Welcome to the Equine Department

Established for over sixty years in the heart of beautiful riding country, The Mount Veterinary Hospital provides a 24 hour ambulatory primary care service to all horse owners. Our experienced equine vets offer a full range of services including vaccinations, modern dental procedures, lameness investigations, pre-purchase examinations, fertility treatment and geldings. Whether you show, event, hunt, show jump or just enjoy a hack we provide a caring veterinary service reflecting the needs of you and your horse.

To discuss any of our services or to register as a client please telephone
01823 662286 and ask to speak to one of our equine vets.

Our Range of Equine Services

Vaccination

Vaccinating your horse against potentially fatal diseases is an essential part of equine management. After the initial course, regular booster vaccinations are necessary to keep your horse protected.
This visit also allows you to discuss any other concerns you may have about your horse’s health
and management.

Click on the Equine Vaccination title near the top of the page to learn more about protecting your horse.

Teeth Rasping

Is your horse avoiding the bit, failing to maintain body condition or even dropping food? Good dental health is a critical factor in maintaining your horse’s performance and body condition. We have a great deal of experience in this field and are very well equipped to carry out equine dentistry to a high standard. We commonly perform dental procedures ranging from rasping teeth to remove sharp points to the reduction of overgrown teeth, wolf tooth removal and extracting mobile teeth.

Click on the Equine Dentistry title near the top of the page to learn more about our equine dental service.

Pre Purchase Examinations

Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth …but if you’re buying it get it vetted!

Pre-purchase examinations, commonly called “vettings”, are thorough, formal examinations carried out by us on your behalf so that you can be satisfied that the horse you wish to purchase will be suitable for your needs.

For more information click on the Vettings title near the top of the page or contact us on 01823 662286 to arrange a vetting.

Lameness Investigation

Lameness is a common problem and most horse owners will have experienced the worry of a lame horse at some time. We know that you want your horse to make as full a recovery as can be achieved in as short a time as possible. Lameness has many different causes and accurate diagnosis is essential. Our experienced equine vets are on hand with the skills and the equipment to thoroughly investigate your horse’s problem and get your horse back under saddle as quickly as possible.

Click on theLameness title near the top of the page for more information.

Routine Health Check

This can be carried out anytime, but it is best done at the same time as a routine vaccination.

It allows for a full physical examination and also a blood sample to check organ function and for indicators of any other potential problems. We all need an MOT from time to time so why not treat your horse to the same thing!

Emergency Call out Service

Emergency call out - You can rest easy knowing that if you need us we are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

We are happy to visit out of hours for any emergencies, be it to simply stitch up a wound or for something potentially a little more serious such as colics or accidents in transit. Even if you would just like your mind put at rest, we are always happy to help.

Sedation

Some horses can become fractious and difficult to handle for certain procedures. These commonly include clipping, dentistry and sometimes even shoeing. We are happy to come out and sedate your horse if necessary, which will reduce its anxiety and make any procedure calmer, safer and more efficient.

Sedation is not expensive, is carried out routinely and is generally considered a safe and predictable process – much more so than struggling with an unwilling horse. With a useful sedated period of about an hour most tasks can be comfortably completed with a minimum of stress for horses and owners alike.

Castration (Gelding)

Our equine vets are very experienced at carrying out colt castrations. These are routinely done with the colt standing under sedation. Castration is a straightforward procedure generally carried when the colt is 1-2 years old. Because the colt remains standing throughout, the procedure can be carried out on the yard without the need for an operating theatre.

For a full explanation of what is involved please click on the title
Colt Castration near the top of this page.

Common Q & A's

Q: I’m worried my horse may have Colic. What signs should I look for?

A: Colic is another word for abdominal pain. It can have a range of different causes, from the mild spasmodic colic caused by trapped wind, through to severe potentially life threatening colic, when a piece of bowel has become twisted or entrapped. Due to the range of causes, the symptoms a colicing horse will exhibit vary in severity. The various signs you may see are shown below, with the mildest first.

Your horse becomes dull and depressed
Their appetite is reduced
They appear uncomfortable and will often lie down more often than usual
They often look back at their abdomen as if something is bothering them
They kick up at their belly
They sweat up
They continually lie down and roll over
They thrash around when on the ground
They become recumbent and remain on their side, becoming increasingly unresponsive to external stimuli.

Most cases of colic are fairly mild and recover quickly after the appropriate treatment is administered. However if some of the more serious symptoms are seen, there is the possibility that the horse may end up requiring surgical intervention at a referral hospital.

Whatever the reason, if you are worried that your horse may have colic please call one of our equine vets, even if just for a chat to put your mind at rest.

Q: What is the best treatment for mud fever?

A: Mud fever is an inflammation of the skin around the heel, fetlock and pastern. This inflammation leads to the skin swelling, stretching and weeping, causing cracks to appear, hair to fall out and hard scabs to form. It is usually seen in the winter months when horses are more likely to encounter wet and unhygienic conditions, and is more likely to occur in horses with long hair.

The first thing to do is to bring the horses into a nice clean and dry environment. The legs need to be washed off and then all the hair clipped off, as tight to the skin as possible. Once this has been done, the affected areas need to be cleaned with an antibacterial wash e.g. Hibiscrub (available from us) and then dried thoroughly.

This should be done twice daily until the skin has healed up. If the horses are in a situation in which it may be difficult to keep the affected areas dry, then a barrier cream can be used to protect the skin. We have a selection of suitable creams available. If your horse seems to be particularly sore on the affected areas, there is a possibility that they may have developed an infection in the skin. If this is the case, it is important you call us in to examine the horse and prescribe the most appropriate treatment.