Passport
Under current legislation, all horses must have a passport. Please bring it with you so that it can be checked on admission. According to EU law, many drugs can only be administered if that part of the horse’s passport that certifies that the animal is not for human consumption has been signed. Whilst we will not decline treatment of your horse if the passport is unavailable, we will treat your horse as though you have agreed that it will not be used for human consumption. It will be your responsibility to complete the passport, when it becomes available, to this effect.
Insurance Details and Claim Form
If your horse is insured for veterinary fees, loss of use or mortality, please ensure that you bring details of your insurance cover and a claim form.
Rugs
If your horse is likely to be admitted as an inpatient please bring any day or night rugs that your horse might need. We will not require you to leave your headcollar and rope.
Feed and dietary supplements
We stock most usual feedstuffs and on admission, the nurse will ensure that we know what your horse is currently being fed so that we can feed an appropriate diet to your horse whilst it is an inpatient. If your horse has unusual supplements or feedstuffs please check with the hospital before admission to see whether you need to bring them with you.
If your horse is coming in for a lameness examination,
- Please bring the tack that you normally use for the horse as it may be necessary for our veterinary surgeons to see the horse being ridden under tack. It is preferable that the horse’s regular rider is available in such circumstances, although if this is not possible, we can arrange for a member of our staff to ride your horse, with your permission.
- Ideally your horse should be kept in light work until the appointment date unless your veterinary surgeon has advised you otherwise. This ensures that your horse is lame at the time of admission. It is frustrating for owners to make long journeys to be told that their horse is not lame enough to allow a lameness examination to be performed.
- All horses that are normally shod, should have shoes on, preferably in the type of shoes that they have been wearing in the weeks before the appointment. Unshod horses often become foot-sore when trotted up for lameness examination. This can be confusing and complicate the diagnosis of the true lameness.
- All anti-inflammatory drugs or analgesic medication should be stopped at least 48 hours before your appointment date unless you have been advised otherwise by a veterinary surgeon. These drugs can mask lameness and make assessment of the horse’s true lameness difficult.
