TBA Regional visit to Kimpton Down and the Liphook Equine Hospital
On Thursday June 28, under bright blue cloudless skies TBA members met at Ralph Beckett’s Kimpton Down Stable near Andover. The day started early to ensure that the horses were as comfortable as possible in the unusually warm weather and members were treated to watching horses warming up before they headed to the gallops. A large amount of work has been invested in improving the various types of gallops to bring them to tip top condition. The long grass gallop rises steeply up the hill so the horses do not need much fast work from their second run. At the lower level a gravel base under the gallops formed from an old river bed provides excellent spring and autumn conditions for when they can’t use the higher ground. Members had the chance to watch the impressive offspring of stallions such as Kingman, Mount Nelson, Mastercraftsman, Oasis Dream, Kodiak, Sea the Stars, Dark Angel, Sir Percy and Shamardal put through their paces on the steep gallop, followed by a few laps of the warm down ring prior to heading back to the yard for a cooling wash down.
Ralph spoke to the members about the difference in training surfaces and the impact of each on the horses. His favoured woodchip, he feels, is best for the horses as it results in less tendon and soft tissue injuries due to its shifting properties than other surfaces. Ralph and Head Man, Adam Kite answered a variety of questions from members before we headed back to the main yard for refreshments followed by a walk through the stables.
After enjoying a delicious lunch at the Mayfly, Fullerton, which is beautifully situated beside the River Test, members were treated to a talk on the river by Robert Goldworth, one of a small team of river keepers, who explained about the hard work that goes into maintaining the river’s quality and stocks for fishing.
A drive across country took members to the Liphook Equine Hospital, which houses more specialists under one roof than any other practice in Europe. LEH Director, David Lloyd (BVMS CertES (Orth) DECVS MRCVS) talked members through the history of the hospital and took us on a tour of the impressive facilities. Liphook is the only specialist equine hospital which offers 24/7 around-the-clock nursing care in three shifts to its patients and some stables also have CCTV so that they can be monitored at all times. There are 60 stables including 10 intensive care units and separate boxes specifically designed for mares and foals, with turn out paddocks for recovering patients when they are fit enough to venture outside. There are also isolation boxes and decontamination facilities for horses that need to be kept separate. The patient list is varied from thoroughbreds to alpacas and even some goats among them.
David talked us through some of the amazing advances in modern veterinary medicines and practices including modern methods of sedation which enables more standing surgeries to be undertaken which is better for the patient as it comes with less risk, even though it may be tougher on the surgeon.
A tour of the state-of-the-art facilities that Liphook has in its armoury followed including a bone scanner, an essential tool for identifying issues with the back, pelvis or upper limbs. Previously, vets would need to map each area individually and plot the readings on a body map which was very time consuming and more stressful to the animal. Other equipment includes a CT scanner for 3D imaging and an MRI scanner which is ideal for measuring moisture content in tissue to spot inflammation and is especially useful for horses in training.
Suzy Hall, Diagnostic Lameness Clinician and imaging specialist, gave a brief presentation to cover the history of the LEH and some of the types of treatments and surgeries in which it specialises, before we enjoyed a delicious buffet and a welcome cooling drink before our departure.
The TBA would like to thank the hosts and their teams for the wonderful welcome they showed members and wish them continued success in the future.