Three layers to think about
Every equine practice website sits under three sets of rules. Professional rules, which govern what a registered vet or farrier may claim and how the profession may advertise. Medicines rules, which restrict what can be said publicly about prescription veterinary products. And the ordinary law of websites: consumer information and pricing, privacy and cookies, accessibility, and company details.
The first two are where equine sites get into trouble, because the temptation is to write about treatments and outcomes. This is orientation to help you ask the right questions, not legal advice. Your own regulator, professional body and a local adviser are the authorities on anything below.
United Kingdom
Vets: the RCVS Code of Professional Conduct governs practice advertising and what may be claimed, and expects registration to be evident. It also sets expectations about provision for twenty-four hour emergency first aid and pain relief for clients' animals, which is why the emergency route and the cover arrangement belong on the site. Practices supplying medicines operate under the veterinary medicines regime, and prescription-only products are not advertised to the public.
Farriers: farriery in Great Britain is a statutorily regulated activity, with registration through the Farriers Registration Council. Registered farriers routinely display registration on their sites, and it is worth checking current requirements before describing your services.
Equine dental technicians and therapists: less uniformly regulated, with membership bodies and categories of permitted work. Describe your qualifications and memberships by name and link them to the issuing body's register.
Consumer and company: the Consumer Rights Act and the Consumer Contracts Regulations on information and cancellation for services booked online, prices stated inclusive of VAT, and a limited company's registered name, number and office on the site.
Privacy and accessibility: UK GDPR and PECR, with a privacy notice covering the owner and yard data your booking collects, and WCAG 2.1 AA under the Equality Act.
United States
Vets: state veterinary medical boards regulate licensure, advertising and the veterinarian-client-patient relationship, with AVMA guidance widely referenced. The VCPR requirements matter for a website because they shape what advice or service can be offered remotely, and rules differ substantially state to state. Licence details displayed, and claims kept to what the board permits.
Farriers: farriery is not licensed in most states. Voluntary certification through farrier associations is what a site can show, and it should be described accurately rather than implied as a licence.
Medicines: federal and state rules restrict prescription products and compounding claims. Keep prescription medicines off public pages.
Consumer, privacy and accessibility: the FTC on deceptive advertising and state consumer protection statutes; state privacy laws for businesses over their thresholds; TCPA consent for marketing texts, which matters for route-day reminders; and WCAG 2.1 AA as the practical ADA standard.
Canada
Vets: provincial veterinary colleges regulate practice, advertising and telemedicine, and set out how registration is shown. Requirements differ by province.
Farriers: generally unregulated, with association certification as the credential to display.
Consumer and language: provincial consumer protection acts, misleading advertising under the Competition Act, and French language requirements for sites serving Quebec.
Privacy: PIPEDA, Quebec's Law 25 with its consent and policy duties, and CASL consent for email and text reminders.
Accessibility: AODA in Ontario and the Accessible Canada Act federally.
Australia
Vets: state and territory veterinary boards handle registration and advertising rules, with professional guidance from the AVA. Registration displayed and claims kept within the board's rules.
Farriers: not registered as such in most states. Show training and association membership accurately.
Consumer: the Australian Consumer Law on misleading conduct, consumer guarantees and unfair contract terms in your booking and account terms, which is worth reading against your yard account page.
Privacy and accessibility: the Privacy Act for businesses over the threshold, a privacy policy expected regardless once forms collect personal data, the Spam Act for reminders, and WCAG 2.1 AA under the Disability Discrimination Act.
European Union
Vets: national veterinary chambers regulate advertising and registration, and the strictness varies a good deal between member states. Registration displayed.
Medicines: EU rules on veterinary medicinal products restrict advertising prescription products to the public. Treat any page mentioning specific medicines with care.
Identification: equine identification and passport requirements apply across the EU and shape what your booking should ask for and what your pages should tell owners to have ready.
Consumer and company: the Consumer Rights Directive's information duties and withdrawal right for services booked online, with exceptions for date-specific services; prices inclusive of VAT; and e-commerce information duties, strictest in the German and Austrian Impressum tradition.
Privacy and accessibility: GDPR and ePrivacy consent, and the European Accessibility Act for many digital services above the micro-enterprise threshold.
What is the same everywhere
- Show registration and qualifications where your kind of work has them, and link to a public register where one exists.
- Keep clinical claims modest and avoid guaranteed outcomes.
- Keep prescription medicines off public-facing pages.
- State fees honestly, including tax, with cancellation and account terms at the point of booking.
- Publish company details and a privacy notice covering what your booking and yard accounts collect.
- Get proper consent before marketing emails and texts, including route-day reminders.
- Build to WCAG 2.1 AA.
Where this sits
Every equine vet and farrier website we build runs a country checklist at the content stage covering registration display, advertising claims, medicines, fees and cancellation, company details, privacy and accessibility, and the same checklist runs across our pet business websites. The rules differ. The habit of showing your registration and saying what things cost satisfies most of them anywhere.