Guardia Equine Sports Medicine

09/15/2026

We are asked often what we do at FEI horse shows as a Veterinary Delegate. We advocate for the horse’s welfare and help support fair play. This is always an unfortunate situation, but a good example of how that system helps support equine athletes.

🐴 HORSE’S WELFARE COMES FIRST AS BURGHLEY DREAM ENDS AT FINAL INSPECTION

American rider Jennie Brannigan and her experienced partner FE Lifestyle—affectionately known as Foxy—had already completed one of the toughest cross-country courses in the world.

The 16-year-old chestnut produced a clear jumping performance across Burghley’s demanding terrain, adding only 11.2 time penalties and leaving the pair in an impressive 12th place overnight.

They were hoping to secure their third Burghley completion and Foxy’s tenth finish at five-star level.

But before any horse could enter the final showjumping arena, there was one more important test to pass: the Sunday-morning veterinary inspection.

All 28 horses that had completed the cross-country phase were presented before the ground jury and veterinary team. FE Lifestyle was sent to the holding box for further examination before being presented for a second time.

After careful consideration, officials decided that he should not continue. No specific injury or diagnosis was publicly announced.

It was a heartbreaking end to an incredible performance, but it also demonstrated exactly why final horse inspections matter.

Horses cannot explain when something feels wrong. At the highest level of sport, adrenaline and courage may carry them through an exhausting cross-country course—but the responsibility then belongs to the people around them to examine, listen and make the difficult decisions.

A place on the leaderboard is never worth gambling with a horse’s welfare.

Foxy left Burghley without completing the competition, but he did so as an extraordinary athlete who had already shown tremendous bravery, experience and heart.

Sometimes the most important result is not the one recorded on the scoreboard. It is knowing that the horse comes first. ❤️

Let’s send Jennie, Foxy and their entire team our very best wishes.

09/11/2026

📣We have had a good number of clients request to continue to use Dr. Guardia’s care for their elective performance horse needs. 🐎 We are thrilled with that and want to get a head count of who is interested. Depending on how many barns and how frequently they want Dr. Guardia to come, we will get regular visits back to Texas scheduled. Either leave a comment here or send us a DM or email at [email protected] if you’d like to sign up for that. We will work out logistics and details once we get a secured list of folks wanting this service. We will most likely send out a Doodle Poll to gather information as to the frequency and timing our clients would want. Send us your name (or whomever will be the point of contact for the barn) and preferred email so we can send you those details.

09/10/2026

There has now been a horse identified to be infested with NWS. The horse was located in Presidio County, far southwest of Houston. We share this as a reminder to keep checking your horses daily for any new wounds and have a veterinarian examine them if any are found.

On September 9th, an infested zone was established in Presidio County in association with a NWS detection in a horse. The zone expands into portions of Jeff Davis and Presidio Counties.
View individual animal cases here: https://bit.ly/USDA-NWSConfirmedCases
See the current infested zones in place here: https://bit.ly/NWS-ZoneMap

09/03/2026

♥️ I have been overwhelmed by the kind comments and well wishes from clients and friends since the announcement went out this week. If you missed it, please read the letter from me to you in the comment below. Texas will always be my home and my patients and their owners (and puppies) have become family to me. From educating students to partnering with my performance horses as part of their winning team, I thank you from the bottom of my Texan heart. ♥️ With all my love, Dr. Ciera Guardia

08/30/2026

1. Your HITS Hudson Valley CSI2* veterinary team:
Dr. Ciera Guardia - Veterinary Delegate
Dr. Angie Yates - Veterinary Services Manager

Thank you for having me! It was a really fun show 🍎🏇🏾

2. Being a horse doctor means you get to cuddle puppies and they never know you’re the vet!

3. One of the prettiest show offices I have ever seen and the neatest sign showing all of the HITS horse shows.

4. Dinner our last night on an offshoot of the Hudson River.

5. Finally made it to the “Big Apple”

6. Lovely international ring.

7. Double rainbow over the FEI schooling ring.

08/25/2026

🐎 It was an honor to be invited back for the second USEF Veterinary Summit discussing how to improve equine welfare and competition. These colleagues inspire me to be better every day. Thank you to the AAEP for trusting me to lead the Performance Horse Committee and thank you for keeping horses at the forefront of the conversation. ❤️🐴

Now I’m off to New York to officiate the HITS on the Hudson CSI2*. Wheels up 🛫 to Albany!

08/14/2026

🎉This is your sign to tell us when things WORK!👏🏻🐴

We do our best to listen to the needs of the owners, trainers, and grooms. But, most importantly, we listen to what the horses are trying to tell us. This horse was showing very subtle signs of pain in a few locations that were not obvious to his owner. We treated those areas and he feels fantastic!

We can’t read minds or predict the future. All we can do is listen intently and work diligently to provide relief. This horse is in his mid 20s and feels better than ever. These are the ones we feel the best about when they improve. These older horses who have given their all for a long time. They deserve to be helped as much as the young ones with their futures ahead.

Yay for a Friday win!

08/13/2026

🎉🍾🥂Incredible accomplishment from one of our own Texas Equestrians! Congratulations, Gianna!!! Repeating the infamous Mongol Derby and improving your overall placing?! That’s nuts!!! 🏅 🐎

A huge congratulations to Gianna……5th place finish riding The Mongol Derby!!!

08/06/2026

🐴Every horse has a story. My job is to find it. 🕵🏻

•Some injuries aren’t obvious, and some of the most important structures are also the most challenging to evaluate.

•Advanced musculoskeletal ultrasound allows us to look beyond the surface, but obtaining meaningful images requires more than simply placing a probe on the leg. It takes patience, precision, experience, and an understanding of how each structure functions within the athletic horse.

•No two horses are exactly alike. That’s why every lameness evaluation begins with listening—to the owner, the rider, and the horse itself. I take the time to build a complete picture before recommending treatment because an accurate diagnosis is the foundation of a successful recovery.

Whether I’m evaluating a subtle performance issue or a significant injury, my goal is always the same:
✔️ A thorough and accurate diagnosis
✔️ An individualized treatment plan
✔️ A rehabilitation program tailored to that horse’s discipline, goals, and lifestyle

Helping horses return to comfort, confidence, and performance is the most rewarding part of what I do.