Q&A AMANDA COMPTON, BS, CVT, RVT, LVT

Senior Territory Representative

Lehighton, Pennsylvania amanda.compton1@merck.com

How long have you been working for Merck Animal Health?

I joined the team in July 2022. I feel very lucky to be a part of such a diverse and talented team of people, and I’m looking forward to a long career with the company!

Tell us a little bit about your horse background.

I was the quintessential horse-crazy little girl, reading horse books, drawing horses and dreaming of having my own. When I was 10 years old, my dad purchased a 4-year-old green broke Arabian gelding on a whim from a local auction, and that horse changed the course of my life. I subsequently bred, trained and competed two of his siblings to national championships in sport horse carriage driving. I was always drawn to veterinary medicine. After college at West Virginia University, I worked for the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center in Leesburg, Virginia, where I gained invaluable experience from many excellent veterinarians and technicians and went back to school for my veterinary technology degree. In 2018, I accepted a position as the first equine nurse at the Equine Veterinary Medical Center in Doha, Qatar, where I assisted with the startup of the hospital services and lived for nearly two years. I have a passion for patient care, dentistry and mentoring others in business and work/life balance

What excites you most right now?

I am excited to be part of a company who recognizes and is concerned about sustainability in the equine veterinary industry. If we want to change the industry, we have to be part of the difficult conversations and be open to new ideas or ways of working.

If you were a horse, what type of horse would you be?

I’d have to say a combined driving horse, because they are versatile, unflappable and enjoy their jobs!

What’s the best horse advice you’ve ever received?

It’s a simple phrase: Let horses be horses. They need their turnout time for mental and physical health, and they need social interaction for behavioral stability.

Which podcasts are in your heavy rotation?

I listen to a wide variety on my travels throughout my territory, and some on my rotation include, The Huberman Lab, Revisionist History, Serial, and of course, Disease Du Jour (sponsored by Merck Animal Health).