Thoroughbred Services
We leave no stone unturned, utilising modern diagnostic and therapeutic tools, we provide accurate information and advice on the most appropriate treatment.
MOT Checks
Our bespoke MOT checks are key to maximising yard performance by identifying any issues before they lead to disappointing results. A thorough static and dynamic clinical examination can identify low grade musculoskeletal pain/weakness before it progresses into a more serious injury. We can combine this with other wellbeing checks such as tracheal washes, blood samples or gastroscopy to ensure your horses are reaching their full potential.
All our vets are happy to advise on how we can best fit MOTs into your training plan. We generally recommend doing these at the start of the season to ensure you are starting off with a pain free horse and then following up throughout the season as needed.
Lameness Investigations
All our vets are experienced at performing lameness investigations at your yard, including nerve blocking and imaging when needed. We all carry state of the art digital radiography and ultrasound equipment to allow us to perform any imaging necessary on the first visit, to minimise time spent to reach a diagnosis.
We maintain a good relationship with several specialist referral centres that enable us to refer horses for advanced imaging when indicated, for example nuclear scintigraphy (bone scans), MRIs or CTs.
Once a diagnosis has been reached we can formulate a treatment plan to best manage the injury, taking into account your future plans/goals and tailor it accordingly. Intra-articular medication with corticosteroids or polyacrylamide gel (Arthramid), shockwave therapy, class IV laser therapy are all tools we have at our disposal to help get the horse safely back into training as soon as possible.
Tendon Injuries
Tendon injuries are sadly all too common with racehorses in training and we deal with them on a regular basis. We aim to reduce the incidence with our MOT checks to ensure the horse is balanced and avoid any over loading of the forelimbs but unfortunately we cannot eliminate them entirely.
Once an injury is suspected we use ultrasound to confirm the diagnosis and advise on the best rehabilitation programme to maximise future racing prospects.
We use a combination of controlled exercise and class IV laser therapy to maximise healing prior to turnout. When returning to training these horses are especially important to have on the list for MOT checks as addressing any overloading issues will reduce the risk of reinjury.
Shockwave Therapy
Shockwave therapy is an increasingly popular option for aiding in the treatment of a range of orthopaedic injuries, most commonly back pain and suspensory ligament injuries. It is a non-invasive therapy that involves sending soundwaves through the skin and underlying tissues to increase blood flow, aid healing and provide pain relief.
We have portable machines that allow us to carry out treatment in the stable and it is a quick and effective therapy that can be invaluable in the management of certain cases.
It is particularly useful in the management of back pain; a very common cause of poor performance, especially in those horses we ask to jump obstacles at speed. Shockwave therapy combined with medication of the dorsal spinous processes or thoracolumbar facet joints allows us to manage most problem backs successfully without having to resort to expensive surgical procedures.
Laboratory Services
Assessing slight changes in overall health is of utmost importance in racehorses. We have an exceptional lab team that run our routine blood samples and post exercise tracheal washes.
Blood samples are a good indicator of overall health, in racehorses we pay particular attention to our inflammatory markers and muscle enzymes. Fibrinogen is the key to assessing inflammation on the blood sample and our lab uses the most accurate method to measure it, giving us an edge over other laboratories with early detection of subtle changes.
Tracheal wash analysis allows us to accurately advise on the most effective management and treatment of airway disease including appropriate use of antibiotics if needed. We look at the whole sample under the microscope to detect any mucus, blood or inflammatory cells present and then culture all samples to identify any bacteria present and perform sensitivity testing to check the appropriate antibiotic to use.
Nutrition
Appropriate nutrition can make or break a season for a trainer. The forage is the key - it makes up the bulk of the diet and therefore if it is not right the horse cannot perform.
Firstly any forage must be free of dust and spores which can be checked in our lab overnight. Fungal spores and dust mites are extremely irritant to the airways, causing inflammatory airway disease and reducing performance.
The second thing to assess is the nutritional analysis - it mustn’t be too high in protein or energy and must provide enough calcium, magnesium and potassium to support the muscles in their work. For those results we send the sample to Sciantec for nutritional and mineral analysis.
We can advise on how to improve forage quality and if you need to find something better we have a good network of suppliers.
Gastroscopy
Diagnosing and treating gastric ulceration is key to improving overall yard performance. There is no way to diagnose stomach ulcers reliably other than by gastroscopy. More than 70% of horses in training are affected by gastric ulceration at some point in their career and at least 30% at any one time will have bad enough ulcers to affect their performance.
We recommend gastroscopy of the whole yard at the beginning of the season and repeat mid season as needed. Our state of the art gastroscopes allow us to scope a large number of horses in one day so we can get through the yard efficiently and cost effectively without disrupting the routine.
Endoscopy
All racehorses need their airways to be in optimal condition for peak performance. There are multiple problems that affect both the upper and lower airways that can have a significant impact on the horse’s ability to breathe and therefore win races.
We have two top quality video endoscopes that allow us to safely and efficiently assess the upper airway and are able record footage for us to send onto the specialist airway surgeons if we feel that surgery is indicated to help the horse breathe more easily. To assess the lower airways all our vets carry endoscopes with them to carry out post exercise tracheal washes where we take a fluid sample from the airways and analyse it in the lab.
Tracheal washes are incredibly sensitive for detecting inflammation and any secondary infection in the lower airways and allows us to detect problems early and advise if medication or management changes are needed. It is particularly useful for screening horses before they run as a horse with inflamed airways may appear healthy at home but will not be able to perform to the best of their ability on the track.
Pre-Purchase Examinations
Sales Vettings
At the sales our PPE generally includes a clinical examination and trot up of the horse and resting videoendoscopy. Additionally, especially for the form horses we recommend an ultrasound scan of the forelimb tendons and suspensory ligaments and ideally also digital radiography of the back to check for kissing spines.
With all this information we are well equipped to advise re potentially bidding for the horse concerned.
For high value horses we can perform pre-sales imaging on the vendors behalf to help ease the stress on sales day.
Private Vettings
This involves performing a standard 5 stage PPE where we do the strenuous exercise test ourselves and include flexion tests and generally gives us more time to fully assess the horse presented for sale. We usually scope pre and post exercise and include a post exercise tracheal wash to check for low grade bleeders.
Dentistry
Routine dental care is important especially in young horses. We have high quality motorised dental equipment and are happy to provide the service ourselves if required. However we recognise that many of our clients have established relationships with equine dental technicians and we are happy to work alongside them where needed, either advising on specific cases or providing sedation.
Export Certification
Export Certification
We have multiple vets that are trained Official Veterinarians allowing them to perform pre-export testing and certification for you to transport your horse abroad. We have a good working relationship with many transporters and exporters along with years of experience completing export work which will help make your experience as seamless and stress free as possible.
We are able to assist with both permanent exports and temporary export for competitions to a wide variety of destination counties.
If you have any questions regarding exporting your horse then please get in touch with our office who will be able to advise you further.