You also have to get your feet wet. The vet schools want to see that you know what you're in for, so they want to see lot of hours of experience doing something relating to animals. Working for a vet, volunteering with 4H and/or FFA, rescues, animal shelters, working or volunteering in a lab, and training animals are all good activities to start out with. I worked in a vet clinic as kennel help and then an assistant and worked with rescue dogs every summer in undergrad.

Then you have to apply, including your essay, wait forever and hope you got an interview, then interview and wait and hope you got in. If not, you try again the next fall to get in. Most vet schools have websites where they tell you exactly what you need to be considered. Most vet students do have preferences about what school they go to, but wind up going to whoever will accept them as a student. There are students in my class from way across the country and even two other nations.

Vet school itself is another 4 years, then, if you want to do equine work you'll probably have to do a year or two of internships or residency because it's a very competitive field to get a good job in. Vet school is also very, very expensive. I could buy a house with what I'm paying for school.

^THANK YOU! I am going into my Freshman year in HS and I am planning on being an Equine Vet, I have friends in Vet school, so I know how hard it is! I am taking both advanced math and science next year, and plan on doing that all of HS. Do you have any other tips for up and coming students?

Just make sure you do well and actually understand your sciences rather than just studying for the tests, do some animal stuff, and don't go crazy. You can have a life and still get into vet school! They want people who can actually function in real life too, so you've also got to develop your communication skills and learn how to write well.

Yea, that is a big thing that my dad said was a part of getting into Med school. I ride on my Equestrain Team, I have a bunch of other animals, I'm on Debate, Oxbrige Union, Oxbrige Union Debate, AND Quiz bowl!