74 SIDELINES AUGUST 2014
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
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Dr. Anne Baskett performs acupuncture on a client’s horse.
Small Town, Big Vet Services
By Lauren R. Giannini
Nestled near the small horsey town of Tryon, North Carolina
is an animal hospital that offers big services. Since its inception
in 2000, Tryon Equine Hospital has offered the best of traditional
modern medical and surgical services along with acupuncture and
chiropractic.
“We offer the same services as a teaching hospital at a
university, but with private practice atmosphere and a staff that’s
second to none,” said Bill Hay, DVM, who served as chief of staff
at the University of Georgia Veterinary Hospital before joining
Tryon Equine in 2000. “In private practice, we get to put the client
and horse first. It’s a great situation for all of us.”
It’s a family affair at Tryon Equine. Dr. Hay specializes in equine
lameness, regenerative medicine (stem cell therapy) and surgery
(orthopedic, airway and general). He’s co-owner of Tryon Equine
with his wife, Anne Baskett, DVM, who specializes in sport horse
lameness and medicine and is an FEI veterinarian for three-day
eventing and the selector veterinarian for the Canadian three-day
team.
“One of our strengths is how the doctors communicate with each
other and with the clients,” said Michelle Klopp, who has worked
at Tryon Equine as a vet tech since 2003. “It doesn’t matter if it’s
a backyard pasture pet or AA circuit horse. Another strong point
of the practice is how important it is to get to the horse in a timely
manner when we’re called out on an emergency. We have super-
fast response time.”
Clients bring their horses from near and far to Tryon Equine,
located in Columbus, North Carolina. Many are in-state, but quite
a few hail from Georgia and the upper portion of South Carolina.
The reason is simple: “Our doctors know what your horse does for
a living, and this helps our primary goal — to get that horse well
and better and back to its job,” said Dr. Hay. “We have doctors
involved in every discipline from three-day to jumpers and hunters
and dressage, and that really helps us do a great job for you. Our
technicians and office staff know and love horses and give it their
all. The result is a team approach where everyone’s dedicated to
doing their best. Every horse that comes in here gets the attention
of the whole team.”
Tryon Equine takes great pride in their diagnostics. The hospital
and three vet trucks are equipped with digital radiology; ambulatory
vets have access to digital ultrasound. Video endoscopy helps
to diagnose diseases of the head and respiratory tract, provides
visuals of the urinary and reproductive systems and assists
in collecting biopsies. Gastroscopy uses a three-foot-long
endoscope to examine the esophagus and stomach, providing
the gold standard to diagnose gastric ulcers, which can cause
weight loss, performance problems and colic symptoms. Plans for
the near future include evaluation by MRI (Magnetic Resonance
Imaging) right at the hospital facility.
“It’s important that we educate clients about what can be done
for their horse, communicate the options to the client and work
within the client’s means in terms of what they can do,” said Dr.
Hay. “Fortunately, there are various insurance programs these
day that can help to cover the horse without paying a fortune.”
Tryon Equine Hospital both recommends
and utilizes aquatread hydrotherapy
for rehabilitation following injuries and
surgeries as well as for cross-training.
Aqua-tread is offered at Still Creek Farm
and Aqua Rehab Center, just five miles up
the road.
“We refer clients to Still Creek all the
time,” said Dr. Hay. “It’s a tremendous
tool for rehab and also for cross-training.
Aquatread gets the horse moving earlier
in the recovery process and it can help
improve range of motion and maximize
healing of the injured area. Aquatread also
helps keep the horse with a job. It’s low-
weight-bearing and minimizes stress on the
healing area, but it’s a good cardiovascular
workout.”
For more information on Tryon Equine,
visit
. For more
information on Still Creek Farm, visit www.
stillcreekfarmnc.com.
Dr. Bob Hay performs surgery on a horse.
All photos by Danny Holbrook/Tryon Equine Hospital
