Oakhill Equine Vets

06/09/2026

A REMINDER ABOUT OUR ROUTINE YARD VISITS 🐴
Did you know that we offer FREE monthly visits to eligible yards? If your yard has 10 or more Oakhill-registered horses and is within our practice areas, you could qualify for a regular monthly visit from one of our ambulatory vets.

How it works:
• Your horses are pre-booked onto the visit
• We attend your yard once a month on a specific day and time
• No visit fee is charged ✅
• Examination and treatment are charged at our usual rates

Not sure if your yard qualifies?
📞 Give the practice a call and ask to speak to Leona, who can talk you through the details and check whether your yard is eligible.

05/09/2026

INTRODUCING OVACYTE AT OAKHILL EQUINE VETS 🔬
As part of Oakhill’s commitment to continually invest in our practice, to ensure that we offer the best service to our patients and clients, we are pleased to announce that we have introduced OvaCyte machines to our in-house laboratory.

OvaCyte uses digital scanning technology to detect, identify and count faecal worm eggs, providing the most technically advanced method of performing faecal worm egg counts.

This means we can carry out advanced faecal worm egg counting in-house, helping us to make informed, evidence-based decisions about your horse’s worm control programme.

02/09/2026

COULD YOUR HORSE HAVE CUSHING’S? 👀
Cushing’s disease, also known as PPID (Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction), is one of the most common hormonal conditions we see in older horses and ponies.

It’s caused by changes to the pituitary gland, leading to an overproduction of hormones including ACTH – the hormone we measure when testing for PPID.

While PPID can affect horses of any age, it’s much more common in horses over 15 years old.

The signs can be subtle, so what should you look out for?
🔹 A longer or thicker coat, or failure to fully moult
🔹 Increased drinking and urination
🔹 Lethargy
🔹 Weight loss or muscle wastage, particularly along the topline
🔹 Excessive sweating
🔹 Recurrent infections
🔹 Laminitis

HOW IS IT DIAGNOSED?
A simple blood test can measure your horse’s ACTH levels. Although testing can be done all year round, autumn is often a useful time to test because ACTH levels naturally rise during this season.
Remember: Premium Equine Care Plan members are entitled to one free blood test each year.

CAN IT BE TREATED?
There is currently no cure for PPID, but the condition can be successfully managed with daily medication. Pergolide is the treatment of choice and helps reduce the overproduction of hormones by the pituitary gland.
Regular blood tests are recommended to check that the condition remains well controlled.

Good management matters too!
✔️ Clipping can help keep your horse comfortable
✔️ Check regularly for wounds and infections
✔️ Keep on top of farriery and dentistry
✔️ Maintain an appropriate worming programme
✔️ Be especially vigilant for signs of laminitis

Early diagnosis and treatment can make a real difference to your horse’s quality of life. If you have an older horse or pony and have noticed any changes, speak to us about whether PPID testing could be appropriate.

01/09/2026

A DENTAL PROBLEM HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT 🦷
During a routine annual dental exam, included for this horse as part of their Equine Care Plan, Abbie spotted something unusual – a fragment protruding from the side of the gum.

It was a buccal slab fracture of the 210: a vertical piece of tooth that had broken away, likely due to trauma, tooth weakness or excessive chewing force.

Unfortunately, the fracture had reached the first and second pulp horns, which contain nerves and blood vessels. When the pulp is exposed, it can be painful and allows bacteria to enter the tooth, potentially leading to infection at the root.

Some horses only require removal of the broken fragment. However, if root infection is suspected, we can use dental radiographs to assess the health of the tooth and determine whether the remaining tooth needs to be removed.

Interestingly, despite the fracture and an ulcer on the cheek, this horse showed no obvious signs of difficulty eating. As prey animals, horses are very good at hiding pain, which is why regular dental examinations are so important as they can help us identify problems before they become more serious or cause noticeable clinical signs.

30/08/2026

MATILDA'S "NOSE JOB"! 👃
Vet Matilda recently performed some “plastic surgery” on this young man after he managed to cut his nose in his stable overnight.

After a little sedation, plenty of cleaning and some careful work from Matilda, we think his new nose is looking pretty good!

He was a very good patient and is now on the road to a full recovery.

29/08/2026

WELCOME TO THE TEAM, CHRIS! 👋
We’re delighted to welcome Chris to Oakhill Equine Vets as our newest Ambulatory Vet.

Chris graduated from the University of Liverpool this summer and is looking forward to being out on the road to meet our lovely clients and patients. Chris relishes all sides of equine work, with particular interests in medicine and orthopaedics.

Outside of work, Chris enjoys hiking, skiing and cooking. Hailing from Glasgow, he is looking forward to some (hopefully) better weather down south.

Please join us in giving Chris a very warm Oakhill welcome!

Photo credit: Jane who kindly sent us these pics of Chris with Onny and Rio 💚

27/08/2026

Have you seen this article in Horse & Hound featuring our very own Kai?!

‘Another level’: the bizarre case of a pony rescued with two ‘very large teeth’ growing in one ear. Read more below

26/08/2026

BANK HOLIDAY OPENING HOURS ⌚
As always, two of our equine vets will be on call over the bank holiday weekend. If you need a vet at any time, call the usual number, 📞 01772 861300.

The office opening hours are:
Sat 29th August - 8.30am - 12pm
Bank Holiday Monday - 9am - 12pm

25/08/2026

DRY WEATHER HOOF CARE ☀️
With the prolonged dry weather we've been experiencing, it's important to pay extra attention to your horse's hoof health.

Hot, dry conditions can cause hooves to become brittle and prone to cracking, leading to defects in the hoof wall and potentially affecting your horse's comfort and soundness.

To help maintain a healthy hoof capsule, regular moisturising is key. One simple method is to allow your horse to stand in shallow water or damp areas (created with a hosepipe at the moment!) for a short period, followed by the application of a moisturising hoof product. There are many excellent options available, including hoof oils, greases and specialist hoof care ointments.

Incorporating this into your daily routine can help support hoof strength, elasticity and overall hoof health throughout the summer months.

This is especially important for horses kept barefoot, as their hooves are directly exposed to the effects of the dry ground.

If you're concerned about your horse's hoof quality or would like further advice, speak to your farrier or us.

Healthy hooves are the foundation of a healthy horse!

24/08/2026

THE SMALLEST KISSING SPINE PATIENT? MEET NOEL!
Kissing spines doesn’t just affect Thoroughbred horses and other large breeds, it can also be encountered in smaller native types too like little Noel here. We think Noel is the smallest patient to receive kissing spine surgery at our clinic!

The condition is different in these smaller breeds. We find that those affected often have a shorter back conformation, so less area in which to fit the 18 thoracic vertebral summits. When the angle of the dorsal spinous processes changes from pointing backwards slightly to anti-clinal at T15 to pointing a little forwards in the lumbar region, you can often get what we refer to as ‘over-crowding’ of the caudal thoracic spines which again causes friction between the summits and pain from the neural bundles that reside in the interspinous ligament. The main clinical sign being bucking and pain on palpation of the spine, however, some of these little guys can demonstrate really explosive and dangerous ridden behaviour in response to this condition.

Many thanks to Brown Moss Equine Clinic for referring delightful Noel to our team for surgery ❤️