When you arrive

Whether your horse is coming in for an outpatient appointment during the day, or is staying overnight for a procedure, please park your lorry/trailer in the car park and report to reception. 

One of our nursing team will then come and help you unload and take you through to the yard.

Passports

Please bring your horse’s passport with you. It is a legal requirement that the passport should be with your horse at all times. 

It is also important that we record whether section IX has been signed off on our practice management system. This is where you can choose for your horse not to enter the human food chain. 

If this is not signed, then it is assumed that your horse may go for human consumption at the end of their lifetime, which means many medicines can’t be administered, for example “bute” or pergolide.

Lameness assessments

If your horse is coming in for a lameness investigation, we recommend bringing your tack with you, should we need to see your horse being ridden. 

It is also worth noting the condition of your horse’s shoes, as a loose or cast shoe could affect soundness in that limb and mask the other issues at hand. If you are concerned the condition of your horse’s shoes may affect their lameness assessment, please speak to one of our team. 

In-patient care

If your horse is admitted to the hospital, you will need to complete and sign several admission forms. 

These can be downloaded here and completed in advance; otherwise, a member of our nursing team will run through the questions with you on arrival. If at any point you have any questions about these forms, please speak to a member of our team. 

Feed, bedding and rugs

We have most of the usual hard feeds at the surgery, so you typically don’t need to bring food with you. 

It is usually only necessary if your horse is on a specialised diet, supplements or medication. 

We also feed high quality hay or haylage, depending on what you normally give your horse at home. 

Rubber matting is used throughout our stables, and we use high quality dust extracted shavings. 

We have a large array of stable and turnout rugs, but we recommend bringing your horse’s own, where possible.

Hind shoes need to be removed for scintigraphy, and all shoes need to be removed for MRI and any surgery being carried out under general anaesthesia.

24-hour care

A member of our nursing and veterinary team is on site 24 hours a day, and routine, twice-daily examinations are carried out by our team of veterinary surgeons. 

Morning treatments are usually completed by 10.30am – you are welcome to call the hospital at any time after this for an update.

All inpatients receive a late night and early morning check as standard. Additional checks are carried out when necessary, with the frequency of these checks determined by the severity of the condition being treated. 

Our stables also have CCTV, which is a great help in assisting with continuous monitoring.

Our visiting hours are: 10am to 12pm and 5pm to 6pm, seven days a week.

Please ring ahead to let us know when to expect you, and on arrival please report to reception before being taken to see your horse. 

Our stables are often very busy, so for your health and safety, we must ensure that there are no procedures being undertaken when you visit. 

Children are more than welcome to visit, but we ask that they are under supervision by you at all times. 

We take every step possible to make our hospital safe but, as always, horses are unpredictable creatures, especially those that are unwell or receiving treatment. 

We groom our inpatients everyday, but you are welcome to do this yourself or take them out for a pick of grass – please just check with one of our nurses or veterinary surgeons first. 

Horses admitted for scintigraphy remain radioactive for 48 hours after their injection, therefore they can’t be handled during this time. If you wish to visit you may do so, but you will not be allowed to enter their stable.

Collection

When your horse is ready to be discharged, you will be notified in advance so that you can arrange transport if necessary. 

Please organise a time for collection with our reception team, so that we can ensure the discharge notes and any medication is ready for you. 

A member of our team will meet you and run through any treatment protocols and aftercare plans, which will have been set by the veterinary surgeon in charge of your horse’s case.

Payment

You will be invoiced under our normal terms and conditions of business. 

Clients who are new to the practice, or who have been referred in by another veterinary surgeon, are asked to pay on collection of their horse. 

Under exceptional circumstances, with the prior approval of a member of our leadership team, it may be possible for insured horses to have the insurance companies pay us directly. 

For horses referred for emergency treatment (such as colic, joint infections, diarrhea) a deposit will need to be paid at admission.