Florrie Clark, 4th year vet student at Cambridge, talks to us about how students are desperate for the opportunity to hone their skills in equine, which they feel lag behind their small animal skills. While the disparity is 'the nature of the beast', with a bursting curriculum and the difficulty of getting 'hands on' during equine EMS, there are plenty of other skills to be practiced and opportunities to be had. Observing procedures, working with the nurses, understanding case management and talking to clients, are all just as valuable. The key for new graduates and their employers and colleagues, is accepting the different starting point to that of a small animal vet. Nuturing confidence should be a priority, and can be done in the right environment with the right people. We all need to take up that gauntlet in order to create a profession which people want to be part of.