The Practice: +44 (0)1638 782000 | The Hospital: +44 (0)1638 782020
Sports & Leisure
Have an emergency?
If your horse needs urgent veterinary attention, our team is ready to help around the clock. Call 01638 782020 for the hospital and 01638 782000 for the practice.
Our sport and leisure team provides the same high standard of care to competition horses, happy hackers, and much-loved ponies alike. We understand that every horse matters to its owner, regardless of its level or discipline, and we take the time to listen, explain, and tailor our approach accordingly. From routine vaccinations and dental checks to complex lameness investigations and pre-purchase examinations, our team is here to help you keep your horse healthy, sound, and doing what it loves.
We work with competition horses across all disciplines, including eventing, show jumping, dressage, and polo. Our vets understand the specific demands placed on sports horses and the pressures their owners and riders face when performance is compromised. We offer thorough lameness and poor performance investigations on yard (where suitable) or at our hospital with our ambulatory or hospital specialists. Our ambulatory vets are supported by access to the full range of both on the road and hospital diagnostics and therapeutics. This is alongside routine health management, competition preparation, and rehabilitation planning.
Whether you have a retired thoroughbred, a family pony, or a companion donkey, our leisure horse team provides a friendly, professional veterinary service tailored to your horse's needs. We offer routine health care, vaccinations, dental examinations, parasite management, and geriatric assessments, alongside investigation and treatment of any health or lameness concerns that arise. We believe every horse deserves excellent care, and we are always happy to take the time to talk things through.
Our team is involved in the discipline at all levels, providing specialist veterinary support to endurance horses in training and at competition. Services include metabolic monitoring, conditioning assessments, and competition day veterinary cover. We hold FEI official veterinary accreditations and are familiar figures on the endurance circuit, bringing both clinical expertise and a genuine understanding of the sport's unique welfare demands.
Artificial insemination is an increasingly popular option for breeding non-Thoroughbred mares, giving owners access to a wide range of stallions from both the UK and overseas. As a BEVA-approved AI Centre, we offer a comprehensive service using fresh, chilled or frozen semen.
Our experienced team will monitor your mare’s reproductive cycle and carefully time insemination in order to give the best possible chance of achieving pregnancy, while providing guidance and support throughout the breeding process. We also work with a number of embryo transfer units to give the option to continue competing your mare while still retaining the ability to breed.
We understand that there are times when owners or trainers would value a fresh perspective on a clinical problem. Our team is happy to offer second opinion consultations, either on the yard or at the hospital, drawing on the breadth of experience and specialist expertise within the practice. We approach second opinions with sensitivity and professionalism, working collaboratively with your existing vet wherever possible to ensure continuity of care.
Alongside the routine care of riding school ponies and horses, we also offer veterinary assessments which are required for licensed riding schools to ensure that welfare standards meet the current Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals England) regulations 2018.
We are able to carry out official height measurements for competition and breed registry purposes. Measurements are performed by experienced veterinary surgeons in accordance with the relevant governing body requirements. Please contact the practice office to arrange an appointment and to confirm any specific documentation or certification you require.