Bell Equine Veterinary Clinic

07/06/2026

🩺🐴Caroline Ribonnet MVetMed, DipECEIM, MRCVS
Diplomate of the European College of Equine Internal Medicine.

We are delighted to welcome Caroline Ribonnet to Bell Equine Veterinary Clinic as part of our internal medicine team in the hospital.

Caroline graduated from Ghent University in 2016 before completing an internship in equine medicine and surgery at Bosdreef Equine Hospital in Belgium. She subsequently joined the medicine team at De Morette Equine Hospital in Brussels, where she completed a residency in equine internal medicine and achieved Diplomate status of the European College of Equine Internal Medicine (ECEIM) in 2023.

Following her residency, Caroline joined the hospital medicine team at Rossdales Equine Hospital as a senior clinician, where she spent a year developing her experience in referral internal medicine, emergency and critical care, neonatology, and complex hospital-based cases. She then returned to Belgium to become Head of Internal Medicine at Via Nova Equine Services, focusing on equine sports medicine and athletic health. Prior to joining Bell Equine, Caroline returned to Rossdales for a further year as a senior clinician within the hospital medicine team.

Caroline is interested in all aspects of equine internal medicine, but particularly enjoys adult emergency and critical care, equine nutrition, neonatology, and all internal medicine aspects of equine sports medicine.

05/06/2026

Feel Good Friday:✨ This is the story of Venus – our miracle mare. ✨

Venus is a 28-year-old mare who, last May, began showing signs that something wasn't right. She was lying down more than usual, appeared dull and lethargic, and was promptly referred to BELL Equine for further investigation.

Following a thorough colic work-up by our Internal Medicine team, it became clear that this was more than a routine case. Venus was systemically compromised, and ultrasound examination revealed an abdominal mass alongside evidence of peritonitis (severe inflammation within the abdominal cavity). An exploratory laparotomy (abdominal surgery) was recommended.

During the procedure, the mass seen on ultrasound was found to be attached to the caecum. In addition, Venus had a lipoma (fatty tumour) that was strangulating a section of her small colon, cutting off its blood supply.

Despite Venus's advanced age, her owner wanted to give her every possible chance. So the tumour was successfully removed, and the damaged section of the small colon was resected. After a 3.5-hour surgery, Venus recovered smoothly and without complications.

The tumour was sent for histopathology and was diagnosed as a gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST), a rare condition that has been reported affecting the equine caecum.

After 10 days in our care, Venus was discharged home to continue her recovery with her dedicated owner. Today, we are delighted to share this photo of Venus on the one-year anniversary of her colic surgery! ❤️

We couldn't be happier for Venus and her owner. Stories like hers remind us why we do what we do, and we're thrilled that they can continue to enjoy many more special moments together🩺🫶

03/06/2026

Unfortunately we have a 2 week old mini Shetland foal that is now in search of a foster mare (Shetland or small pony). Ideally vaccinated for flu - if anybody knows of one please ring 07890 568564 or contact any of us at Bell. Thank you. 🙏🏻

02/06/2026

The recent cooler weather and welcome rainfall are really appreciated! Not only is it better for our horses and the grass, but it can make us all feel a little more comfortable too. 🐴🌧️😊

29/05/2026

Friday Funday ✨ It is great when we see our patients doing well. Here is Nia competing at Osberton last week. We hope everyone has a lovely weekend.

27/05/2026

One of the BELL vet team was out on call and came across this very orderly line of cows. We think it might be the countryside commute, queuing traffic on the moo-torway?! 🐄🚗🐮 🚛What do you think they are queuing for?
Caption suggestions welcome 👇

27/05/2026

It was a pleasure to attend the Lillico Country Store Equine Experts Evening and meet so many passionate horse enthusiasts. It was a lovely evening with great discussions and a real shared love of all things equine.
A huge thank you to everyone who attended, and especially to the BELL team for giving up their time to support the event in such hot weather.☀️🐴

26/05/2026

Come and meet BELL vets and nursing staff, who will be joining the expert team for the Equine Evening TONIGHT Tuesday 26th May 6-8pm at Lillico Country store, Aylesford ME20 7BT Lillico Country Store . We hope by this evening it might be a bit cooler 😎🩺😎

25/05/2026

Well, this pretty much sums up the warmest May Bank Holiday weekend ever 😎🥵☀️
Please take care of yourselves and your horses in the heat: plenty of shade, water, and try to take it easy during the hottest parts of the day!

We are ready… ☀️🐴😆

Seriously though grooms. Take care in the heat today. Wear sunscreen, use a hat, drink all the water and stay in the shade where you can.

Thank you for working the bank holiday! 💙

22/05/2026

May is not only Veterinary Nursing Awareness Month, but also one of our busiest times of year! There are foals to care for, mares to organise for artificial insemination, as well as emergency and intensive care cases, alongside the countless routine tasks that the nursing team perform every single day.
Our nurses are central to patient care, client experience and clinical outcomes 24/7. The nursing team also supports our vets on the road and the wider team are very grateful for their professionalism!
Thank you for everything you do ! We hope you manage to enjoy a well-deserved rest over the bank holiday weekend!