Equine Clinic of the University of Pretoria at Onderstepoort

Equine Clinic of the University of Pretoria at Onderstepoort Welcome on the page of the Equine Clinic of the University of Pretoria.

👩‍⚕️👩‍⚕️ Two Specialists. One Operating Theatre. 🐴This photo shows our two equine surgical specialists, Dr. Yolandi Smit...
31/08/2026

👩‍⚕️👩‍⚕️ Two Specialists. One Operating Theatre. 🐴

This photo shows our two equine surgical specialists, Dr. Yolandi Smit and Dr. Elza Hollenbach, performing a colic surgery together.

At Onderstepoort Equine Clinic, we are proud to currently be the only equine surgical facility in South Africa with two equine surgical specialists working together as part of the clinical team.

While having two specialists in theatre is particularly valuable when managing challenging and complex surgical cases, we often operate together even for routine procedures—like the colic surgery shown here.

For our patients, this means that when your horse comes to us for surgery, you may have two specialists working together on your horse, bringing different experience and perspectives to the operating table.

And when a particularly difficult case comes through the doors? We have the ability to tackle it together. 💪🐴

Specialist expertise. Teamwork. Experience when it matters most.

Intern in action 🏃‍♀️🔬 Learning by Doing: Life as an Equine Intern 🐴Our intern, Dr. Kirsten Steyn, is getting stuck into...
28/08/2026

Intern in action 🏃‍♀️

🔬 Learning by Doing: Life as an Equine Intern 🐴

Our intern, Dr. Kirsten Steyn, is getting stuck into the exciting hands-on learning that an internship at OP Equine Clinic offers!

From performing lameness examinations and flexion tests to assisting with advanced treatments such as intra-articular joint injections with IRAP, our interns are exposed to a wide variety of cases from their very first weeks.

The best part? They don’t do it alone. Every procedure is performed under the guidance and supervision of our experienced specialist veterinarians, giving interns the opportunity to develop practical skills while maintaining the highest standards of patient care. 👩‍⚕️🐴

An equine internship is more than observing—it’s the opportunity to learn, participate and build the foundations for your future career in equine medicine and surgery.

Would you want to do an internship at the OP Equine clinic? 👀

🩻 Can you spot the problem? 🐴This radiograph shows a horse with a distal radial fragment and osteoarthritis of the radio...
21/08/2026

🩻 Can you spot the problem? 🐴

This radiograph shows a horse with a distal radial fragment and osteoarthritis of the radiocarpal joint.

But there’s more to this image… 👀

The horse also has a suspected osteochondroma on the caudal aspect of the radius. Osteochondromas are benign, cartilage-capped bony proliferations that can occur in young horses and may be incidental findings or become clinically significant depending on their size and location.

So, here’s our question for the vets, students and horse enthusiasts:

🔎 How many abnormalities can you identify on this radiograph? And which one do you think is most likely responsible for the horse’s clinical signs?

Drop your diagnosis in the comments! 👇

🦷 Case Spotlight: Rostral Mandibular Fracture 🐴This photo series shows the management of a rostral mandibular fracture i...
03/08/2026

🦷 Case Spotlight: Rostral Mandibular Fracture 🐴

This photo series shows the management of a rostral mandibular fracture involving the 802 and 803 incisors (Triadan system). Following careful assessment, it was evident that both teeth were too severely damaged to be preserved. They were therefore completely extracted, and the gingiva was meticulously sutured to create a healthy, tension-free closure.

The primary goals in managing rostral mandibular fractures are to:
🦷 Restore comfort and function
🦷 Preserve as much healthy tissue as possible
🦷 Minimise the risk of infection and delayed healing

Fortunately, horses generally cope remarkably well with the loss of one or more incisors, particularly when the remaining dentition is healthy. In this horse the fracture also only involved deciduous teeth and the underlying permanent teeth (402 and 403) were unaffected and should errupt normally. 402 in the next 4-6months and 403 about a year later.

Most horses return to eating normally once soft tissue healing is complete.

Cases like this highlight that successful fracture management is not always about preserving every tooth—it is about choosing the treatment that offers the best long-term outcome for the patient.

💬 Did you know? Horses have 12 incisors in total. Can you name the six maxillary or mandibular incisor Triadan numbers without looking them up? 👇

For the vet students: knowing when which incisors erupt played key role in decision-making in this case. Can you name the ages at which the various incisors erupt?

🐴 Equine Asthma: More Than Just a CoughDid you know that horses can develop asthma, just like people?Equine asthma is a ...
31/07/2026

🐴 Equine Asthma: More Than Just a Cough

Did you know that horses can develop asthma, just like people?

Equine asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the lower airways that can affect horses of any age. It ranges from mild disease, where performance is reduced, to severe disease that causes obvious breathing difficulty even at rest.

🔎 Common signs include:
• Chronic coughing
• Nasal discharge
• Exercise intolerance or poor performance
• Increased respiratory effort
• Flaring nostrils or a "heave line" in more advanced cases

🌾 What causes it?
The condition is usually triggered by inhaling environmental irritants such as:
• Dust from hay or bedding
• Mould spores
• Stable dust and poor ventilation
• Pollen and other airborne allergens

🩺 How is it diagnosed?
Your veterinarian will combine the horse's history, physical examination, endoscopy, and airway sampling (bronchoalveolar lavage (gold standard for diagnosis) and Transtracheal wash(possible other diseases)) to identify inflammation and rule out other respiratory diseases.

💨 Treatment focuses on two key areas:

✅ Environmental management (the most important step!)
• Maximise turnout where possible.
• Improve stable ventilation.
• Feed steamed or soaked hay, or consider hay alternatives.
• Use low-dust bedding.
• Reduce exposure to dusty environments.

💊 Medical therapy
Veterinarians may prescribe corticosteroids to reduce airway inflammation and bronchodilators to improve airflow. Medication works best when combined with environmental changes.

❤️ Can horses recover?
While equine asthma cannot be cured, many horses can return to comfortable breathing and athletic performance with appropriate management. Early recognition and intervention are key to preventing permanent airway changes.

If your horse has a persistent cough or isn't performing as expected, don't ignore it—early veterinary assessment can make all the difference.

VeterinaryMedicine HealthyHorses

12/06/2026

Hear what 2026 intern Dr Joanie has to say about the internship so far. Applications are open

12/06/2026

Internship applications now open!!!
Hear what Dr Lara has to say about 2026 internship so far.

12/05/2026

🔬 Standing Arthroscopic OCD Removal 🐴

At Onderstepoort Equine Clinic, we offer standing arthroscopic removal of selected OCD fragments, allowing certain horses to undergo minimally invasive joint surgery without general anaesthesia.

This technique is performed in line with international standards and offers several advantages:
✅ Avoids the risks associated with general anaesthesia
✅ Reduced recovery time
✅ Short hospital stay — most horses are admitted and discharged the following morning

📍 This procedure is only suitable for:

* Specific joints and fragment locations (such as selected dorsal P1 fetlock fragments)
* Horses with an appropriate temperament for standing surgery

💰 Current estimated cost: R13 000 – R15 000

Standing arthroscopy is another example of how advanced techniques can improve patient safety while maintaining excellent surgical outcomes.

💬 Would you consider standing surgery for your horse if it meant avoiding general anaesthesia? 👇

Literal life blood.🩸 Thanks to our very own heroic Flint, a horse with severe anemia due to piroplasmosis could receive ...
05/05/2026

Literal life blood.🩸

Thanks to our very own heroic Flint, a horse with severe anemia due to piroplasmosis could receive 15 units or approximately 7.5L of blood within a matter of hours after arrival.

🦠Piroplasmosis commonly known as tick bite fever ,caused by Theileria Equii, is carried and transmitted by ticks. It invades the red blood cells causing the immune system to attack and destroy the red blood cells. Red blood cells are essential for transport of oxygen in the body.

In this case the patient had a fever, elevated heart rate🫀 and pale mucous membranes.

Diagnosis is made from a blood smear or PCR testing.

Whole blood in equines cannot be stored thus blood collection must be done when it is required. Thank you Flint!

Address

Old Soutpan Road (M35)
Onderstepoort
0110

Telephone

+27761433655

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