Paraprofessionals

Veterinary surgeons at TCEH are happy to work with your own farrier or qualified physiotherapist, osteopath or chiropracter. However we also have long-established links with Alan Bailey and Liz Launder as detailed below.

Farrier

Alan Bailey is a Farrier, a Lecturer in Farriery, and a speaker at many major veterinary and farrier conferences in Europe, America and Australia.

Alan is a resident farrier at Three Counties Equine Hospital, working from a purpose-built forge and has been associate in the practice for the past 17 years.

Cases range from foal/weanling limb deviations, where plastics and glue-on shoes are often employed, to racing and competition horses involved in all sports disciplines and leisure activities. Laminitis cases are often hospitalised and treated ‘in house’ as a team effort.

Several shoes have been developed to deal with specific conformational abnormalities through working closely with equine therapists and resident veterinary surgeons.

Osteopath

Liz Launder is an osteopath with 25 years' experience both treating and rehabilitating injured /dysfunctional horses.Twelve of those years have been spent working alongside veterinary surgeons from Three Counties Equine Hospital.

Our vets may refer cases to Liz in cases which may benefit from a multi-disciplinary approach, for example cases involving poor performance, difficult behaviour, subtle lameness, gait anomaly, back pain or spinal dysfunction. These cases can then be approached using a combination of veterinary medicine and physical therapy. Treatment may involve electrotherapy, drug therapy, controlled exercise programmes, hydrotherapy and manipulation.

As an osteopath Liz is able to use manipulation and mobilisation techniques often carried out with the horse in standing sedation. This can be remarkably effective when performed in conjunction with trigger point suppression using focal injections of local anaesthetic.

Horses can be assessed by Liz either at home or in the surgery alongside the veterinary surgeon, which ensures that any lameness or previous injury/dysfunction is taken into account. Following a detailed evaluation, often involving the horse being ridden, an appropriate investigation treatment and management programme will be developed which can either be provided on an in- or out-patient basis. Horses may be hospitalised at Three Counties Equine Hospital or at the Hartpury Equine Therapy Centre. Such treatment programmes are aimed at avoiding re- occurrence of problems and are prepared in full consultation with the vet, farrier and, where required, the trainer.