Good personality and so called bedside manner count, but should not be the only reasons to prefer one veterinarian over another. Some popular equine veterinarians may be popular more for their charm than for their expertise. Many people feel a veterinarian who is also a horse person is best. In my experience, though, some veterinary students who are horse-oriented in their private lives may carry some of the pervasive myths and legends of horse medicine and horse care into their veterinary practices. Some of the best equine veterinarians I know are neither horse owners nor would they be considered horse people.
Some veterinarians specialize only in treating horses.
Others have a more general large animal practice, treating cattle, small ruminants, and pigs, as well as horses. Still others have a mixed practice where they treat almost all animal species. Equine specialists may have their own facilities for surgery and treatments, or they may rely on the referral of complicated cases to local referral hospitals. As a horse owner as well as a veterinarian, I have found a few things to be really important when selecting a veterinarian for horses. Keeping in mind that all veterinarians make errors at some time, your veterinarian should be willing to admit when he or she is wrong and learn from the experience.