Leahurst Equine Practice

06/10/2026

🎊👏🎉Congratulations to the team at Leahurst on the publication of their latest research in Equine Veterinary Journal.

Peritonitis can be a life-threatening condition in horses, and identifying the most severe cases early can be challenging. Drawing on data from 123 horses treated for peritonitis at Leahurst between 2010 and 2024, the study has identified key clinical features that can help vets recognise higher-risk cases sooner.

This research will support earlier decision-making, more targeted treatment plans, and improved communication between vets and owners about prognosis and expected outcomes.

Thank you to all our patients, horse owners and referring vets whose trust and support make research like this possible. It a great example of how clinical caseload and research at Leahurst come together to improve equine care. 💞

15/09/2026

🐴 Sharing knowledge, championing safety and packing a punch at BEVA Congress 2026! 🥊

We’re incredibly proud of our amazing Leahurst Equine team who represented us at this year’s Congress — delivering talks, welcoming visitors to our stand and getting involved in lectures and discussions across anaesthesia, medicine, surgery and nursing.

Our vets and nurses attended to share their expertise and to learn from others. Exchanging ideas, collaborating with colleagues and bringing fresh knowledge back to Leahurst all helps us continue developing the care we provide for your horses. 💙

🧢 Head safety took centre stage on our stand, with our Heads Up Challenge sparking conversations about protecting the people who care for horses.

Congress also marked the launch of ‘Head Safety in Equine Practice: A Guide to Selecting Protective Headwear’, developed in collaboration with BEVA, the British Equestrian Trade Association (BETA), Future Safety and UVEX. The guide helps equine vets and nurses understand different helmet standards and choose appropriate protective headwear.

🥊 And even BEVA President Kate Blakeman showed she packs a punch, taking on our punch ball challenge! Watch the video to see her in action! 🎥

Thank you to everyone who visited, joined the challenge and talked head safety with us — and to Future Safety and UVEX for kindly donating our daily helmet prizes.

A huge thank you to our staff for their enthusiasm, expertise and hard work throughout Congress. You did Leahurst proud! 👏

10/09/2026

🌟🐴🎓Leahurst Equine representing at BEVA Congress🎓🐴🌟

Over the next few days, a number of our Leahurst Equine team will be attending and speaking at BEVA Congress. BEVA (British Equine Veterinary Association) is the professional body that helps support, train and guide equine vets and nurses within the UK and the rest of the world. Congress is held yearly, and this year it returns to Birmingham. 🐴

We are very privileged that lots of our Leahurst Equine team are speaking throughout the convention on a whole range of topics, including anaesthesia, medicine, surgery and nursing. Our team has many specialists that we are lucky to utilise and help push forward our learning and understanding in these areas. We wish them luck and look forward to hearing how it went (including all the fun social events!). 🥂

05/09/2026

🎂🐴🥳 Birthday Boy Barney! 🥳🐴🎂

Recently, Helen visited Barney for a prescription check and was delighted to hear it was his birthday! Barney celebrated his birthday in style, with a very fancy sash and headpiece to match (we think he loved his new look and all the attention! 😄). His mum Julie was proud to celebrate his 21st birthday in the proper fashion and is hoping for many more of the same! 😍

We would love to see how all of you celebrate your horses & ponies (and other furry family members!) birthdays in the comments 🥰🥳

01/09/2026

🍂🍁🐴 Change in weather, changes in environment 🐴🍁🍂

Over the past week, the weather has changed significantly. From the previous very sunny and dry weather, we have now had a decent amount of rain, interspersed with some sun. Because of this, we have been seeing an increasing number of horses affected by this change, with the main signs being either laminitis or colic. 🐴

Laminitis is inflammation of the laminae in the foot - they 'suspend' the bones within the foot, attaching them to the hoof wall. When they get inflamed and stretch, this is extremely painful which causes the typical signs of warm feet, weight shifting and increased digital pulses. With the grass growing quicker again, it can increase the sugar content within it, meaning laminitis is more likely to happen (particularly if the horse has other conditions such as EMS and Cushing’s). 🌱

Colic is the general term for abdominal pain and has many different causes. There are milder forms such as spasmodic colic but there are also multiple very serious forms that require more aggressive management including surgery. It is important to know what clinical signs are found with colic, with the most common being inappetence, lip curling, pawing the floor, kicking their belly, rolling on the ground and change or reduction in faecal output. If you are concerned that your horse is showing any of these signs, the sooner the vet can assess them, the quicker your horse can get the treatment they need. 🐴

We look forward to Autumn and we hope the transition is smooth for everyone 💛

26/08/2026

📸🐴🌟 Gastric ulcers - diagnosis & treatment 📸🐴🌟

Did you know that horses can show discomfort, particularly pain related to their stomach, in many vague ways. Girthy behaviour and biting when being tacked up/rugged is what we most associate with gastric ulcers. But some can present with less defined symptoms such as weight loss, poor performance, teeth grinding & mild colic signs particularly around eating. If you are concerned that your horse is showing any of these signs, it would be worth checking for gastric ulcers. 🐴

Gastric ulcers can be diagnosed using a very long camera (gastroscope) that is passed into their stomach. We can define and grade the ulcers and talk you through the treatment options. We are still running our gastrscope offer here at Leahurst Equine Practice. With a saving of nearly 50% (compared to our on the road fee), your horse can have a full video gastroscope, including sedation, for £160* (*£175 if stabled with us the night before for starving). Horses must be brought into us for this offer.

This also includes an accurate, up to date weight on the weigh bridge and an aftercare plan. (All medications and treatment are NOT included in the offer price).
If you would like to book onto this offer or require more information, please contact us on 0151 794 6199. 🌟

23/08/2026

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿😢🐴 Goodbye to Kirsten 🐴🥲🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Sadly we are saying goodbye to our vet Kirsten who is leaving us to work closer to home in Scotland. Kirsten started as a maternity cover who we loved so much, we asked her to stay! It has been a wonderful 2years with her and we are very sad to see her go. We wish her all the best at her new job and now have a perfect excuse to visit Scotland more often 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Please join us in wishing her the best and saying goodbye! 🥰

21/08/2026

19/08/2026

🌧☀️🐴 Weather changes and sycamore seeds - what to look for 🐴☀️🌧

Horses can ingest sycamore seeds (a lot of the time accidentally) and can become very ill. They can develop a condition known as Atypical Myopathy.

Atypical myopathy is a clinical syndrome caused by a toxin called Hypoglycin A, which is found in the sycamore seeds, leaves and bark and is incredibly toxic to horses. Although we usually associate the autumn with when we see the majority of atypical myopathy cases, extremes of weather such as heatwaves then excessive wind or stormy weather can result in seeds falling to the ground and being consumed by horses. 🐴

Clinical signs include profuse sweating, muscle twitching or rigidity, inappetence, colic, dark or brown urine and can progress to recumbency (lying down and unable to stand). Urgent veterinary care is required, including intensive fluid therapy in an attempt to flush the toxin through the body.

Thankfully, cases are relatively rare, but please be vigilant and ensure pastures are checked for fallen seeds and seedlings (see photos) regularly. 🌳

16/08/2026

🍁🐴🇨🇦 Catching up with Ben 🇨🇦🐴🍁

As you all know, our wonderful vet Ben left us last year to explore new ventures abroad in the wonderful land of Canada 🇨🇦. Recently, we were delighted to catch up with him, firstly with Helen where they both sat on a panel together at the Veterinary Education Conference held at Harper Keele University. We were also able to catch up socially and heard all about his and Lemon’s new adventures. We are delighted to see him doing so well and continue to wish him the best with all his exciting new projects 🥰

Ben was also interviewed by the University’s Alumni Association and you can read the interview here:
https://alumni.liv.ac.uk/blog/community/vet-ben-curnow/

We hope Ben will visit again soon and look forward to hearing more about Canada life 🇨🇦😍