Texas Equine Veterinary Association

www.texasequineva.com • 7 — JoLy Joyce, DVM, MS, DACVS TEVA PRESIDENT DR. PIPER NORTON Treasurer and Incoming Vice President DR. SHEM OLIVER Incoming Director DR. DAVID STEPHENS Director DR. MIKE MARTIN Foundation Advisor were slimmed down to the most important aspects. I think that we will make a push towards returning to normalcy but we will never be exactly as we were prior to 2020…in all the best ways." —Dr. Leslie Easterwood, Texas A&M University "One of the most important lessons I learned form 2020 was how to find creative ways for my female technician and I to use a potty while on the road. On the home front, I developed great skill in disguising the numerous wine bottles in my recycle bin so that I stopped getting 'that look' from my trash collector. Hope your 2020 skills are on par as well!"—Dr. Piper Norton, Texas Equine Medical Associates "It was a very interesting year, I think everyone looked more introspectively towards their health. I found it much easier to have clients be compliant with isolation of strangles horses and infectious diseases as they now have had to do that themselves!" —Dr. Shem Oliver, Performance Equine Associates "Boy, we are glad 2020 is gone. I was sure wrong when this first started in March 2020. I told my hospital it will be a struggle for 2 to 3 months, but should be OK after that. Now we expect things to be difficult for another 6 to 24 months, or longer. I don't things will ever get back to pre-COVID life as we knew it (no masks, hand shaking, hugs, concern by others when you cough or sneeze in public etc.). I learned what social distancing means (6 feet separation). I learned that I have to recognize clients at the hospital & around town by their voice or physical features, because mask's cover their faces, (we all look like bank robbers). I learned that I never fully experienced the shut downs and anxiety in society it created. We never shut the hospital or stopped making calls. We just kept working, and doing what we do. We did make appropriate changes at the hospital to protect our employees and clients but, my wife always did the shopping and errands and told me how strange it was in stores and shops that nobody was talking, staying as far from others as possible, etc. —a post-apocalyptic sense or feeling. I learned that toilet paper and paper towels are hoarded during crisis. I learned that alcohol sales during crisis is phenomenal (have a client that works in beer, wine, liquor distribution). I learned that I should have bought stock in plexi-glass, medical PPE and biotech (vaccine) companies. Missed opportunities. I learned that traffic is so much better when things are shut down. I learned that our industry is resilient. Our lameness, diagnostic, and sports medicine were down for the first three months of COVID but has bounced back as strong as ever. Our repro, medicine, and surgery never looked back, stayed solid as ever. Our clients and staff have been receptive of changes that we had to impose, but never questioned or complained about the changes. I have learned that good health is truly a blessing and we always need to look for those in need, and help our neighbors during difficult times. We all are truly blessed and fortunate to do what we do. Our clients and our patients appreciate us." —Dr. David Stephens, Weems & Stephens Equine Hospital My take on my hospital and life was that it was a different, sometimes stressful but overall rewarding year. It was sad to see people pass, weddings and graduations canceled or postponed but good lessons learned about a lot of things and looking forward to 2021! —Dr. Mike Martin, Retama Equine Hospital Well from my side of the fence 2020 was certainly a challenging year. I have been on the supply side of this business for more than 25 years, and have always had a large territory which involved lots of travel. Since the middle of March, working from home was quite an adjustment after years of being out of town more than at home – honestly, it was an adjustment for both me and my lovely wife Linda…it's been different, but I feel like most of the practices remained healthy through it all! Here's to a more normal 2021! —Pete Hale, TEVA Foundation President Well spoken words from some of our amazing colleagues. We have all had to weather this storm together and I am sure that each of you can relate to the above sentiments with similar experiences and feelings. It has no doubt been a challenging year for us all and I wish nothing but the best, brightest, happiest and healthiest in 2021. Our world may never return to pre-2020, but we will all be better and stronger for it. My favorite quote of the year "Tough times don't last, tough people do!" Much love to you all and I look forward to sharing more stories when we all gather again. Stay tuned in the coming months for more details on 2021 symposium in Horseshoe Bay! PETE HALE Foundation President

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