A University of Saskatchewan student, originally from Kananaskis, has been given the 2014 American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) Foundation-Markel award.
Bailee Stanton is in her fourth year at Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) at the University of Saskatchewan.
The Markel/AAEP Foundation Scholarship was established in 1989 and is awarded to eight fourth-year veterinary students from across North America who are planning a career focused on the health and welfare of the horse.
Each accredited college or school of veterinary medicine may nominate one fourth-year veterinary student for the award. Eight $2,500 scholarships are awarded.
Stanton said that she was quite surprised when she found out she had won, knowing that there were hundreds of people who had applied for the award.
“They are very talented and unique animals that can be someone’s best friend and can even be their livelihood,” said Stanton of her work with horses. “They deserve my dedication to them after all the time they have spent in my life working hard for me and my family.”
Stanton said her family has been in the Rocky Mountains for over 100 years and that their homestead by Seebe, Alta. is still where her and her parents call home.
Stanton said that she has spent her entire life around animals, and that ‘horses are in her blood’.
Also being interested in sciences, going into a veterinary medicine career seemed like the right fit, according to Stanton, especially specializing in horses.
“It is a career where I will be able to continue to spend my life in a rural agricultural community and help out those who consider their animals as important to them as I consider mine to me,” she said.
To apply for the scholarship Stanton said she was required to write an essay, as well as send in her resume and multiple references.
Stanton said she is very lucky to have worked with some incredible people in the equine medical community over the past couple of years and is thankful for their references and continuing support.
Her essay was written about her horse Kat and how dedicated she is overall to horses.
“I did everything I could do to explain my extreme passion for what I am doing and sometimes that is really hard to put into words,” said Stanton, adding how happy she is they appreciated her essay.
Stanton said she thinks she was chosen for the award because of her involvement in equine medicine, the background she has and the huge support from her parents and mentors.
Stanton has also competed in rodeos throughout her life, something she said has made a big difference in her vet school experience, pushing her to achieve bigger goals and has kept her competitive – noting that 99 per cent of that competitiveness is with herself.
Next June, Stanton will be graduating and starting an internship at Moore Equine Veterinary Centre in Balzac, Alta., which she described as the first step in ‘achieving her goal to be a successful equine practitioner.’
After her internship, Stanton said she would go either directly into practice, open her own practice or apply to a residency in large animal surgery or equine sports medicine.
But she also added she can’t see herself stopping with education anytime soon, mentioning multiple continuing education courses.
“You can bet that throughout all of this I will continue riding and hopefully rodeoing here and there. If a great horse comes along I may just decide to take a year off and hit the road,” said Stanton.
