16/02/2026
The UK Government is reviewing the Veterinary Surgeons Act reform, aiming at modernising outdated legislation that regulates animal healthcare professionals. This could shape how your Equine Dental Technician (EDT) is recognised and allowed to practise in the future.
As a horse owner, this directly affects you!
EDTs are a vital part of the multidisciplinary veterinary team, working within a clear scope of practice to support animal welfare and public protection. Updating the VSA reform will ensure that only qualified, trained professionals can provide dental care — giving public confidence and clarity for owners.
Even a short response helps. Phrases like:
"As a horse owner, I rely on qualified professional EDTs for my horse's welfare."
"Clear titles and title protection help owners make informed choices."
"Regulation should maintain access while improving safeguards."
I’ll be honest it’s a long form but you can save your progress and return to it anytime to break it up!
The consultation doesn’t close until the 25th March so if you can input your response before then together we can work towards a better future for our equines 🦷🐎
Support your equine dental technician‼️
UK Government Consultation – Your voice as a horse owner matters
The UK government is currently reviewing the legislation that regulates animal healthcare professionals. This reform could influence how Equine Dental Technicians (EDTs) are recognised and permitted to practise in the future.
We’re encouraging horse owners to complete the consultation survey. It’s your chance to contribute to how reform of the Veterinary Surgeons Act shapes the future regulation of both veterinary surgeons and paraprofessionals.
The consultation is now open and closes on 25th March 2026. You don’t have to complete it in one sitting, you can save your responses and return to finish it whenever it suits you.
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Why this matters to you as a horse owner
• EDTs play an important role in your horse’s comfort, performance, and welfare
• Clear professional titles help owners know who is properly trained when it comes to treating your horse
• Recognised, equine‑dental‑specific qualifications are essential for demonstrating the practical training and competency of both EDTs and vets, giving horse owners the assurance they need when choosing appropriate dental care
• Good regulation protects horses from unqualified or unsafe practice
• Your experience helps decision-makers understand real-world horse care
What you might say
• You value having a qualified EDT provide your horse’s routine dental care, and you value having an equine‑specific, dentally qualified vet available to manage any complex dental issues. Most importantly, you value having the ability to make an informed choice about who you use.
• A regulated industry provides clear, consistent qualification standards that help protect both horses and owners.
• You recognise your qualified EDT holds high levels of equine-specific dental qualification, training, experience and day‑to‑day proficiency in routine equine dentistry.
Where can I find the consultation?
https://consult.defra.gov.uk/reform-of-the-veterinary-surgeons-act/consultation/
IMPORTANT - Modern consultations do use text-analysis and clustering tools to surface themes. While no official keyword list is published, analysis of UK government consultations (including Defra) shows that responses are commonly scanned for policy-relevant vocabulary, not slogans.
Core phrases to include. These phrases align directly with how Defra structures policy analysis.
“Veterinary Surgeons Act reform”
“modernising outdated legislation”
“multidisciplinary veterinary team”
“animal welfare and public protection”
“clear scope of practice”
“title protection”
“proportionate, risk-based regulation”
“public confidence and clarity for owners”
🦷 EDT-specific wording that helps categorisation. This ensures EDT views are not lost under generic “other comments”. Where relevant, try to include:
“Equine Dental Technician (EDT)”
“qualified / trained EDT”
“professional title”
“working within scope”
“competence-based practice”
“consistent standards across the profession”
🐴 Horse-owner language that carries weight. AI tools tag these as end-user evidence, which is highly valued.
“As a horse owner…”
“My experience using an EDT…”
“I rely on qualified professionals for my horse’s welfare”
“Clear titles help owners understand who is properly trained”
“Regulation should protect horses without reducing access to care”
⚖️ Balance words (important for tone scoring). Defra analysis tools look favourably on balanced responses. Useful phrases include:
“supports collaboration, not replacement”
“avoids unintended consequences”
“maintains access while improving safeguards”
These reduce the risk of responses being classified as oppositional or niche. Emotional or confrontational language, reduce analytical weight. If your response clearly mentions welfare, scope, regulation, and qualification, it should be picked up. Even short responses that include 3–5 of the phrases above are very likely to be correctly categorised in analysis of reform of the Veterinary Surgeons Act.
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Thank you for taking the time to help safeguard equine welfare and ensure high standards of care for our horses.
