Down centerline, it might seem I’m out there alone with my horse. In reality, I have an amazing support team riding every step with me. I’ve got lots of people in my camp—too many to list in one blog—but all deserving of note.
Today’s entry is my veterinary and farrier team. I work closely with three different veterinary practices, all with different specialties. My primary vet is Dr. Lynn Johnson, whose Commonwealth Equine practice is quite literally down the street and around the corner from me. Dr. Lynn is my go-to on all the routine stuff, plus Things That Ooze. Lynn has a deep love and appreciation for pus. No kidding. She’s also a ray of sunshine all the time, and has this neat-o mobile lab that she takes to endurance rides—she’s the official vet at lots of endurance events, from the local to the international.
Next are the many vets of Virginia Equine Imaging, led by Dr. Kent Allen. Dr. Allen is one of the Team vets, chairs USEF’s Veterinary and Drug & Medications committees, and—most importantly—laughs at even my bad jokes. (He’s also a Between Rounds columnist for the Chronicle.) He’s a pretty brilliant guy, and speaks fluently the language of the equine leg. He and Drs. Johns, Hyman and Davis have worked some big miracles for us, including Billy’s incredible recovery in 2007.
Last but certainly not least is my dear friend Dr. Tim Casey. Tim is a “real” vet (who works a lot on the track, so if it’s gone wrong in a horse, he’s seen it), but he also utilizes Eastern medicine in his practice, including accupuncture and chiropractic care. I love dealing with problems before they become Problems, and Tim is a crucial part of that plan. He also tells great stories, and like all great doctors, has completely illegible handwriting.
(I also need to mention my love for the Equine Reproduction Concepts and Dr. Kevin Dippert, who oversaw all of Cleo’s embryo transfer stuff last year and will be helping make Cletus the Fetus 2.0 in April. Dr. Dippert and his staff are endlessly patient with all of my moronic questions and treat Cleo like the Queen She Is.)
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Farrier to the Sprieser Sporthorse Stars is Don Maley. Donny is a whip for the Thorton Hill Hounds, and a wonderful horseman. Like many wonderful horsemen, he has a perfect dog and a perfect daughter, Alice, who is irritatingly clever and a lovely rider. Donny arranges our appointments by text message, which is the best thing since sliced bread, and he’s never met a toe he couldn’t chop off.
Finally, a new addition to my team—Tina Lippincott, massage therapist. Tina is a lovely woman, but when I first met her, I thought, “This petite little wisp of a woman is going to get into my Big Burly Horses’ Big Burly Muscles? I think not.” And then she got to work on Ella, who is tight and squirrely and neurotic and a little standoffish about being touched, and she proceeded to all but lick Tina to death with love and adoration. And Ella felt amazing the next day, as did the other two horses she worked on. And thus my love for Tina was born.
Someone told me that Tina was a stellar steeplechase jockey back in the day, which makes her cooler than I will ever be, and yet she still manages to talk to me like an equal. This is like the captain of the cheerleading squad chatting with a band geek—unheard of. She’s a rockstar.
Now, if only one of them could explain to Fender that he needs to shed his long ragamuffin winter coat NOW please, so he doesn’t look like a woolly mammoth I dragged in from the field to take to a show this weekend; that’d be swell, thanks.
