The year 2011 has been designated World Veterinary Year. The United States Congress has passed a resolution recognizing the 250th anniversary of organized veterinary medicine and the valuable role veterinarians play in our society.

Veterinary medicine is commonly considered to have started in 1761 when King Louis XV of France became interested in the prevention of cattle disease, the protection of grazing land, and the training of farmers. He charged Henri-Leonard Bertin with setting this agricultural reform in motion, and one of Bertin's first actions was proposing that a veterinary school be founded in Lyon.

Kentucky Equine Research is an official educational partner of the World Equine Veterinary Association, an organization whose mission is to advance the health and welfare of horses worldwide by promoting and offering quality continuing education for equine practitioners.