Delta Equine Seminar inspires inaugural award recipients

Joel Bilyk of Nanaimo, B.C., and Kelsey Drinkall of Chetwynd, B.C., became the first recipients of the Delta Equine Seminar Award during the WCVM’s annual fall awards program in October 2025. The annual Delta Equine Seminar is a two-day continuing education (CE) event that’s been hosted by B.C. equine veterinarians for more than 50 years.

The new award recognizes WCVM students who have demonstrated interest and aptitude in equine care during the first two years of the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) program. Award applicants must also submit a one-page summary outlining their current equine experience as well as their future horse-related career ambitions.

A month after receiving the award, Bilyk and Drinkall returned to their home province to attend the 52nd edition of the seminar, which took place from Nov. 3-4 in Langley, B.C. As award recipients, the students received complimentary registration as well as $2,000 each to cover travel expenses. 

The Delta Equine Seminar has gained a reputation for attracting world-class speakers who deliver insightful presentations and practical take-away messages for practitioners. Past seminar speakers have covered a range of topics including lameness, areas of medicine and surgery, dentistry and dermatology. 

Bilyk and Drinkall made the most of their time at the seminar, and both agree that the chance to talk with speakers as well as attendees helped them gain clarity into equine practice and connections with their veterinary community.

For Bilyk, the experience reaffirmed his desire to pursue a veterinary career. His advice to other students: “Stay curious and take notes on topics that spark your interests. You’ll leave with insights that can shape both your studies and your future career.”

“If you’re interested in equine practice or want to intern or get a residency after college, this is a great place to go get some connections and opinions,” adds Drinkall.

“We were most pleased and impressed with the two students who attended — both Kelsey and Joel fit in well,” says Dr. David Paton (DVM), chair of the Delta equine committee and seminar and a longtime equine veterinarian in Aldergrove, B.C.

For both students, attending the seminar gave them with the chance to meet other people in the veterinary community who share their passion for horses and developing equine care. From a young age Bilyk worked alongside his grandparents who bred and raced thoroughbreds, and he’s currently caring for a 16-year-old off-the-track thoroughbred. Drinkall grew up on a cow-calf operation that also bred quarter horses, and she competed at high-level rodeo events in the United States as part of her undergraduate scholarship program.

Attending the Delta Equine Seminar also allowed Bilyk and Drinkall to build on the knowledge they’ve gained as veterinary students at the WCVM, particularly on rehabilitation techniques, pain management and new anesthesia protocols.

The event’s two featured speakers were both from Colorado State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences: Dr. Melissa King (DVM, PhD) is an associate professor in equine sports medicine and rehabilitation, while Dr. Rachel Hector (DVM) is an assistant professor of anesthesia and analgesia.

For Bilyk, the chance to speak with King and Hector was a highlight of the event: “… Both [of them] were incredibly approachable and willing to take the time to answer my questions in detail. I really appreciated their openness and the way they shared their professional insights — it made the experience both educational and inspiring.”

Drinkall took inspiration from the other equine veterinarians who attended the seminar.

“I got so many different stories and great advice about going into equine practice,” she says. “As a student, I feel like I have so many things to figure out [after graduating], and I loved gaining insight into how other people did it.

"It’s nice to be in a room full of people who were once where you were, and it helps you see your future.”